Enova Systems

Enova Systems was a United States corporation which designed and supplied battery electric vehicle powertrains and components. The company was founded initially as Clover Solar Corporation on July 30, 1976, in Santa Rosa, California, and changed its name to Solar Electric Engineering in June 1979.

Enova Systems
Formerly
  • Clover Solar (1976–79)
  • Solar Electric Engineering (1979–94)
  • U.S. Electricar (1994–2000)
Industrybattery electric vehicle conversions and powertrains
PredecessorU.S. Electricar (1978–93)
FoundedJuly 30, 1976 (1976-07-30)
DefunctAugust 31, 2014 (2014-08-31)
Headquarters
Torrance, California
Websiteenovasystems.com

U.S. Electricar was a company founded contemporaneously in the late 1970s by Chandler H. Waterman in Athol, Massachusetts, best known for electric vehicle conversions of regular production automobiles in the 1970s, including the DAF 46 and Lectric Leopard (Renault LeCar and Fiat Strada). After Electricar was acquired by Solar Electric Engineering, the company adopted the U.S. Electricar name in January 1994 and launched a short-lived new line of conversions, including the Grumman LLV, Geo Prizm, and Chevrolet S-10. The company's final name change was to Enova Systems in July 2000.

Corporate history

Enova trace their origins to Clover Solar, founded July 30, 1976.[1][2] The company and its successor, Solar Electric Engineering, based in Rohnert Park, California, initially specialized in products harnessing solar energy, including garden lights, photovoltaic panels,[3] and hot water heaters.[4]: 19 

Conversions

Chandler H. Waterman built his first electric vehicle conversion in 1968, based on the Datsun 1200, as a hobbyist in Athol, working part-time after his job at Simplex Time Recorder;[5] he was a self-admitted "assembler using off-the-shelf components".[6] Waterman's eponymous company, C.H. Waterman Industries, moved on to market DAF 46 and Renault 5 (Le Car) conversions with 96 volt lead-acid traction batteries;[7]: 247–250  the latter was sold as the "Electricar 1".[8]: 77  In 1978, the Renault conversion was rebranded as the Lectric Leopard and the U.S. Electricar Corporation was formed as a division of Waterman Industries. The Lectric Leopard attracted attention at its launch thanks to its distributor, John Hoy Kauffmann, who was marketing the converted vehicle to government agencies. Previously, Kauffmann was a member of the ownership group that formerly held The Washington Star.[6] In 1979, U.S. Electricar was the largest producer of battery-electric automobiles in the United States, with 79 completed.[9] The Lectric Leopard had a suggested retail price in 1981 of US$11,000 (equivalent to $35,400 in 2022), more than double the cost of the donor Renault due in part to the extra labor cost of having to remove the conventional drivetrain; U.S. Electricar signed an agreement with Fiat in 1980,[10] who would supply Strada gliders without drivetrains, reducing costs.[9]

Solar Electric began electric car conversions in approximately 1989 and had completed 40 electric car conversions by 1991, marketing the Electron at US$15,700 (equivalent to $33,700 in 2022) and Destiny at US$28,000 (equivalent to $60,200 in 2022); the firm sold its first cars to celebrities including Alan Alda, Kirstie Alley, Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, and Dennis Weaver.[11] Noel Perrin was another one of the first customers, purchasing an Electron (converted Ford Escort) and driving it cross-country from California to Vermont.[4]

Converted Chevrolet S-10

By 1992 the company had converted 140 vehicles, mostly Ford Escorts and Chevrolet S-10 pickups.[12] That year, William Meurer opened Green Motor Works Inc. in North Hollywood, a dealership which planned to sell exclusively electric cars converted by Solar Electric or using parts sourced from them. Meurer first sold a Destiny to actor Leslie Nielsen;[13] by 1993, Green Motor Works was concentrating on selling the Kewet neighborhood electric vehicle. Solar Electric Engineering had moved to a larger headquarters in Sebastopol, California.[14]

After Solar Electric acquired U.S. Electricar in the early 1990s, the company launched new conversions and took on a pilot program to convert United States Postal Service Grumman LLV delivery trucks.[15] At the time, the electric vehicle market consisted mostly of conversions using lead-acid batteries.[16] U.S. Electricar signed an agreement in 1993 with Hughes Power Control Systems to purchase 1,100 AC traction motors and motor controllers, which would be used to convert Chevrolet S-10 pickup and Geo Prizm sedans in a South Central Los Angeles facility. The AC traction motors were derived from the one used in the GM Impact, and were more efficient than the DC motors that Electricar had used previously.[17] That August, Solar Electric acquired the electric vehicle manufacturing arm of Nordskog Industries in Redlands.[18]

The southern California assembly plant opened near Carson in May 1994.[19] That June, U.S. Electricar signed an agreement with Itochu Corporation to market converted S-10 pickup and LLV delivery vans in Japan, with Itochu taking a 4.5% ownership stake for US$15 million.[20] In late summer 1994, U.S. Electricar delivered 25 S-10 pickup conversions to Virginia Power[21] and entered a joint venture with Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to build an assembly facility in Syracuse, New York.[22] Most of its sales were to public electric utility fleets.[23]

Licensing and partnerships

The new Republican majority in Congress elected in 1994 had a chilling effect on potential investors.[24] In March 1995, the company, now based in Santa Rosa, abruptly laid off a third of its workforce and moved away from selling electric conversions,[25] closing its conversion facilities in Florida and southern California. An interim loan from Itochu kept the company solvent, but CEO Ted Morgan stepped down and was succeeded by Roy Kusumoto in April.[26] During the following spring (1996), the California Air Resources Board rolled back its electric vehicle mandate, which would have required that two percent of cars sold in California have no tailpipe emissions, further depressing demand.[24]

In 1997, U.S. Electricar announced an agreement with Hyundai Motor Company; Hyundai would invest $3.6 million and purchased a $2 million license for its Panther 60 kW electric motor drivetrain technology.[27] By November, the company had relocated to Torrance and CEO Kusumoto announced his resignation, succeeded by Carl D. Perry.[28] U.S. Electricar partnered with Hyundai to develop the parallel hybrid vehicle drivetrain used in the FGV-II concept car which debuted at the 1999 Seoul Motor Show.[29] That year, the company announced it would change its name to Enova Systems.[30] Enova developed production hybrid and fuel cell powertrains for Hyundai.[31][32] Enova also announced partnerships with Ecostar Electric Drive Systems for the Think City,[33] Capstone Turbine,[34] and Gillig in 2000.[35]

Hyundai and Enova entered a joint venture in March 2003 and dissolved it six years later.[36]

Separately, Enova developed a hybrid school bus with IC Corporation, first unveiled in July 2006.[37] In May 2008, Enova entered a long-term supply agreement with IC Bus for the parallel hybrid drivetrain.[38]

Enova Systems was declared essentially defunct in August 2014, with few assets, significant losses, and only a single employee, CEO John Micek.[39] The last filing by Enova Systems with the Securities and Exchange Commission was for the quarter ending September 30, 2015, reporting a loss of US$188,000 over the prior three months.[40]

Products
  • Lectric Leopard
  • Electron (Ford Escort conversion, 1989–94)[46][47]
  • Destiny 2000 (Pontiac Fiero conversion, 1989–94)[48][49]: 177 
  • Pickup (Chevrolet S-10 conversion, 1994)[50]
  • Sedan (Geo Prizm conversion, 1994)[51]
  • Grumman LLV conversion (1995)[52]

Waterman's Lectric Leopard conversions used a simple pedal-operated motor controller that varied the voltage to the DC traction motor through a finite series of detents.[5][53]

A Destiny 2000 was featured in the film The Naked Gun 2 1/2.[47]

The "Panther 60" drivetrain included an AC induction traction motor with 60 kW (80 hp) output, a DC/DC converter (1.2 kW), heat pump, and on-board 6.6 kW charger. It was used in the Grumman LLV conversion.[54] The traction motor was packaged as a unit with the reduction gearbox and parking pawl. Various outputs were available, including 90 and 120 kW (120 and 160 hp) units.[55]

Panther Electric Drive Units[55][56]
NameTypePowerTorqueWeight
MaxCont.
EDM60 AC induction 60 kW
80 hp
at 3600 RPM		22.5 kW
30.2 hp		159 N⋅m
117 lbf⋅ft		 56 kg
123 lb
EDM90 90 kW
120 hp
at 3600 RPM		30 kW
40 hp		239 N⋅m
176 lbf⋅ft		 65 kg
143 lb
EDM120 120 kW
160 hp
at 1800 RPM		65 kW
87 hp		650 N⋅m
480 lbf⋅ft		 98 kg
216 lb

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Electricar, Inc. Form 10-K". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  2. "Enova Systems, Inc. Form 10-K". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. "Rohnert Park Firm Joins in Solar Cell Production Plan". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 1988. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  4. Perrin, Noel (1992). Solo: Life with an Electric Car. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-03407-0.
  5. Sherman, Don (October 1973). "Athol's answer to the energy crisis". Car and Driver. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  6. Knight, Jerry (October 12, 1978). "From Newspaper Owner To New Car Salesman". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center (September 1977). State-of-the-art assessment of electric and hybrid vehicles (PDF) (Report). Energy Research and Development Administration, Division of Transportation Energy Conservation. NASA TM-73756. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  8. Shacket, Sheldon R. (1979). The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles. Northbrook, Illinois: Domus Books. ISBN 0-89196-033-3.
  9. Metz, Robert (March 10, 1981). "Electric Cars: The Outlook". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. "U.S. Electricar Corp. has contracted to buy Fiat chassis and bodies". UPI Archives. October 10, 1980. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  11. Colvin, Richard Lee (February 11, 1991). "Electric Car Buffs Shift Efforts Into Higher Gear: Smog: The DMV says 4,000 licensed vehicles are already humming along on batteries. Fear of interrupted oil supplies is a reason for the demand". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. Parrish, Michael (November 23, 1992). "California Firm to Build Electric-Powered Van: Autos: Solar Electric Engineering of Santa Rosa thinks utilities will be key customers. The vehicle will meet new pollution laws". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  13. Gollner, Philipp (March 17, 1992). "All-Electric Auto Showroom to Open : Environment: Green Motor Works will be a pioneer in the Southland. It will sell converted gasoline cars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  14. Parrish, Michael (August 9, 1993). "State Is Driving Force Behind Emission-Free Cars : Technology: Despite drawbacks, practical applications and program incentives could generate thousands of jobs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  15. Ryerson, Master and Associates, Inc. (May 2003). United States Postal Service Electric Carrier Route Vehicle Program: 500 Vehicle Fleet Deployment Report (PDF) (Report). United States Postal Service. Retrieved 6 February 2023.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. Brown, Stuart F. (February 1995). "It's the Battery, Stupid!". Popular Science. New York, New York: Times Mirror Magazines. pp. 62–64, 78. ISSN 0161-7370. Retrieved 27 February 2023. Current-technology lead-acid-battery EVs are already operating in some government and commercial fleets where a daily driving range of 60 miles or less is sufficient. Like them, most of the EVs that can be brought to market in 1998 will simply be converted gasoline vehicles.
  17. Parrish, Michael (June 24, 1993). "Clean Machines : Deal With Hughes Gives Electric Cars a Jump Start". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  18. "Van Nuys Firm Sells Its Electrical-Vehicle Unit". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1993. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  19. Feldman, Paul (May 7, 1994). "Electric Cars Touted as Plant Opens". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  20. Parrish, Michael (June 10, 1994). "Joint Venture Targets Tokyo for U.S.-Made Electric Trucks : Autos: Under terms of the deal, trader Itochu Corp. will invest $15 million in U.S. Electricar, a California company". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  21. Brown, Warren (September 13, 1994). "Virginia Power expands electric fleet". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  22. Van Gelder, Lawrence (August 26, 1994). "Plant Assembling Electric Vehicles to Open in Syracuse Area". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  23. "Utilities coalition buys 38 more electric vehicles". Deseret News. United Press International. February 11, 1995. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  24. Cech, Scott (May 5, 1996). "Picking Up Speed" (PDF). San Francisco Examiner. Medill News Service. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  25. Marshall, Jonathan (March 21, 1995). "Sputtering U.S. Electricar Hits a Cash Wall / Company reports loss, layoffs, need for money". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  26. Parrish, Michael (April 26, 1995). "PEOPLE". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  27. "March 3, 1997" (Press release). U.S. Electricar. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  28. "Also...". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1997. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  29. "U.S. Electricar, Inc. (Symbol: ECAR) announces that they have developed, under contract with Hyundai Motor Company of Korea, a parallel Hybrid system for their vehicle applications" (Press release). U.S. Electricar. October 26, 1999. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000.
  30. "U.S. Electricar, Inc. (Symbol:ECAR) announced today at the 1999 North American Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Conference and Exposition, held in Atlanta, Georgia, that the Company has selected Enova Systems as its new corporate identity" (Press release). Enova Systems. November 17, 1999. Archived from the original on April 11, 2001.
  31. "Enova Systems (Symbol: ECAR) announced they have entered into a contract with Hyundai Motor Company of Korea, the world's seventh largest automobile manufacturer, to design and develop a new parallel-hybrid system for their production vehicles" (Press release). Enova Systems. March 30, 2000. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000.
  32. "Enova Systems (Symbol: ECAR) has been selected by Hyundai Motor Company ("HMC") to develop and supply the drive train and power management systems for their new high performance fuel cell Sport Utility Vehicle ("SUV")" (Press release). Enova Systems. May 25, 2000. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000.
  33. "Enova Systems to provide Powertrain Components for Ford Motor Company's TH!NK City" (Press release). Enova Systems. July 26, 2000. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000.
  34. "Enova Systems and Capstone announce a joint marketing agreement" (Press release). Enova Systems. October 16, 2000. Archived from the original on April 12, 2001.
  35. "Gillig Corporation and Enova Systems announce series hybrid development agreement" (Press release). Enova Systems. October 16, 2000. Archived from the original on March 4, 2001.
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  37. "IC Corporation and Enova unveil hybrid school bus". DieselNet. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  38. "Enova Systems and IC Bus Execute Long Term Agreement For Hybrid School Buses". Green Car Congress. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
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  43. Meltzer, Eric (June 1, 2021). "Wheels: Le Car". The Conway Daily Sun. Retrieved 28 February 2023. The simple layout was attractive to electric vehicle builder US Electricar Corp. of Athol, Mass., that turned stripped Le Cars into the Lectric Leopard EV in 1979 and 1980. These primitive EVs were short on range, long on charging times, and best suited to commuting but, given their limitations, were little more than a novelty.
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  55. "Electric Drive Units (EDU)". Enova Systems. Archived from the original on September 30, 2000.
  56. "EDM : Electric Drive Motor" (PDF). Enova Systems. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2006.
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