The “Electra 007” badges on this 1980 Dodge Omni 024 are not a misguided attempt to turn it into a James Bond car from a poor man. However, the technology inside may have impressed Q itself, at least in 1980. This is an electric conversion of the Jet Industries of the Omni 024. It is not the first time we have seen one, but this example is in much better condition, and certainly more original than the modified Lemons -Racer. The best of all, this can be yours, thanks Mecum auctions.
Details of the history of this specific car are scarce, but we can fill in some spaces. In the late seventies and early 1980s, Jet Industries converted around 1,400 vehicles into electric electricity, including Ford and Subaru models and Chrysler products. According to Car weekJet was one of the four companies that received the government grants to push the boundaries of EV technology at that time. The US came from an energy crisis and electric cars were a way to free us from large oil. Sounds known?
The right idea at the wrong time
The government also helped finance the development of Chrysler from the then-futuristic, aerodynamic body, which it shared with the Plymouth Horizon TC3. The standard car was supplied with a VW-Sourced 1.7-liter engine that made 70 hp not a Barnstormer. Jet Industries have replaced this with a 23-HP electric motor. It still used the VW-hand-handled four-speed gearbox, unlike modern EVs that usually have a single speed transmission.
The dashboard has a sticker that advises which gear must be used at what speed. It also has extra meters for battery amplifiers and percentage of charge. I also recognize an Espar heater control, which is nowadays often used in camper buses. Without a gasoline engine to produce heat, this must have been a necessary supplement.
The rear loading space is usually disappeared, converted into a large battery box with extra electric meters. As with most toys, batteries are not included in this car. This is probably a good thing, because the original 20 six-voltage lead acid batteries weighed around 1,000 pounds, almost half the weight of the original car.
That is ultimately the reason why this generation EVs failed. The technology was simply not advanced enough to make it practical for daily use. Although EVs are still heavy, batteries have improved enormously, the range is equal to gas on gas and performance is better, not worse. Nevertheless, the Jet Electra 007 is an interesting time capsule of an expected EV -FUTTH that never originated.
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