I BOUGHT The ELECTRIC Geo Metro *Solectria Force EV*

[@uroplatusgecko2773]

How is it at towing?

[@WatchJRGo]

LMAO, just had to ask didn’t you? 1 mile range

[@glassvial]

Better than Hoovie's Lightning, I'm sure.

[@paulnota3672]

@@WatchJRGo so better than the F150 lightning. Cool.

[@JohnDoe-zr6bk]

Check out Jerry's test of towing 10.000 pounds with a Rivian. Range is ok, but the range estimate is hilarious....

[@robertsturtevant6185]

😂😂😂

[@TVsoup]

Hello! I’m the previous previous owner of this car and I just wanted to clear some things up for you. The first is those wires in the glove box. This car used to have a “range meter” but I could never get it to work, so I removed it and just shoved the wires in the glove box. The meter used to sit where the cupholder is. Secondly, the terminology for the regen on/off switch refers to the road conditions. If the road is “dry” you want full regen, if the road is “slippery” you want no regen because regen+ice is a big no no. Also, I made a video about this car back when I first bought it, I’ll add a link. I’m so glad to see this car ended up in good hands. Maybe consider doing a lithium conversion at some point? kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHKWo31uo69pm8U&feature=shares

[@99lockerock]

I was also a pervious owner of this car and I agree with everything said

[@kc0lif]

not

[@marhot]

nice job with the detailing ... was wondering how this car was so 'clean' for it's age

[@Mrshoujo]

I was never a previous owner and just needed an excuse to post.

[@RS-cd9cf]

I was the original owner and I sold it for a Hum V

[@tonya9955]

I worked on the GM EV1 (Impact). They used Geo Storms for powertrain mule vehicles, during the development of it. At the time, the chassis was the strongest chassis GM ever built at the time. The chassis was all aluminum. They where building the chassis during a very hot summer in Michigan. They had to weld them together at night, due to the power consumption being so high in the Warren area, with the summer heat. Welding the aluminum at the time required a lot of power. The motors used where turbine starter motors, by Allison. And about 2ft in dia.

[@wanee8039]

Fun fact. I worked at GM in a R&D center back then and we had a few of them. Only we also had a couple of Geo storms that were modified with Delphi inverters that could do massive front wheel drive Burnouts. Also they were used to develop the inductive charge system GM was developing during the time they were trying to standardize the charging system. GM called it the MAGNACHARGE. System. That was used for the EV-1's.

[@Thompson_H]

Never been excited about a Geo before... But you have my attention.

[@WatchJRGo]

I'm WAY more excited about this than my old gas one 💯

[@louisbabycos106]

I used to and still have a soft spot for the geo metro convertibles. Would love to engine swap a Chevy trailblazer's 1.3 turbo 3 cylinder into one .

[@tangelogee]

@@louisbabycos106 Imagine an electric Metro Convertible!

[@gregjavi5934]

Same here

[@lancewashington7942]

How can you not love geo they were everywhere ran themselves into the ground and still started also this is exactly what I explain to ppl about Tesla the old ev cars is what blows mind because it's clearly how Elon got the idea he had to have gone through mad blueprints

[@SonyFoLife]

I will never get over the fact that my elementary school principal had an EV1 back in like 2001, I still remember seeing it pull up in that metallic green looking like nothing else I'd ever seen before. Such a shame I was too young to really appreciate it but that memory sticks. Would absolutely love to see one of those again one day

[@davidkroth]

I got to drive an EV1 in ~2006. The thing I remember the most was the regenerative braking. Turn it off and that small car was HARD to stop.

[@WatchJRGo]

That's amazing! You almost have to have regen to stop all those HEAVY batteries 🔋

[@snownd675]

I'd imagine they didn't bother to alter or change the calipers from the original Metro / Swift to keep that small company budget in check

[@adamwing9301]

Someone in San Diego is rockin a beautiful EV1, I've seen it for years and remember it at the Saturn dealer back in the day. I was working as a tech at a Saturn dealer and the story I heard was the owner battled GM to purchase out the lease, threatening legal action and GM caved and let him purchase out the lease. He must really enjoy it, because it looks minty and is always arround town.

[@toddchafin5293]

I driven a EV1. Gm was doing demonstrations of its vehicles versus the competition. They played up it was faster 0 to 30 than a corvette in 98.

[@pablopicaro7649]

2:00 about 1998 Saw couple of EV1 in San Jose area. And At the Fry's (or some electronics store) at front of parking lot they had free EV chargers with the Paddle Puck thing for FREE EV charging.

[@davedelarosa319]

For those who are interested in them, there used to be an EV-1 on display at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville Georgia. I haven't been in a while, and the Savoy Automotive Museum opened recently down the road from it, so the car may heve been moved. But if anyone wants to see a rare piece of American experimentalism, there's one floating around SE US.

[@djditty8012]

That battery disconnect cable looks just like the ones on the forklifts at work! Lol! 😂

[@kerrylewis2581]

I always enjoy a JR episode when Jake is involved.

[@metacortechs]

This unlocked a memory for me. Years ago, probably in '96 or '97 TVA was showing off one of these all around the area with local utilities. My dad was able to take it home for a weekend and I got a chance to drive it. I had forgotten about it completely until I saw this, thank you for the memories.

[@brian5o]

As far as the poor handling, I wonder if some of that could be due to the age of the shocks and struts. You might want to consider replacing or even upgrading them if you can. A bet new shocks and struts would make a world of difference as well as the new tires and alignment you mentioned. It’s so interesting seeing how this company engineered ways to make accessories designed for gas-powered cars work for an EV.

[@hojnikb]

There's a chance it uses custom shocks/springs due to weight, so regular geo metro might not work.

[@Saul_Soto82]

Needs some coilovers

[@CurtisGauger]

I believe they marked it dry and slippery due to road conditions. If regen is engaged and the the roads were slick, it could lock up the wheels and cause you to lose control. Basically their way of saying, don't use regen in slick conditions. Very interesting car for sure!

[@auzmo]

Thats what i thought - dry and slippery driving conditions. I dont know the mechanics of why though because someone else said its hard to stop without regen as an engine brake. But i wonder if in slippery conditions they dont want you doing single pedal and then get in a bad spot, they want you to use the brake pedal earlier.

[@hojnikb]

This would be a perfect candidate for LiFePO4 swap. You might wanna ask @agingwheels if he has a spare pack from his many Coda EVs. I'd also look at the potentiometer adjustment if its correct and goes all the way. Might explain why its only working at 3/4 throttle or more.

[@Symbiiote]

I would absolutely love a series on updating this car for no reason.

[@silverstreak1001]

This is the kinda stuff I love out of JR. Relatable and interesting. This is gunna be a cool series

[@TheOldMachines]

One of your coolest cars. I love pre modern era industrial-ness of the design and operation. It's basically a forklift on the road

[@steventiry8701]

You may be able to adjust the throttle linkage at the potentiometer to get away from the 75% wasted petal. That may also increase the acceleration dysfunction.

[@hallkbrdz]

I agree, the cable may be stretched.

[@phenomanII]

That's what I was thinking, hopefully it has a bit more power that is just not available due to the throttle cable. It has new batteries, it should outrun a freaking tortoise.

[@jimcabezola3051]

Like you, I loved the GM EV-1. I lived in Phoenix, and we had a couple of those cars rolling around there. The old Fiesta Mall in Tempe even had the paddle connectors meant to charge these EV-1s. I thought the EV-1 was the PERFECT car for me; my car at the time was a Honda CRX. The EV-1 seemed like an electric CRX in my fevered imagination. I would love my own EV-1 even now. Back in the 2000-2010 decade, the military had fuel-cell powered Chevy SUVs. Out at Pearl Harbor, the Navy was cracking sea water into hydrogen and oxygen using solar. Also using solar power, this hydrogen was processed into liquid hydrogen and used in these promotional/test Chevys by the military. I miss seeing those vehicles; they had LOUD wraps that let the whole world what they were! Also, Toyota showed their MIrai here on O’ahu. These MIrais could actually be filled at Pearl Harbor, for all I know. Never saw a hydrogen-powered Kia eNiro or a Toyota MIrai running around here, though.

[@marcusdamberger]

@Davey I just saw a second generation 2 door Cavalier RS in Los Vegas while going to CES. It was parked in same hotel garage I was in, it was in remarkable shape, no rust, no faded paint, no door dings. I'm guessing it was either garage kept most of it's life, as out west that paint would fade under the sun. Or it had a really good paint job, but who would intend on painting a mid-90's Cavalier? It had a spare donut tire on the back wheel while I saw it. But the rest of the wheels were original with their wheel covers in good condition. A few days later I also had to use my spare tire, so I can't blame them for rolling around on a spare. But it would have been nice to see a complete set. I just hope they knew what they had, a rather rare to see Cavalier today from the 90's. That most didn't get much older than 10 years before being taken off the roadways. A cheap throw away 90's GM car never intended to last.

[@69Dartman]

I definitely would check on converting it to lithium batteries like Jake did with his Insight that got wrecked. At least the batteries were replaced recently and sounds like you got a deal on it 👍

[@WatchJRGo]

Got it for the price of the batteries... I don't think I mentioned it but $3,500 🍻

[@69Dartman]

Probably lucky the guy was a fan and decided you'd be a better home for it and he broke even so everyone wins.

[@timothykeith1367]

Li-ion bateries would probably make this as good as a 1st gen Leaf, which we can get for $3,500

[@dazednconfused31337]

Would it allow a portable power station to charge it whilst driving?

[@Chrisb8s]

@@WatchJRGo do it!

[@curtiscarpenter9154]

I imagine 100% Jake loves the car too. I'm really sorry you lost your grandfather to

[@JimFlanagan4206]

Swap over all the lighting to LED to save a little juice. Cool little car! I don't even remember seeing the Metro sedan, only the little hatchback.

[@mikeluscher159]

I found the vehicle test report from the US Dept of Energy, they had a '95 Force on test TEST NOTES: 1. Full charge may not occur when charging in ambient temperatures of >100°F 2. To charge in less than 12 hour, charging should occur in ambient temperatures

[@Legoman585]

So Funny. 4. The vehicle cannot be parked or operated in standing water with a depth greater than six (6) inches.

[@Wedgetail42]

I used to work at Solectria back in ‘96. Man, lithium batteries are so much better than those lead acids were! The weight savings from fewer options and sluggy acceleration were all to squeak out as much range as possible (which was a losing battle with those batteries). As you explained, we mostly sold to utilities and government fleet users (I don’t remember so many military customers) because they could assign the cars to known regular and short routes, and charge every night. Get a wheel alignment and pump the tires up. There is a 12v electric vacuum pump for the brakes in there somewhere, which should help. Great to see one of these cars still running and being appreciated!

[@AimlessMoto]

JR - I have a guy that works for me who helped build these things. He worked for the brothers who started the company. He grew up with them... one of the brothers created solar powered go-karts that are on display in the Boston Museum of Science. He used to do test-drives on the cars to ensure systems like engine breaking would work. He used to have his 9-year-old son ride in the passenger seat and record the voltage every minute. Pretty interesting!

[@beforebefore]

You might try to adjust the throttle position sensor... if it takes so much throttle pedal travel to even start moving the car, you may be losing the top end power too... maybe why it's so sluggish.

[@andreab6271]

That A/C system....nice!

[@born_again_torinos]

My brand new 97 Geo Metro 2-door with the 3 banger 1 barrel got 50 MPG if I drove it like I stole it. If I drove normally I'd get about 55 MPG. If I hypermiled it I could get over 60 MPG. Even though it had a pretty small gas tank. It felt like it would drive forever on a tank of gas.

[@mjc8248]

That's why making one an ev makes no sense to me. I drove several of these when they were new and the gas mileage was phenomenal. It doesn't really make sense to make a worse car and charge so much for it.

[@born_again_torinos]

@@mjc8248 I have an old friend who has the metro convertible with the "big block" 8^) 4 banger. He made skirts for it and an air dam and I think a few other tricks and hypermiles it to see just how good he can make the gas milage. He even drafts big rigs for less drag. I believe he told me he got in the mid 70s MPG with it.

[@mjc8248]

I always loved the convertibles. I had a pink with a white top that I kept for a long time because of the fuel mileage. I liked the hatches and verts the best. They weren't very fast but they were nimble for day to day driving.

[@mattg7952]

I think the other comments to your comment would tell you why someone would want to make the car even quirkier than “just” gas powered

[@Legoman585]

Dude one of the coolest car's you've had on your channel. I never knew they even existed before your first video on it. You have to lithium swap it.

[@fomocopowersgarage7103]

I remember seeing the S10 when you came to Chicago. That thing was pretty cool. You should have seen the electric Dodge cargo van I had a couple years ago.

[@houseofno]

Just an FYI, Jehu Garcia has an EV battery channel with lots of amazing battery technologies. I'd love to see this car get upgraded from the primitive lead acid battery technology to one of the newer technologies (less weight, more energy, more range). No idea if those old school, twenty six year old electric motors can handle the increased outputs from newer technology batteries.

[@1XSTEALTHTWINTURBOX1]

I'd like to see the suspension fixed, aligned and refreshed. Adjust the pedal so it's more active and you don't have to floor the pedal. Shouldn't be too hard. And probably a battery upgrade.

[@germineduhon51]

Something wrong when I been anticipating a video about a Geo 😂 but continue 😊

[@suntiva1986]

How cool would it be for Doug Demuro to review this.

[@mcleanblades9234]

Thanks!

[@vaibhavdlv]

The EV is a sight to behold. These guys just put together an EV with whatever tech they had. And they made it work to the best. Kudos to them. I remember about 12 years back in my first job trying to get a portable serial-printer to work. It was real pain in the behind! Anyway as usual JR will fix a bunch of stuff and just make this better! Cheers!

[@Leon-uj7pc]

Something is wrong with the throttle. It should not take pushing the pedal 75% down to get it to move. If i remember correctly from driving those ones that were brought to the dealership i worked at for brakes and suspension work, these did not take much pedal pressure to move them from stop. Check the throttle cable for correct adjustment. Also check the potentiometer for the throttle for dirty contacts or cracks

[@DrRick-dq4bb]

1000 cycles at only 40 miles per charge would mean those batteries would already be toast. Perhaps the batteries have been replaced already since it has over 42K miles.

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

What a neat little car. I wondered how they managed the air conditioning, being an HVACR Service Technician. It is going to be interesting to see what it can do. Thanks for the videos.

[@FarrellMcGovern]

You should get one of those "solar generators", basically, a large lithium battery with an inverter, and patch it into the 120v charging circuit and see if you can increase the range on the car using it!!

[@scottcol23]

that would not do much. Those solar generators are about 1500w -2000w inverters with a 45 amp hour battery. just one of those lead acid batteries in the metro is at least a 80 amp hour. You would have to trickle charge it while off. It would charge it though.

[@scottphillips471]

In 1996, the four door Metro only came with the 1.3 liter four cylinder. The automatic was a three speed without overdrive (30 mpg’s at best). The five speed was with both fourth and fifth gears being overdrive (40 mpg’s). The 1.0 liter was only in the two door hatchback.50 mpg’s with the five speed.

[@AlexEVRepair]

Apart from the GM EV1, all the other major auto manufacturers had EVs in the late 90s as well, as was mandated at the time by the California Air Resources Board. There was the Ford Ranger EV, Toyota RAV4 EV (1st gen, not to be confused with the Tesla powered 2nd gen), Chrysler TEVan, Honda EV+, and Nissan Rnessa. Much like the EV1, most of those vehicles were all crushed in 2003/2004 when the EV mandate was repealed after the automakers put a lot of pressure on CARB. If you ever want to learn more about that period of EV history, I highly recommend checking out the documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car" (theres also a sequel called "Revenge of the Electric Car", which focuses on the early days of Tesla, and the grassroots EV conversion movement). Back to the subject of those latest 90s/early 00s cars, about 400 each of the Rangers and RAV4s were saved from the crusher after a lot of pushback from owners, so there's still a fair number of those floating around. I actually used to own 2 Rangers myself, and have a couple videos about them. I've also worked on one of the first gen RAV4s as well at the shop where I work (there's a video of that car as well where we compared it to a 2nd gen RAV4 EV on my shop's youtube channel). A couple years ago, I actually almost bought an early Solectria Force myself (the two door hatch version) which was in need of batteries. I'd say that if you're up for it, a lithium swap would make a MASSIVE improvement to the car. Not only would you increase your range, but you'd likely get a lot better performance thanks to reduced weight and A LOT less voltage sag under acceleration.

[@mylifethaidiy7045]

I saw a guy that bought a newer Nissan Leaf for $3500. The battery is getting older, so it only charges to 60% now. He can only drive 52 miles, before the battery is completely dead.

[@kennypool]

I worked for Rays Electric outboard motors in Cape Coral FL. We used all the same connections for our batteries. I'm pretty sure they can supply you with parts if you want them.

[@kcbeerslinger]

I wonder how this car would do with a lithium battery pack. And also could a bigger motor be installed for more power? I think I saw an article in an old Trucking' magazine a long time ago about the S-10 conversion. I'm sure Rich Rebuilds would love to see this car. I bet if you get the front end fixed and alinged, power steering working and the AC compressor fixed, this would probably be a lot easier to drive. Too bad the 3 cyl. cars rusted out so bad or there would probably be a lot more around.

[@hojnikb]

bigger motor would likely require more powerful inverter as well. And you might run into issue of power capability of exisiting batteries as well. So if you want more power, you'ill end up swapping the whole drivetrain+batteries.

[@marsgal42]

I saw one of these at an EV show that had been converted to lithium ion batteries. The owner said it doubled the range.

[@anzicek]

I still have a Force that I regularly drive, I have put 60k on it and I have done two lithium conversions on it. Currently running half of a Nissan leaf 40kWh pack. I can share info if you are ever interested. I have service manuals, spare parts etc... As well as a bunch of info about the conversions. The car is much faster with lithium due to weight savings. I worked with Solectria in the 90's on NiMh versions of the car.

[@MurphysSidekic]

I worked for Solectria when it had changed over to a solar grid-tie inverter company. It was still run by the same owners and founders from the vehicle days, James and Anita Worden. They were true entrepreneurs, passionate about grid-tie solar and electric vehicles. Anita and James commuted in Forces most days, 15+ years after the Forces came out. We would have company parties at their house and visit James' barn with old vehicle prototypes and his projects of all kinds. It's funny, some of the older grid-tie inverters that were born out of the vehicle inverters still had variables / PIDs for things like taillights. Good memories!

[@noamlevine3589]

James's father goes to the same church my family attends - used to see his quite rusty Force in the parking lot on some Sundays.

[@Hankola]

I test drove an EV1 back in 97. It was at a Saturn dealership. It drove really well from what I remember, and the salesman said you only lease them. Way ahead of its time.

[@died4us590]

Now you got me feeling bad for Jake, he needs this car!!!!!!!!!

[@Robsav-yx6vi]

Love this JR , this is excellent content. Hadn’t heard of one of these before. Very cool buddy . BTW really loved your tribute to your Grandpa. Life well Lived ! Oh l was wondering how old was he ?

[@samrulez06]

My aunt actually worked on the line at GM in Lansing, Michigan and was part of the assembly team for the EV1. There is a GM stock report one year that showed off the EV1 and there's a lady sitting down next to it and that's my aunt! If you want to see another EV1 in person, you can go to the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.

[@TheEVGAftw]

Increase range, by reducing drag, make a tail, install a underplate. Test this thing out!

[@vehiclenanny]

I totally get your love of the EV-1. I was able to drive them in the late 90s while working for Saturn in Spring Hill, TN. I believe it had around 75 miles of range. It sounded cool when accelerating (my kids said it sounded like the 1966 Batmobile). Good luck with the Metro!

[@beforebefore]

If you consider changing the 11 12v batteries (not 5 front +12 rear, but probably 5+6 for 149v nom, 156v fully charged) for something better/newer/lighter, look at lithium iron phosphate batteries, also known as LiFePo4. These batteries are lithium-based, so they're very light compared to lead-acid batteries, but because of the 3.2v cell voltage they make a perfect conversion from lead acid to lithium technology... 4 cells of LiFePo4 are the same voltage as a 12v lead acid. They are also very tolerant of charging voltages, and are much, much safer than standard lithium batteries. Just make sure to use good brand cells. There are also manufacturers that make LiFePo4 direct drop-in replacement automotive, marine, and deep cycle 12v batteries... with all kinds of posts/terminals for zero conversion effort. It would probably take 400-500 pounds off of the car. You may even get one of them to sponsor a conversion project video....

[@ChevyCitation]

JR should see if Rich Rebuilds would be interested in that EV Car

[@josephpadula2283]

I was at the college near LaGuardia airport when James Warden inventor of your car, arrived on one charge from Boston using the NiMh batteries loaned from the inventor . It was a world record range. The car was called the sunrise . Professor Wouk of NYU, brother of famous author Herman of Caine Mutiny fame, organized it. They were late due to traffic ….

[@kevinamundsen7646]

Getting the Sunrise ready late the night before, John Rogers and I discovered the motor controller had developed a fault. The only choices were either cancel the trip, or swap it out and not be able to test it on the road, we had no cell phone or tow truck and everyone had gone home. Of course we swapped it out, it was getting close to midnight by then. The next morning James Worden set off in the Sunrise followed by a TV camera crew, and actually got lost twice on the way to NYC. Months before when we got those beautiful NiMH batteries ($10,000 each), we calculated the range and I suggested to James we do a publicity stunt and drive it to New York City. James liked the idea but the marketing manager was angry, later saying the publicity was wasted because we had no cars to sell. What they never told anyone, the onboard charger would take two and a half days to charge it back up, so Ed Trembly towed the Sunrise back to Woburn on a flatbed. Those were fun times at Solectria.

[@josephpadula2283]

Need to get you guys to write this all down or do an oral history for a college . I was there the day Mr Allan Coconni demonstrated his lithium laptop battery roadster Tzero in Santa Monica I think for the first time publically. He was trying to get a Toyota scion glider into production car and also had one for demonstration. It became the basis for the Tesla roadster. Later I was with Phoenix Motorcar trying to get NiMh batteries from the Chevron Front company No luck of course, we spent a fortune with Nickle Zinc from China. It was great for a few weeks… Never got any refund.

[@kevinamundsen7646]

@@josephpadula2283 Probably our biggest missed chance for success was the Saturn Hybrid. James and I asked Bill Chu to design the water-cooled inverter for the Saturn and Bill did an excellent job. Saturn had removed the 12-volt battery from under the hood and that was the only place available to put Bill's motor drive. It had to be the same size and shape as a small car battery, a major constraint! But it worked. To our great disappointment GM then re-absorbed the Saturn company, saying it had been a "good experiment." Our hopes for big motor-drive sales were dashed. Because GM had its own EV program, the Saturn Hybrid was soon canceled and that was the end of it.

[@thegametinkerer]

This is neat. My dad used to have a 91 metro. It was a great car. I owned a 91 geo tracker soft top 4x4. It was so much fun

[@mikemontgomery7337]

JR you need to find a Renault Fuego !! Those were a classic. Owned one in 1984 !! You could have an entire series on that one !!!

[@eddiehuff7366]

Love the hand roll window cranks. Looking forward to your thorough road test.

[@billhammon]

If the throttle controller is just a variable resistor, try some contact cleaner to see if the throttle response improves!

[@25anomaly]

Appreciate you showing all the quirks and features of this car I never know existed. I’d like to see it get fixed up.

[@doctorzaius4084]

Awesome find! I remember a lot of people were interested in these back when it was cool to ruin your old diesel Mercedes with a french fry oil conversion. Haven't thought about them in years. Interest in all the weird 90s EVs evaporated after the Tesla and Leaf came out. Solectria also made a big delivery van and I used to see one driving around New York City -- think it was a USPS vehicle but I don't remember for sure. Last time I saw it was about 10 years ago.

[@Dreamspade1]

Weird and cool car - also gotta love Jake with the sound-tech wet/dry mix reference! :)

[@fuzzymoto896]

My neighbor had an ev1, he let me drive it once. It was really cool, very torquey, instant go. He always said it was the future. My Dad wanted one but has always refused to lease a car. Francis Ford Coppola has one hidden at his winery.

[@thilderbrandjunior]

There used to be an EV1 at University of Missouri Rolla (Missouri S&T)! I walked past it so many times as an undergrad! It was a neat piece of history to see! Not sure if it is still there though, it was in 2012!

[@marsgal42]

This rang a bell, I had a look through my files and found some pictures of one of these at a Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association event in 2009. The sign on it said it had been refitted with lithium ion batteries and had double the original range. I assume the car (BC License 411 CGV) is long since scrapped...

[@DIYAudioGuy]

That JVC is in great condition.

[@brians8664]

Lithium swap that thing! See what the voltage range of the controller is. You might be able to get some more power out of the motor with higher voltage. You could also Leaf-swap it

[@bmpman]

We actually had the E10 at our high school back in 2012, don't know what ever happened to it, but it ran then and they lifted the bed up backwards and we got to put it on the lift in automotive class to see underneath it. Really cool stuff.

[@paulnota3672]

I really want you to take this thing to the wizard. I just need to see his reaction.

[@jamesworden4129]

JR & Jake, fun video. Nice praise and lots of digs. The Force came out in 1991 as the hatch then 1995 as a sedan. It was by far the most efficient and most advanced EV being sold at the time. Competitors were building series wound DC motor cars with 4-speed stick, no regen, no heat, no A/C except GM EV1 that was never even sold. The Force was more efficient than EV1 on a Wh/mi basis. Is it a great EV by today’s standards? No, of course not, it’s 28 years old. Your vacuum pump is out or more likely the vacuum switch or wiring. Power brakes were standard in 1995 Force. Your batteries are old and weak and don’t look OEM, which was 13 East Penn GelTec group 27 gel at 832lb total. A fresh pack would get 50Ah. I have 350lb of Li pack in my Force and does 180 miles is way more peppy and fun, handles a little better although nothing to write home about of course. Check your struts for shock action, definitely do a precision alignment when you have final batteries in it. I bet that’ll help efficiency. Good tires at 45 psi will help. I have a Force, 375 mile Sunrise GT, E-10 pickup and Tesla M3 and drive all of them, like them all. Love to hear and see what you fix & restore on your Force.

[@jamesworden4129]

Follow the brake hoses & wiring to find pump, vac switch (on ball or front cross member above A/C condenser). Best if you find the Solectria service manual

[@fevengr9245]

Hey neighbor! Looks like a fun project! The ball-shaped vacuum reservoir is very likely for the HVAC system which probably uses vacuum diaphragm actuators. The power brake booster is its own vacuum reservoir and doesn’t need any additional reservoir to function. Looked sorta like the hose from the booster went to a vacuum pump maybe… Am guessing that pump is not working but you already have more than enough experience and knowledge to fix that. Keep up the good videos!

[@MrJwc1234]

You need to put Lipo batteries on it for sure. New tires, alignment, and fix that sagging headliner.

[@paulcox2009]

When I lived in Bartlesville Oklahoma just south of you my neighbor had one except his was turquoise. He loved it

[@85active]

Wow, love the $500 JVC tape deck. What a cool retro EV. If you extend the range, it would be awesome. Teslas are so common now, no one even looks twice at them but everybody would want to stop and ask about this. Love it.

[@trr5291]

My uncle had a gas Geo Metro. His was green. He was a tall and wide man. He barely fit but he didn't care because he was saving gas money.

[@nlbowen1]

This summer I was at the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa, OK they had one. I think it was a permanent display. It is worth the 2 1/2 hour drive from Wichita to see their whole collection.

[@joshuasprinkles3490]

This has to be your best “before I show you”the car tease 8:00 min mark wow that’s some work class prattling.

[@collincapturescars]

To help you find a GM EV1 there is one on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia.

[@colinshrom3704]

Something like this would be amazing for me in a small town while I save for college

[@rpavlik1]

That's so cool. Part of me says lithium swap, but honestly it's a historic car at this point, drive it on flat ground and at car shows or sell it to someone with no hills between them and the grocery store (I could take the kids to school! They'd hate it, they complain my Saturn is too small and bumpy compared to the Subaru Outback). So cool seeing something that looks much more repairable than the drive train of a Tesla. In my mind, all EVs, especially EV swaps, are like the Solectria S10 I saw back in the 90s...

[@itsnotme07]

I'd heard of Solectria before, since I'm from the Boston area...but had no idea they converted Geo Metro's/S10's. Hilarious!

[@cousinjohncarstuff4568]

Send it to Rich for lithium battery swap? Would be great content! Be prepared for insane get up and go! Then, document the drive back home. I doubt anyone has documented a lithium powered Geo road trip.....

[@noahb3370]

I'm excited to see where this goes! Geo cars are so cool and one thats an EV is awesome!

[@mjjr1000]

Wasn’t expecting to see a vlog under recent circumstances but I’m super happy to watch, I would do a conversation to extend it’s distance and life in the new world it was designed for. Hope your dad and family are coping well. See you next time. 👌🏻👍🏻

[@installwebercarburetorsona6159]

Full resto and lithium swap. It’s an interesting artifact.

[@AndyZ325is]

I wonder what kind of profit margins Solectria made on these? The optional volt meter made some profit for them, that's for sure. Battle Born Li-Ion would be a cool upgrade. Looks like Deka Marine Deep Cycles in there now which are a good battery. Have fun with it!

[@hojnikb]

I'd say they made a decent penny on these. Gliders likely cost them half of the retail price of a metro or 3/4 at the most. Batteries can be expensive but not that expensive since those were lead acid; a proven tech even back in 90s. Also lets not forget ZEV credits they got for every car sold. My guess is that these were designed for goverment use first and sold to the public as well. It was way too expensive to just be a retail car people would buy.

[@KalteLanze]

I had an opportunity to pick one of these up for $1200 a couple of years back and really regret passing on it. Really cool to see another enthusiast video about them. I thought I was the only one who cared about these until seeing this.

[@ezman100]

You should sell this on Cars and Bids if Daddy Doug does a promo for WatchJRGO. I am sure he would love to drive it.

[@johnasbury3261]

That's the nicest four seat forklift I've ever seen seriously though I love it with you and Jake's knowledge I want to see you build an EV out of something like a Volkswagen bug that would be a great series

[@mikeholbrook5084]

I think I could see all sorts of equations flowing out of 100% Jake's ears. He's so hooked...

[@realsonnysullivan]

interesting. someone in Bermuda had a hatchback version with what looked like factory solar panels on the roof. they said they were so expensive because the company had to buy complete cars and remove all the ice components to install the electric conversion so in effect the customer was paying for a full hybrid without the ice side of things

[@AGreenerApple3]

I have owned 4 of these. About to buy my 5th this week. EV life is a good life

[@mjc8248]

Robert from aging wheels needs to try this thing out. He's the man for obscure ev's and I'd love to see his take on it.

[@thagerdorn2009]

The 1996 Metro was a 1.3L 4 cylinder if memory serves me right. Had a customer at O'Reilly that drove one, had a 96 and a 97. The first gen ones had 3 cylinders.

[@bluerazor7049]

I am surprised that they made an EV Metro, these were sold here in Europe as the Suzuki Swift/Alto. Alongside it the Tracker was also sold as the Vitara! I hope you find the Geo Storm one day, that's such a cool little car-

[@jritechnology]

JR: "I'm REALLY EXCITED TO OWN THIS!" Also JR: "I sold it, because I need to make room for the Volt".

[@WatchJRGo]

Yeah the Volt is actually a good car so that happens a lot 😂