And You Thought Your Kid Was Clever: 14-Year-Old Makes '72 VW Beetle Electric Car

14-year-old Ashton Stark (any relation to Tony, perhaps?)–with a little help from his dad–converted this lovely ’72 VW Beetle into a hybrid electric* car. But don’t let the nine golf cart batteries fool you: this car’s got some power. From Treehugger: According to the Argus Observer, the high school sophomore from Oregon spent nearly a […]
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14-year-old Ashton Stark (any relation to Tony, perhaps?)--with a little help from his dad--converted this lovely '72 VW Beetle into a hybrid electric* car. But don't let the nine golf cart batteries fool you: this car's got some power. From Treehugger:

According to the Argus Observer, the high school sophomore from Oregon spent nearly a year making the old car more fitting for the 21st century than most modern vehicles -- and all for around $4,000. Ashton, with the help of his father, equipped the Beetle with nine golf cart batteries, used to power a single motorized shaft which can propel the car for nearly 50 miles on less than 10 cents worth of electricity.

The converted Beetle is no slow-poke either, able to reach speeds upwards of 45 miles per hour. As the car gets more time on the road, an onboard computer will gather performance data as well.

Now that's what I call one sweet geek ride.

(via Treehugger)

*thanks to our readers (who are more clever than I) for pointing out that it's technically an electric car, and not a hybrid.