The Sparrow EV Project

Sparrow #72
Built for & owned by Steve Wozniak
(co-founder of Apple Computers)
Its new home is Fabulous LAS VEGAS!

INTERESTING LINKS:

Sparrow:

Yahoo Sparrow EV discussion group

Company to resume Sparrow and Merlin development

Search e-bay for Sparrows

Diary of Sparrow #95

General EV:

AC Propulsion (Tzero)

Kits for Electric Conversions

Twin Motor Electric 914

Electric 914

High-powered electric motors

Conversion parts:

Parts available for building EV cars

Bad-ass motor controller (640,000 Watts!)

Renegade Hybrids -- Porsche conversion parts

Oil:

UK discovery supplies world for only 5 days!

$87 Billion for Windmills would generate more than 25% of US energy usage

$130 Billion spent on Iraq thus far

The Corbin Motors "Sparrow"
is an all electric car.

When artificially inflated prices
at the pump get to be too much,
it's time to take action!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Where can I get one?

A: Only 355 were built. One of the best places to get a Sparrow is from e-bay. The first 100 units are called "Jellybeans" and have a round-shaped rear. The last 255 units are called "Pizza Butts" and have more rear trunk space.

Q: How much do they cost?

A: Corbin Motors sold them at "retail" for $15,000. You can buy them on e-bay for around $6,000. I heard of one at a car lot in town that sold for under $4,000.

Q: Why is it only a 1-seater?

A: Corbin Motors reviewed a study that said, "87% of commuters travel 18 miles or less to work daily, 93% do so alone". I use my Sparrow for commuting on a daily basis as well as for running errands. My gas cars are much more efficient as they are mainly used for longer distances and when most appropriate.

Q: What if you want to ride with other people?

A: The same issue applies to motorcycles. If I'm commuting to work, I am by myself.

Q: Do you worry about accidents with SUVs?

A: Yes. I am just as cautious as a mature motorcycle operator. Fortunately the Sparrow is such an eye catcher that being seen is quite common. I'm waiting for the day cars collide with each other while looking at the Sparrow, not paying attention to what they're doing.

Q: How do people react?

A: I'm glad I can bring a smile to people's faces. Often times people will honk their horns and give me a thumb's up. Some people literally miss their green lights while staring!

Q: Why did you buy it?

A: For two reasons. First, when the oil industry chooses to play games with gas prices, this is my way of giving them the middle finger. I simply choose NOT to play along. Second, I wanted to learn more about using electricity for travel. Learning how to maximize distance is rather interesting.

Q: Don't they burn fuel to run power plants?

A: Actually both coal and gas are used. Power plants are much more efficient. If that wasn't the case, they'd build power plants out of a sea of car engines. One day I will build a grid-tie solar system for the home and Sparrow.

Q: What about DMV registration and insurance?

A: It registers as a motorcycle in most states. Insurance is about $10 per month. Many insurance companies (and the DMV VIN inspection people) have no clue what to do about a 3-wheeler with an electric motor from a manufacturer that isn't in their system. It doesn't have any CC's, but it will go faster than 35 MPH. It registers as a motorcycle but one does not need a motorcycle license. It does not require a helmet as it's completely enclosed. It uses a steering wheel, not a set of handle-bars and squeeze-operated brakes. One cannot "split traffic" in a Sparrow. It comes with power windows and a CD player. It is a maximum occupancy vehicle so Sparrows can be driven in the carpool lanes. However, it has been very difficult "edumacating" the gatekeepers that serve very little purpose in life.

Q: How difficult is it to operate?

A: Actually, it's very easy to operate. There is no transmission, just zero to 80 with the accelerator. Steering is quite stable at high speed. My only concern is to take corners slowly while braking or accelerating.

Q: Is it a hybrid?

A: Nope. Hybrids from the oil industry manufacturers are nothing but complicated gas engines. The Sparrow does NOT use gas, motor oil, transmission fluid or radiator fluid. It uses 13 lead-acid batteries that are commonly used in standard cars. These batteries are "Optima" brand deep-cycle batteries, which are a little more expensive (retail $200 each) than a typical "starter" battery.

Q: How do you charge it?

A: The Sparrow uses a standard 110v AC outlet. Some Sparrows use 220v chargers.

Q: How long does it take to charge?

A: It takes from 4 to 6 hours depending on the discharge of the battery pack. The Sparrows with 220v chargers can do it in less than half the time so some Sparrow owners have switched to 220v chargers.

Q: How far can you go?

A: Since "lead-acid" is yesterday's technology, the best one can hope for is 50 - 70 miles. Some Sparrow owners that live far from work can re-charge at work. Hopefully a Polymer Lithium-Ion manufacturer will build batteries that are the same size so I can easily replace my 12v lead-acid batteries and quadruple the Sparrow's distance. Thunder Sky offers Lithium-Ion batteries big enough to power an electric bus. One of my future projects is to convert a Porsche 914 to Polymer Lithium-Ion. This will enable me to travel 300+ miles on a single charge like AC Propulsion's "Tzero".

AC Propulsion's "Tzero"

The history of Corbin Motors

Corbin Motors started in the late 1990's in the Northern California city of Hollister. Many believed Corbin Motors was poorly managed by Mike Hanagan and his son Tom. It has been reported that Mike paid himself $180,000 per year as Tom leased a luxurious Bentley, while they told co-workers to hold on to their paychecks due to cash flow problems. Many of their suppliers were unpaid, along with dealership investors and customers (with their deposits). Sure, the poor economy had an impact, but spending money as if the economy and company were doing well was a recipe for disaster. The Corbins should have been smarter than that.

Corbin Motors produced two versions of the Sparrow and they were working on some really cool designs before the long arm of the law closed the doors.

Jellybean Sparrow (1st 100 units)

Pizza Butt Sparrow (last 255 units)

Merlin Coupe and Roadster (Only prototypes built)

The Woz Sparrow Diary:

About a year ago, I did some web searching looking for electric cars. I discover Corbin Motors but couldn't quite gather enough courage to make the deposit for the waiting list. I read David's Diary and I'm hooked! When Corbin Motors filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in March 2003, I turned to e-bay to find a Sparrow. The Woz Sparrow is 575 miles away...the journey begins.

9/17/03 - (Miles put on by previous owners and Corbin Motors)

Why I refuse to ever do business with U-Haul again!
The Woz Sparrow is 575 miles away so I decide to rent a U-Haul trailer. I phone a local U-Haul center and make reservations for a 5x9 foot trailer. 10 minutes before closing I phone U-Haul to tell them I'm almost there. Susan from U-Haul explains that they close at 7pm sharp but doesn't bother to prepare the paperwork or do anything else to help the process. At 6:58pm I phone U-Haul to tell Susan I'm about to pull into the driveway. She tells me they're closed (early) so I ask to speak to a manager. She responds with, "you're still not getting the trailer". We check the front door and discover it's already locked. She really showed me who's the boss! We are forced to wait 12 more hours until they open the next morning. I thank U-Haul for doing all they can to work against me. We pick up the trailer the next day, drive 575 miles, and wait until the next morning to pick up the Sparrow.
While attempting to load the Sparrow into the trailer, we discover that it doesn't fit. This is not good news considering we're 575 miles away from the original U-Haul center. The nearest U-Haul center wants nothing to do with this trailer and is NOT willing to make a trade with their (in stock) 6 foot trailer. Since the trailer actually measures 4 feet & 3 inches I wonder why U-Haul doesn't simply call this a 4x9 trailer. Those requiring 4 feet & 5 inches must get the 6 foot trailer. The only choice I have is to rent two U-Haul furnture dollies to slide under the Sparrow, and remove the Sparrow's front wheels and fenders. I drove the Sparrow (and trailer) to the local Big-O Tire shop.
The fine folks at Big-O Tires agree to perform the Sparrow surgery, and they all worked very hard to make this happen. We tied-down the sparrow using 7 ratchet-style motorcycle straps. Although it is best to tie the straps around the front tires, since the front tires were removed we had to tie to the front suspension. It was very difficult, very time consuming, and involved additional cost, all because U-Haul cannot properly identify their trailers.
During the journey to Las Vegas it appears as if the turn signal and brake light circuits are all blown on my car. We get home and discover that the trailer's wiring has a few problems with exposed wires. At this point my mind is made up. I refuse to ever do business with U-Haul.

10/08/03 -

Problem with battery #5

Although there are very few miles on the Woz Sparrow I am new to Sparrow exploration. What better place to start than the battery pack! It's all about the battery pack. I removed the two screws that hold the front of the seat in place and removed the seat. Although the batteries look brand-new, I discovered some yellow goo around the vent area of battery #5. This probably isn't good. My handy voltmeter shows the battery reads 6.24 volts, about half of what it should read. Since 10 volts per battery is considered "dead", I think this one has some cell damage. Sitting on batteries that may explode is not my idea of a good time. It's time to replace battery #5.

The flashlight and voltmeter are from Radio Shack. The light-weight tools and small fire extinguisher are from Home Depot.

Q:	Where can I get one?
A:	Only 355 were built. One of the best places to get a Sparrow is from e-bay. The first 100 units are called "Jellybeans" and have a round-shaped rear. The last 255 units are called "Pizza Butts" and have more rear trunk space.
Q:	How much do they cost?
A:	Corbin Motors sold them at "retail" for $15,000. You can buy them on e-bay for around $6,000. I heard of one at a car lot in town that sold for under $4,000.
Q:	Why is it only a 1-seater?
A:	Corbin Motors reviewed a study that said, "87% of commuters travel 18 miles or less to work daily, 93% do so alone". I use my Sparrow for commuting on a daily basis as well as for running errands. My gas cars are much more efficient as they are mainly used for longer distances and when most appropriate.
Q:	What if you want to ride with other people?
A:	The same issue applies to motorcycles. If I'm commuting to work, I am by myself.
Q:	Do you worry about accidents with SUVs?
A:	Yes. I am just as cautious as a mature motorcycle operator. Fortunately the Sparrow is such an eye catcher that being seen is quite common. I'm waiting for the day cars collide with each other while looking at the Sparrow, not paying attention to what they're doing.
Q:	How do people react?
A:	I'm glad I can bring a smile to people's faces. Often times people will honk their horns and give me a thumb's up. Some people literally miss their green lights while staring!
Q:	Why did you buy it?
A:	For two reasons. First, when the oil industry chooses to play games with gas prices, this is my way of giving them the middle finger. I simply choose NOT to play along. Second, I wanted to learn more about using electricity for travel. Learning how to maximize distance is rather interesting.
Q:	Don't they burn fuel to run power plants?
A:	Actually both coal and gas are used. Power plants are much more efficient. If that wasn't the case, they'd build power plants out of a sea of car engines. One day I will build a grid-tie solar system for the home and Sparrow.
Q:	What about DMV registration and insurance?
A:	It registers as a motorcycle in most states. Insurance is about $10 per month. Many insurance companies (and the DMV VIN inspection people) have no clue what to do about a 3-wheeler with an electric motor from a manufacturer that isn't in their system. It doesn't have any CC's, but it will go faster than 35 MPH. It registers as a motorcycle but one does not need a motorcycle license. It does not require a helmet as it's completely enclosed. It uses a steering wheel, not a set of handle-bars and squeeze-operated brakes. One cannot "split traffic" in a Sparrow. It comes with power windows and a CD player. It is a maximum occupancy vehicle so Sparrows can be driven in the carpool lanes. However, it has been very difficult "edumacating" the gatekeepers that serve very little purpose in life.
Q:	How difficult is it to operate?
A:	Actually, it's very easy to operate. There is no transmission, just zero to 80 with the accelerator. Steering is quite stable at high speed. My only concern is to take corners slowly while braking or accelerating.
Q:	Is it a hybrid?
A:	Nope. Hybrids from the oil industry manufacturers are nothing but complicated gas engines. The Sparrow does NOT use gas, motor oil, transmission fluid or radiator fluid. It uses 13 lead-acid batteries that are commonly used in standard cars. These batteries are "Optima" brand deep-cycle batteries, which are a little more expensive (retail $200 each) than a typical "starter" battery.
Q:	How do you charge it?
A:	The Sparrow uses a standard 110v AC outlet. Some Sparrows use 220v chargers.
Q:	How long does it take to charge?
A:	It takes from 4 to 6 hours depending on the discharge of the battery pack. The Sparrows with 220v chargers can do it in less than half the time so some Sparrow owners have switched to 220v chargers.
Q:	How far can you go?
A:	Since "lead-acid" is yesterday's technology, the best one can hope for is 50 - 70 miles. Some Sparrow owners that live far from work can re-charge at work. Hopefully a Polymer Lithium-Ion manufacturer will build batteries that are the same size so I can easily replace my 12v lead-acid batteries and quadruple the Sparrow's distance. Thunder Sky offers Lithium-Ion batteries big enough to power an electric bus. One of my future projects is to convert a Porsche 914 to Polymer Lithium-Ion. This will enable me to travel 300+ miles on a single charge like AC Propulsion's "Tzero".