1949 Mercury/ELECTRIC/Jay Leno

GaryU.

Well-known member
Another interesting addition today from Jay Leno. A 1949 Mercury converted to all electric drive by Icon. I've seen episodes over the years by this company usually with a high horsepower drive train in vintage automobiles. This one is a 1949 Mercury that's all electric, no cost given and no mileage per charge but something different and loads of patina. I'll stick to my flatheads for now but got a ride in a friends brand new Tesla a few weeks ago at Cars and Coffee here locally, need costs to go down before I would make a change, but technology is impressive.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiWAajyCtJY
 
Last edited:
Search the internet... there's a converted Tesla with a big-honkin V8, already. Somehow I stumbled on it, I think on a utube video. ('Course, with photoshop, one never knows)
 
Stopped by the local charge station for a refill :)
picture.php
 
I enjoyed the Leno video. Thanks for posting. I'm thinking that this '49 mercury would be a really nice car with far better range if one were to install some type of powerplant of the internal combustion type. Perhaps eight cylinders in a V configuration with approximately 250-260 cubic inch displacement and a moderate compression ratio, probably in the mid sevens, together with a special long throw crankshaft providing increased stroke to improve the torque in this heavier vehicle. All this mated to a coulmn shifted synchronized 3 speed transmission, and perhaps even an overdrive option and you'd have yerself one helluva fine automobile right there.
 
Well........maybe for some, not me. Maybe they could incorperate a flathead "sound system" so it at least had a note of ....?????
 
So when your electric car runs out of charge on the freeway you catch a ride to a charging station and get a bucket of charge?
 
I have a 36 coupe with a flatty and a 2020 Honda Clarity PHEV. When either of them run out of go juice, I will need a tow no matter which one I'm in.
The comparison of which is the "better" method is really pretty ignorant.
Luddites are always gonna whine about progress.
 
There were those who said that the automobile would never replace the horse. Of course, there are still plenty of horses out there.
 
This Merc was a SEMA a few years ago, nicely done. Art Morrison chassis. For the past few years at SEMA, more vendors for electric conversions, should be interesting to see what there is next week.
 
It's really quite simple : Petroleum is a finite resource, while electricity is not.

Certainly true, then we also better get in gear to get all of the required charging stations set up.

Talk to anyone with an electric car and they need to plan their route around available charging stations. In some parts of the country, they are not always available.

It seems like the support for this technology is lagging.
 
People had to buy gasoline at drugstores in the early 20th century too.

You can't beat "Supply and Demand".
 
You youngsters will see the day when you'll have to buy gas at a hardware store.

Ideally, there will be one pump at every "Filling Station" with non-oxygenated premium unleaded at .79 a gallon. (Take that, OPEC). Up in the resort area where I come from, every gas station has at least one pump of this stuff for the boaters and snowmobilers; old car people, too.
 
Back
Top