The “Electra 007” badges on this 1980 Dodge Omni 024 aren’t some misguided attempt to turn it into a poor man’s James Bond car. However, the technology inside might have impressed Q himself, at least in 1980. This is a Jet Industries electric conversion of the Omni 024. It’s not the first time we’ve seen one, but this example is in much better condition, and certainly more original than the modified Lemons racer. Best of all, this one can be yours, thanks to Mecum Auctions.
Details of this particular car’s history are sparse, but we can fill in some blanks. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jet Industries converted approximately 1,400 vehicles to electric power, including Ford and Subaru models as well as Chrysler products. According to Autoweek, Jet was one of four companies given government grants to push the limits of EV technology at the time. The U.S. was coming out of an energy crisis, and electric cars were one way to free us from Big Oil. Sound familiar?
The right idea at the wrong time
The government also helped fund Chrysler’s development of the then-futuristic, aerodynamic body, which it shared with the Plymouth Horizon TC3. The standard car came with a VW-sourced 1.7-liter engine making 70 horsepower — not exactly a barnstormer. Jet Industries replaced this with a 23-hp electric motor. It still used the VW four-speed manual transmission, unlike modern EVs that typically have a single-speed transmission.
The dashboard has a sticker advising what gear to use at which speed. It also has additional gauges for battery amps and percent of charge. I also recognize an Espar heater control, commonly used in camper vans today. With no gasoline engine to produce heat, this must have been a necessary supplement.
The rear cargo area is mostly gone, converted into a large battery box with additional electrical meters. As with most toys, batteries are not included in this car. This is probably a good thing, since the original 20 six-volt lead-acid batteries weighed about 1,000 pounds, nearly half the weight of the original car.
That, ultimately, is why this generation of EVs failed. The technology was simply not advanced enough to make it practical for everyday use. While EVs are still heavy, batteries have vastly improved, range is on par with gas-powered vehicles, and performance is better, not worse. Still, the Jet Electra 007 is an interesting time capsule of an anticipated EV future that never came to be.
