Bystanders express shock at sight of electric car

Bryan Nye gets a lot of attention. People point, give him the “thumbs up” and chase him down.

“What the heck is it?” they ask.

“It’s a car,” he answers. To some, it could be referred to as the wave of the future.

Nye, 64, tools around town in his 2006 Global Electronic Motorcar. Sure, he might be mistaken for an ice cream man, a meter man or a lost golfer, but he’s none of the above. “I chose solid doors rather than no doors or canvas ones,” he said. “I also got the box in the back that’s my trunk, and I got the 12-inch tires, which makes it street legal. The 10-inchers are for the golf course.”

He had previously seen one in San Diego, a four-seater owned by the Navy. He chose a two-seater and purchased it at Tom Addis Dodge in Coeur d’Alene. The cost, complete with options, was $12,000.

The cost to run Willie, her given name, is 70 cents. “It costs 10 cents an hour for a full charge which takes seven hours and it goes 30 miles on a full charge,” Nye said. The vehicle is licensed for any street posted at 35 miles per hour or less.

Nye purchased Willie in May of 2006, stored her in November and began driving her again a couple of weeks ago. He doesn’t mind the stares or even the speed racers because he is proudly doing his part.

“Is it the wave of the future?” he asked. “What do you think?”