Electrifying

DAVID CATT

21Aug07

Vaughan Merheb lets the Express take a peak under the bonnet of his all-electric 1989 Nissan Exa 1.8. Picture: NICK BLOUKOS

IT may not be Greased Lightning, but Vaughan Merheb's Nissan Exa is electrifying.

The Georges Hall resident has converted his Nissan Exa 1.8 Twin Cam so it runs completely on electricity.

After he has made a few more modifications and a new paint job, Mr Merheb will turn his hand to converting another car.

He intends to make it even better than his current model.

``I bought the car to convert it and my cousin said to me, `What the hell are you doing ruining a perfectly good car?''' he said.

``Until I turned the engine over the first time, I was thinking the same thing.''

The `Elexa' project, as he calls it, involved stripping out the petrol engine and the fuel tank, installing an electric motor and 20 batteries, reinforcing the car's chassis to support the weight and installing vacuum pumps to operate the brakes.

Running, it emits only a quiet hum of around 30dB, compared to the 80dB a petrol engine makes.

Best of all, it has been deemed roadworthy by the Roads and Traffic Authority.

Mr Merheb said the car would pay for itself within four years because electricity is so much cheaper than petrol, and the batteries would last a minimum of three years if maintained well.

``It's great not to be paying for petrol, but it's great for the environment too,'' he said.

``It has zero emissions. People tell me that I am still powering the car with electricity from coal power plants, but that's not my fault, that's the government.''

The former electronics engineer said he always liked to tinker with cars.

But when it came to building an entirely electric vehicle, he decided to strike out on his own instead of joining up with other enthusiasts.

``Funnily enough, if I had listened to people who have built electric cars, it wouldn't have been as good,'' he said.

``I only regret listening to them when they told me to take the power steering out, but I'm about to put that back in.''

He said it took him six months part-time to build with his mate Ghazi Lahifi, but he thinks they could do it in two weeks if they were to do it full-time, which is exactly what he is hoping to eventually do.

``In the next car, I will use lithium-ion batteries which are lighter, so I can put more in the car. They take a better charge, so they will go further, and charge quicker,'' he said.

Mr Merheb is currently working on a documentary that will show the full process of how he converted his car.

The car can be viewed in action on Mr Merheb 's own website www.auschip.com under `Projects', where there is a direct link to a YouTube video of the car being driven at speed.

WHAT'S UNDER THE NISSAN'S HOOD
Nissan ``Elexa'' Project Stats:
Shell: 1989 Nissan Exa 1.8 Twin Cam
Generates: 120 volts, 225 amps
Powered by: 20 heavy-duty deep cycle batteries
Top speed: 110km
Distance per charge: 30km to 50km
Charge time: 3-4 hours
Average battery life: 3 years
Conversion cost: $20,000