Electric cars appear on state radar

AUSTIN (KXAN) - At first glance, the half a dozen cars that parked near the step of the State Capital looked like any other car on the road. A Scion, a Tesla.

Except they've been modified into silent, cost-effective machines that have piqued the interest of some lawmakers.

"We take out the engine entirely, gasoline engine, the exhaust pipe, the gas tank, all the emissions control," said Tom Gage, the CEO of AC Propulsion. 

That means no gas, no oil changes and low maintenance cost. That all adds up to savings.

"It comes out to something like between $100 to $500 dollars per month," said Gage.

Instead of gas, electric car owners just plug it in, charge it up and go. And when the car isn't using its power, new software can allow it to put that electricity back into the general grid - and could, for example, act as a clean generator for your house if the power is knocked out.

Meaning, the car could wind up paying for gas and electricity all by itself.

Texas lawmakers are looking into bringing the technology behind energy powered cars here.

"We're gaining energy independence from foreign oil," said state Rep. Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels. "It's an idea that we can take and help our energy efficiency."

His hope is to bring an electric-car manufacturer to Texas to make cars like the Ebox or the sporty Tesla, which is virtually soundless and can go from 0 to 60mph in barely over three seconds. 

Miller said the move would create much needed jobs. The energy saving powerboards would come at just the right time to spark broad interest.

"With fuel prices rising and people seeing all the instability in the world, for a variety of different reasons and in many cases electric cars are just fun to drive," said Chris Robison, Vice President Austin EV. The electirc vehicle group (www.austinev.org) has been talking about the benefits of the energy saving cars for years.

While the Ebox and the Tesla start at around $70,000, you can have your car converted into an electric car for around $10,000.

The converted models are more affordable, but the owners get no tax breaks for the energy efficient cars. Members of the local electric vehicle club are hoping lawmakers will consider changing that with several bills. (SB 199, SB120)

"Our hope is to convince people that it's possible to get the funding for the development for more practical vehicles and to come out with something that is in the interest of most people," said Robison.

With the crowd that the electrical cars drew at the capital, there is interest.