Tom and Elizabeth bought their Solectria Force in 1997, directly from Solectria.  It was delivered to their home on December 21, 1997 and their lives have changed for the better.  They use it far more often than their gas-powered car, and the Force is truly non-polluting: It gets its power from the sun!  Tom and Elizabeth have installed a set of solar panels on the roof of their home, and they generate enough electricity to run the car.

The Force is used for almost all day-to-day travel, both within Port Washington and on longer-distance trips to Milwaukee, West Bend, Sheboygan and other destinations within a 25-mile radius.

They liked the Force so much that they decided to buy a used Solectria E-10 pickup for the various hauling duties around their house.  With a large perennial garden, fruit orchard and several water gardens, there's always something that needs to be hauled from one place or another.  The E-10 replaces their old Plymouth Voyager van, which had become a maintenance nightmare and unreliable for long-distance trips.

The E-10 is now fully restored, with a range of approximately 45 miles.  It routinely hauls up to 700 pounds of cargo and has become an indispensable part of their fleet.  A journal following the restoration of the E-10 can be found here.

In 2001 and early 2002, Tom & Elizabeth upgraded their Force from lead-acid batteries to higher-capacity nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, doubling the car's range.  The description of the upgrade process can be found here.

WEBSITE:

Tom and Elizabeth maintain a full website showing many more details on their EVs at http://portev.org/solectria/ho.

PHOTOS:

The 1997 Force instrument cluster.  Amp-hour counter (aka fuel gauge) at left. Small green light at lower left is "charge complete" indicator.

	The Hudson/O'Connell Force at the 1999 Midwest Renewable Energy Association energy expo in Amherst, Wisconsin.  Tom drove it 150 miles to the expo, stopping at RV parks to "refuel".  Read about the trip here.
	Under the hood of the Hudson/O'Connell Force. At center left is the small kerosene-burning fuel-fired heat unit, for those cold Wisconsin winters, with the kerosene tank just right of center. Drive motor at center, black motor controller just forward of motor.  The black box under the motor controller holds 5 batteries, with 8 more under the trunk.

	The Hudson/O'Connell 1995 Solectria E-10 pickup truck, hot off the car carrier from its trip from the Nevada desert. This now restored to full service.  Read about it here.
	The "business end" of the E-10 pickup: The dual electric drive motors!  These are located just forward of the rear bumper, and are connected to the rear axle by a short drive shaft.

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This page last updated 11/05/08