Automakers have been experimenting with electric cars for over a century. While many consider the GM EV1 to be the first mainstream electric car for the masses, some American automakers were experimenting with bringing an EV to market decades before General Motors, including Dodge, GM’s direct rival. One of Dodge’s early efforts is currently for sale online.
Sent to us by reader Jeff K, this 1987 Dodge Ram Van B300 is for sale on Chicago’s Craigslist. According to the seller and the listing, this Ram Van was converted to electric by a Soleq Corp., a now defunct technology company based out of Chicago. Information about the van is a little sparse, so it took some digging, but I was able to find a detailed technical report that gave a bit more insight into the van itself.
Soleq originally fitted the van with a battery pick that was split into three parts. A battery pack that consisted of 13 batteries sat at the rear axle to the left of the driveshaft, and another battery pack with nine batteries sat to the right. The other 14 batteries were sat behind the rear axle. A single electric traction motor made by GE to Soleq’s specs had an output of 90 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque. Chrysler’s three-speed automatic transmission, slightly modified by Soleq, remained. The result was a 7,738-pound van with a range that varied from as low as 29 miles to up to 63 miles, depending on the speed. It was slow, too. Acceleration tests showed it needed nearly 25 seconds to reach 49 mph.
Only one of these vans was ever made, and according to the seller it was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy and cost $240,000 to build. Soleq barely used the van as it has under 3,000 on it. The description says that after its brief use, it sat in a warehouse owned by Soleq until the company went under in 2002 after the death of the company’s president. The van was briefly used again when it was titled in 2005, but this was also the same year that the original batteries expired. The seller is now selling the van with all the tech still inside, you’ll just have to supply your own batteries.
It looks to be in good condition with hardly any body damage or rust. The seller even says the van is ready to take modern batteries, though I’d have an expert check on that before doing anything drastic. The van seems historically significant considering both its rarity and the fact that almost nothing is known about it. The price may turn off some, as the seller is asking $28,000 for the van, and it looks to be a firm price though they also mention they’re willing to take “non depreciating trades” for it. Good luck with that.
This does look to be a piece of missing automotive history. The downside is that it may take more than the seller’s $28,000 asking price to get this thing up and running again.
