Neil Young's ELECTRIC 1959 Lincoln Continental

When my colleague David Bell of retail planners/advisers Thomas Consultants Inc. read about Vancouver's proposed electric charging facilities requirement, he asked me whether it would work for Neil Young's Electric Lincoln Convertible. I had not even heard of this car. But as the once proud owner of a 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible (the one with the suicide doors!) I had to check it out. Here's what I found:Neil Young has decided to make himself an example of how hybrid electric cars can be produced with existing technology and without the loss of style with his Lincvolt, an all-electric version of the awesome 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible. He's been working with noted alternative energy nerd Johnathan Goodwin and his company, H-Line Conversions, to develop the car, in current form an electric with an on-board compressed natural gas generator. Young wants the 5,000 pound, 19.5 foot long convertible to be an example to everyone that you can convert any car to run cleaner.

The Lincvolt will be entered into the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition and make an attempt at 100 MPG equivalent fuel economy - a far, far cry from the original mileage. You can learn more about the car and see it's live unveil over at the project website: Lincvolt.com. [Telegraph.co.uk]

Read More: lincvolt, Neil Young Lincoln, Neil Young Lincvolt, Electric Lincoln Conversion, H-Line Conversions, 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV, 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible, johnathan goodwin, Electric Lincoln, Electric Lincoln Conversion, Alternative Energy, Electric Car, Electric Cars, Neil Young



Phil Bonds of the international architectural/planning firm Broadway Malyan tells me UK has been gearing up for electric charging facilities, with the focus being applied to on-street provision (converting lamp standards, pay machines etc)

Bioregional Quintain, the developer of Bed-Zed in Sutton, UK fitted charging facilities to its own parking facilities about 10 years ago. Bonds worked on a major social housing scheme on an adjacent site and included charging sockets 5 years back. The client's rep used to visit their offices in his electric car and leave a trailing electric cord for them to trip over, as it dangled out the window and crossed a busy footpath to his car!



Phil believes that electric cars are definitely the future, "I give it just 5 years to there being 25%

take up". I'm not that optimistic, but I do expect that there will be many electric cars on the road by then. Furthermore, developers will be able to sell the underground parking spaces with charging facilities at a premium, which will more than offset the additional cost of installation.