ST. CHARLES – When John Jeide wants to hit the road, all he has to do is unplug his pickup truck from the wall and press the pedal.
What makes Jeide’s case special is not the fact that he drives a trendsetting electric car; it’s that he built it himself.
John Jeide is featured here working on the bumper hitch of one of his transformed electric cars. (Photo provided)
“Back when gasoline was 37 cents a gallon, I thought there ought to be a better way to move cars around. Little did I know I was off to a long journey,” said Jeide, whose forward thinking led him down a pioneering path.
Jeide’s excitement about alternate energy took charge in 1981 when he began his own research on the topic. After his retirement in 2004, Jeide officially joined the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association, where he went on to start a conversion business with other electric car enthusiasts.
“We were together for five years. We never did make much money, but we had lots of fun, and we converted probably a dozen cars at that time,” he said.
But what does it take to transform a gas-powered car into one that runs on cleaner fuel?
Jeide explained his do-it-yourself method.
“We basically remove everything, like the muffler, the gas tank, engine, and radiator. Then we put in the electric motor and into that we add what would be equivalent to a dimmer switch. We still use the same accelerator pedal. It basically drives like a regular car,” he said, noting that the only exterior difference is the lack of exhaust pipe.
However, Jeide warns that not all cars can be converted into an electric auto, and that the process is not an inexpensive ordeal.
“Each car is different physically, in the amount of weight or the size. Also, the owners have different goals. Some might have a 90-mile range, while others only need to drive 20 or 40 miles,” he said, adding that smaller sedans are best suited for conversion.
But ff a car is a worthy candidate for conversion, Jeide notes that the finished product is low maintenance.
“You drive during the day, you plug it in at night, and the next day it’s ready to roll again,” Jeide said.
Currently, Jeide and his business partner operate Build EV, a conversion company in Hillcrest, IL. Jeide’s favorite part of his work?
“It’s the coffee breaks,” he joked, adding that he truly enjoys the awe his work brings to others. “It’s the grin that shows up on a person’s face when they drive the car the first time. And it’s a great feeling to be able to say I can move places without using gasoline.”
