Getting his 2 cents worth per mile

Morgan farmer drives ‘glorified golf cart’ to save energy

By FRITZ BUSCH Journal Staff Writer
MORGAN — Bill Schwandt unplugged an electrical cord in front of his new GEM, opened a door, stepped into his two-seat car, turned the ignition switch on and almost silently backed out of his garage.

Made by Chrysler, the car’s wheels spun slightly on loose gravel as Schwandt stepped on the gas in front of his farmhouse.

He quickly speeded up to about 28 miles per hour, according to a digital display on the car’s dashboard.

The sound of the tires on the road and faint whir of a 5-hp, electric motor were heard.

Schwandt turned on a windshield wiper and turn signal as he eased onto a gravel road.

“It’s sort of like a glorified golf cart and one of my other toys, a six-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV),” said Schwandt.

He bought the electric car for under $10,000 about a year ago from a Fargo GEM dealer he found online.

Six 12-volt batteries power the vehicle. Four of the batteries are under the seats, the other two are under a small hood.

His electric car takes him to Gilfillian Estate to tend his miniature horses, to church or to shop in Morgan, Morton or Redwood Falls.

“It takes me about about twice as long to make the trips compared to driving my Jeep, but I’m willing to trade some time to save energy and drive for two cents a mile. Most people will make more changes in their driving habits as fuel prices rise,” Schwandt said.

He plugged the car to a 110-volt, garage electrical outlet after his local trip. After a few hours, the batteries fully charge.

Schwandt exchanged the standard equipment, 61-pound batteries on his 2003 GEM for Group 31, 85-pound “deep cycle” batteries he said give the car a little more speed and last longer.

He drives the car at night, noting its small headlights are “very bright.”

Because it doesn’t have a heater, Schwandt didn’t drive his GEM during last winter’s three coldest months.

A cost calculator at gemcars.com showed that the vehicle would save drivers of a gas-powered vehicle that gets 27 mpg, travels 12,000 miles a year, a total of $1,728.52 a year for gas bought at $3.65 per gallon.

There are only about a dozen GEM owners in Minnesota now, according to Schwandt. He predicted that number will soon multiply.

Although he’s not able to become a GEM dealer he plans to sell XG electric 2-, 4-, and 6-passenger vehicles that can travel up to 50 miles on a battery charge.

Looking further into the future, Schwandt talked about the Air Car, powered by a Compressed Air Engine (CAE) made by a French firm, Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM).

The firm reported on its web site that its 75 hp, six-seat, 106 mpg cars may be ordered directly from the factory to U.S. customers for about $17,800 in early 2010.

At speeds under 35 mph, Air Cars run pollution-free on compressed air.

At speeds over 35, they use small amounts of gasoline, propane, ethanol or bio fuel to heat air inside a heating chamber before it enters the engine.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).