Father-son duo turns heads after building 'Frankenstein' racing vehicle during pandemic: 'Everybody was laughing at us'

While most people stuck at home during the pandemic were making sourdough, this father and son duo was creating an EV Frankenstein that's been tearing up the autocross racing circuit.

The Apex Cricket EV is the fruit of this Northern Californian duo's passion project, and it turned out to be more powerful than they'd initially thought. InsideEVs reported that it only took about a year's worth of work in the garage before they were able to hit the race track.

"Everybody was laughing at us when we showed up with this electric car," said Dave, the father, in a video on the EVTUNERS YouTube channel. All the other racers were wondering why they brought a golf cart to a car race. 

It all started when an old Gen3 Nissan Leaf electric motor kit they'd been looking at went on sale, and the project was off and running. 

That rear-mounted motor provides 160 kilowatts of power, which is plenty to propel this 1,700-pound street-legal racer. The electric motor provides enough torque that Dave likened its speed capabilities to a V8, except that "it gets there quicker." 

Parts from a C5 Chevrolet Corvette make up the suspension, steering, and brakes, according to the report. The battery pack is made up of six shoebox-sized 60-volt modules scavenged from a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan.  

So far, they've been using a 110-volt Level 1 charger at home to replenish the battery, and they said it usually only takes them around 45 minutes to fill up after a day at the track.

With approximately 100 miles of range, the duo has even been able to use the Apex Cricket as a daily driver.

While it's no Formula E race car, this $20,000 home-built model is a shining example of the energy efficiency and resilience that EVs can offer. In the three years they've been driving the Cricket, there's been no need for maintenance aside from changing the tires and recharging its battery. 

EVs have fewer moving parts, which makes upkeep much simpler than gas-powered vehicles.

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They're far more efficient as well, with electric vehicles achieving up to 91% energy conversion efficiency thanks to their batteries and regenerative braking systems. ICE models only manage to convert up to 25% of their dirty fuel into forward motion. 

Electric race cars are becoming more common on the circuit these days, with NASCAR showcasing its own prototype as a harbinger of what's to come. 

The race track is the perfect testing ground for new automotive technology, and putting greener vehicles through their paces can help improve EV performance and efficiency.  

With a solar panel and battery storage system at home, EV owners could be using the sun's power to recharge to save on utility bills. 

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