10 Alternative fuel vehicles built by teenagers

Youngsters should not be underestimated, as some kids have proved in recent times, inventing, innovating, and creating machines for a better tomorrow. Listed here are the stories of 10 cars that are run on alternative fuels, made by people who were still teenagers then.

alternative fuel vehicle

1. Texas Teen Builds his Own Electric Car on $10,000 Budget

Lucas Loborde is only 17 and he has converted a normal fuel run car into an innovative, battery run vehicle. The work on the car started when Lucas' dad bought a Kit car from e bay for $ 5000. Spending around 150 hours and around 5 grands more, Lucas creatively converted the car into one run on batteries by removing its fuel tank and fitting 8 batteries in the car in various different locations.

2. Kids Build Soybean-Fueled Car

A bunch of kids from a school in Philedelphia are responsible for this amazing feat - a sports car that runs on soybean bio diesel fuel. The car was an after school project and took about a year to get completed. Showcased in the Philedelphia auto car expo, the car stole the show and these 5 kids were responsible for it.

3. 8th Grader Builds Solar-Powered Bike

David Jr., an eighth grader, built this solar quadricycle that runs on solar powered battery and carries three more people, along with his pet and has an i pod as well as a GPS! The main part of the Solar Human Hybrid (SOHH) as it's called, came from Zero Emission Machine 4 Cycle from Switzerland. Although ZEM is not into production anymore, it did gave David a unique idea that might be used for mass production some day.

4. 16-year-old converts 1988 Mazda pickup truck to all-electric power

Andrew Angelloti, a 16 year old, has done something really amazing, he has turned his 1988 Mazda pick up truck into an electric vehicle. This all he did using his own savings (around $6000) to make an EV which runs around 40 miles per charge and has a top speed of 55 MPH.

5. Alaska teen converts his own electric car, a 1971 Super Beetle

A member of the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), Bart Grabman has converted his own car, a 1971 super beetle, into an electric car. Doing a lot of internet research, this high school senior got the idea from one of the speeches he heard at the organization. The idea of self converting a truck into an EV struck him and he started working on his project. The result was his very own electric car.

6. Air Car Built by 15-year-old American Inventor

The Air car, as it is called, was built back in 1989, on an engine that started and ran on air. A highly innovative idea, however, it was ignored and the air car could not get the attention it deserved.

7. Ohio teen’s electric truck

Ohio resident, Deitrich Ludwig, is just 16 and he's the youngest person on earth to build a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 pickup electric truck. The teenager built his own EV by replacing its engine and exhaust and replaced it with an emission free electric driven train, a dc electric motor, and a few batteries. Setting a new world record, Deitrich is helping the world in his own way.

8. Teenager mods Ford Escort to run on electricity

Not wanting to spend too much on gas, Andrew Loader, a 17 year old, converted his old Ford Escort into an EV. Andrew hardly had any knowledge about automobiles, but by using internet as his source of knowledge, he changed the fuel based engine and put in its place some batteries and an old forklift engine. The car runs about 11 miles in one charge and goes to the top speed of 38 mph, enough for a ride back from school.

9. Teenage students hope to win the Automotive X-Prize with Hybrid Attack

Students of West Philedelphia High School have worked painstakingly at this project and why not, for this could win them a $10 million Automotive X Prize. The car is called Hybrid attack and has the power to go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds.

10. Air powered car engine built by a 15 year old

Hailing from Uzbekistan, a 15 year old student has invented something everyone was trying to do, to make a car on a renewable source of energy. Maruf Karimov, the young student, has been able to start a conventional internal combustion engine with air pressure. The car has been able to move a few meters, but is, as Maruf states, quite slow. The idea, however, can be a seed for further inventions and a greener tomorrow.