First across Canada by electric car

Ricky Gu, a third-year electrical engineering student at the University of British Columbia, is entering the history books as the first person to drive across Canada in a battery-electric, non-solar car — with a little help from his friends.

Electric car projects are often the folly of the rich, like billionaire Elon Musk and his jaw-dropping $130,000 Tesla, but Gu’s station in life isn’t nearly as flamboyant. He’s a 21-year-old student entering into his final year at UBC living on a budget that includes Kraft Dinner far more often than caviar.

To keep costs down, he converted a Volkswagen Beetle to electric propulsion and utilized many off-the-shelf components. However, the complex battery management system, which ties all system functions together, was designed and fabricated on his own.

His dream began 10 months ago when he formed an electric car club, intending to showcase green transportation at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“Mayor Gregor Robertson wanted to promote the city (during the Olympics) as one of the greenest cities in the world,” he explains, “but we weren’t given the chance to participate, so I thought we’d take the message to the nation and maybe beyond.”

In Gu’s terminology, “maybe beyond” actually means “around the world” — he’s already planning the next legs of his world voyage for 2011 after he graduates.

To keep his batteries charged during this Pacific-to-Atlantic drive, which began in Vancouver Aug. 21, he has been staying at campgrounds along the way, picking up a charge from the 50-amp receptacles usually used for large motorhomes. His cross-Canada odyssey was due to end yesterday in Halifax.

While the exterior of his car didn’t generate much attention in Toronto on Tuesday, the same cannot be said of the technology under the hood, er, trunk.

Members from the EV-fluent Electric Vehicle Society gathered to cheer him on, keen to see the car’s set-up with its 54 KW/hours of lithium battery capacity.

Combined with a highly-advanced 50 kilowatt three-phase AC motor, his Beetle can travel up to 550 kilometres per charge, giving the car much more power and range than in original form.

This ain’t your Grandma’s EV, but despite the advanced technology, Gu was able to build his car for about $26,000, all costs included.

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