Electric cars have been an on-again off-again fad. Biggest problem has been that they don't go fast enough, or far enough.

Now comes Tort Walker, Eagan, Minn., who thinks his home-built version -- or something patterned after it -- just might be the wave of the future.

Called the Day Starter, it's a tiny one-seater that's cramped by any standards. But it will go up to 65 mph and cover a distance of 80 miles without needing a recharge. To recharge, you simply plug it into a standard 110 volt outlet.

Walker's home-built car uses commercially-available batteries. They can be purchased from most retail stores handling batteries," he told FARM SHOW.

The batteries in Walker's car were made by Standard Battery Company, St. Paul, Minn.

They're called the Day-Starter brand, which is where the vehicle itself gets its name.

Walker says he doesn't intend to have his electric car produced commercially, or to sell plans for his particular design. His main purpose in building it, he maintains, was to suggest that if he, as an individual working on a low budget, could build a feasible electric car, "then surely the auto industry can mass produce one at a reasonable price."

Walker's one-seater is 117 in. long, 59 in. wide and 56 in. high. Since it's a 3-wheeler, it's classified by law as a motorcycle. Its low center of gravity allows it to attain speeds up to 65 mph without losing stability.

More than half of the vehicle's 2,220 lbs. is in the 13 batteries, which ride only 8 in. off the ground. The car's Volkswagen transmission has four speeds forward and one in reverse. Windows are plexiglass and the body aluminum. The car's electric motor was obtained from a truck company that had used it in an experimental electric truck. Heat given off by the batteries is directed inside to keep the driver comfortable in cold weather.