Sears XDH-1 is an experimental

electric car An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger car, passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric motor, electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a p ...

built for

Sears, Roebuck and Company Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

by their DieHard battery supplier Johnson Controls (Globe Union) in 1977 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its DieHard brand of car batteries. The car was a Fiat 128 Coupé equipped with 20 DieHard (12-inch deep cycle marine) batteries, and an

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

. The car has a

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

and was powered by a World War II-vintage 27-horsepower electric aircraft starter motor. The batteries are located in the trunk and former back seat area. The car has a top speed of approximately 70 miles per hour and has a range of 60–90 miles (at 50 MPH) per charge. The electric car is on display at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum in Talladega, Alabama.

References

{{reflist Electric cars Experimental vehicles Fiat concept vehicles Sears products and services Cars introduced in 1977 Johnson Controls Electric vehicle conversion