Bill McCracken’s BugE makes another Wells appearance

Bill McCracken with his BugE electric car

Today was something of a special occasion for Wells’ Network Service Technician Bill McCracken: a successful distance run of his homemade, three-wheeled “BugE” electric car proved that he could all but cut fossil fuels out of his commute from Auburn, NY.

The car started out as a kit vehicle from designer Mike Murphy, but nearly all of the “behind the scenes” design work (such as what engine to use, how to mount the taillight and battery pack, and where wires ran to and from) was done by Bill. In the years since he started on it, he has put time, thought, effort, and not a small amount of ingenuity into continual improvements. As a result, he’s made the BugE more maintainable and efficient as well as a faster, smoother, longer overall ride. His trip this morning was as much a test of speed and distance as it was a way to get to work.

A view through the windshield

Bill has easy answers for some of the most immediate questions (asked by nearly everyone that passed by where the BugE was charging in the lobby of Stratton Hall): the top speed is around 50 mph, with a cruising speed between 30 and 40 mph; the windshield keeps wind and rain out, so it’s not really any worse than riding in a car without a working heater; and because the only oil is on the bicycle chain running to the back wheel, there’s literally no “miles per gallon” to tell of. He compares charging the battery to simply leaving a 100-watt light bulb on for a few hours. His was the first vehicle of its kind to be street legal in New York State and is one of the only ones like it in the country.

Professor Niamh O'Leary's environmental science class was passing by at the right time for an impromptu Q-and-A

Like anyone with engineering ability and a years-long project, it’s not hard to get Bill talking about the work he’s done on his electric car. With this project, though, the “how” questions are less important to him than “why.” Bill relates all the work that he’s done with the BugE to exploring fossil fuel alternatives, emphasizing the need to ask questions and find answers rather than leaving them unexpressed until it becomes a major problem. He’s presented the car at Wells’ 2010 Activism Symposium and is perfectly happy to answer any questions that people have about the capabilities of his BugE in relation to cutting back and eliminating the use of fossil fuels in addition to brake fluid, transmission fluid and many typical auto parts that aren’t needed for the BugE. When gas prices rise to $15-20 per gallon, says Bill, he doesn’t want to be turning to anyone else and saying “Shouldn’t you have been taking care of that?” As these technologies become more common and available, we’ll have at least one member of the Wells community with years of knowledge and experience.

For more information about the BugE, visit Bill’s blog at ev4me.blogspot.com/. And stay tuned for updates on his next project, 3D printing!