The car draws some attention when it's out. Feir had two people stop to ask him about it during about an hour interview.
GREENSBORO -- At first glance, Lawrence Feir appears to be a man out for a summer drive with the wind in his hair. His car's a 1980 Triumph TR-7 convertible.
"I had to have a convertible, I just have a passion for little two-seater convertibles," he said. It's also lighter than a hard top, an advantage when you're making the conversion to an electric vehicle.
The car's uniqueness become apparent when you open the hood. Instead of a gasoline engine, there's a large bank of batteries, along with an electric motor.
"I'd had the idea of building an electric car for years, and with the rising price of gas, it seemed now was just a real good time to do it," said Feir.
He figured it was also a good time to start offering conversions through his business, Innovation Robotics. Feir is a former auto mechanic. He's also a metal sculptor, whose art adorns several businesses around Greensboro.
He's also built electric robots for several TV shows, including "Robot Wars," and "Robotica." Those experiences converged in building the electric car conversion.
Feir bought the car on eBay for $200.00 and pulled out the gasoline engine, and sold it for that amount.
At first glance, Lawrence Feir appears to be a man out for a summer drive with the wind in his hair. His car's a 1980 Triumph TR-7 convertible. See why his car is different.
The TR-7 was built as an around-town car. The top speed is around 45 miles an hour. It gets 45 miles on a charge and no gasoline is needed.
"You just plug it into a standard 110 outlet and you're pretty much going to charge it at night and drive it during the day," said Feir.
One of the most fuel efficient cars on the road these days is a Toyota Prius. It uses a hybrid gas/electric engine. They get about 44 miles a gallon so it costs around nine-cents a mile to operate. Feir's does a bit better, about three-cents a mile.
The car draws some attention when it's out. Feir had two people stop to ask him about it during about an hour interview. And he has his first customer, a South Carolina man who wants his Mazda Miata convertible converted to an electric motor.
As for whether the car is the wave of the future, "I think it's the partial wave of the future, a plug-in electric car is not the answer to all the problems associated with the high cost of fuel, but it certainly can help," he said.
Feir says his electric car conversions will cost between $8,000 and $10,000.
For more information, you can check out his website.