The Defiant

_____

I have in my possession a 1981 Toyota Cressida -- a non-running 1981 Toyota Cressida. I call it the Defiant, after a ship in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It has a fuel clog and a faulty starter. Just as I'm a designer and not an engineer, I'm much more of a driver than a mechanic...





I'd work on it myself, but I have no garage -- and for that matter no driveway. I could do it in the back yard if I could get someone to push me in it down the street and up the alley. I even have a pair of ramps...

But despite it being a low priority and outside our budget, is there a point to reviving another internal combustion engine? This Cressida may now be technically a 'classic', but it's no more than a footnote in automotive history. Few appreciate its angular design as much as I do, and almost no one (statistically speaking) remembers it as the somewhat luxurious sports sedan it was.

As much as I'd like to restore it to its former glory, as an automotive designer I have the urge to customize. Thing is, about all I'd do to the body is shave the drip rails from above the doors, since they're rusting away anyhow -- I appreciate its design that much.

What I do not appreciate is the effort it would take to get its inline six-cylinder engine back into good working order. Never mind an engine swap or performance upgrades. Internal combustion engines are very messy, especially when their seals break down. Also, they require periodic infusions of lubricating oil, and in this case, untold amounts of gasoline for fuel (not that I would feel better about it if it took diesel).

I had previously considered converting it to run on natural gas / propane (propane is basically refined natural gas), which would be an improvement. There are systems available that would allow home-fueling, and fairly simple plumbing would allow for use of exchangeable propane tanks of the type used for barbecue grills. So equipped, my Cressida would qualify as a low-emissions vehicle...

By the way? I finally got a chance to watch Who Killed the Electric Car? the other night...

...and it finally dawned on me, that the best thing I could do with my old Cressida would be to convert it to an electric vehicle.

Now is the time to suspend disbelief, because what I'm about to lay out is the stuff of dreams.

What if I could acquire all the necessary components from Tesla Motors for this conversion? All the bits that make their Roadster so fabulous, aside from the body and chassis, would transform my old Toyota (acquired from a friend in exchange for a six-pack of Guinness) into a technological wonder.

I've done the math, and those components would add about 1000 pounds -- but remember, the unspecified weight of the existing driveline and fuel tank (much heavier when full) would be removed. I estimate the converted Cressida's weight to end up at around 3000 lbs -- more than the Roadster but likely less than the avoirdupois of Tesla Motors' upcoming sedan, codenamed White Star.

Challenge: Will a White Star be able to match the performance of a converted '81 Toyota sedan? Hey, probably not -- but then Tesla Motors will have to conform with modern safety standards...


If somehow the money came together for this project, and if I were then able to get Tesla Motors to supply the components, the obvious next step beyond Defiant is EXOVAN. Actually, the Defiant then becomes an important phase in the realization of EXOVAN, whether Tesla Motors decides to take on the project or merely agrees to supply components. Will it be the Tesla EXOVAN, or the Tellurian EXOVAN?


For the Defiant, there is no question -- it will be a product of Tellurian Motors. Now I have to work on an image of the hood ornament that just popped into my head...




Phil Smith
June 12, 2007


Postscript:

One of the reasons major automotive corporations have been reluctant (to say the least) to produce electric vehicles is that they require far less maintenance. An electric car will cause you less trouble over the years, costing just a fraction of the maintenance expenses an ICE (internal combustion engine) car will run up. There is much profit to be made from parts & service, not to mention oil & filters. Plus, since they're easier to maintain, electric vehicles don't need to be replaced as often.

Example: The failure of a simple relay in our 1995 Neon (bought new) disabled its cooling fan, and I had no idea anything was wrong until it was too late. It overheated and blew the head gasket, creating conditions where oil and water DO mix -- the radiator was filled with a pudding-like sludge. By this time the Neon was several years old, and what with things being packed so tightly under the hood, repair costs (mostly labour, in dissembling and reassembling systems just to get to the head) would've been more than the car was worth. It was sold for parts. Sad. We loved that car.

Though the high-tech components of today's (relatively) long-range electrics are quite expensive, if they were used to convert an older vehicle the resulting cost might be on par with that of a new ICE economy car.




Realizing this, we gain a new appreciation for the name 'Defiant'. In defiance of the automotive giants, a large number of small conversion shops could spring up, allowing owners of older vehicles to transform them into incredibly efficient and reliable transportation.

If I had such a shop, I would call it 'Harmonic Conversions' and have my mechanics wear coveralls with the word QUANTUM embroidered on the backs...


Phil Smith
June 13, 2007

_____