By Ron Sonenshine
Chronicle Corespondent
When electric car enthusiast Gary Starr sat behind the wheel in long gas lines during the 1973 oil embargo, his frustration fueled ambition
Now the 38 year-old Sonoma County man is launching his second electric car company, hoping to catch the attention of finicky auto shoppers with a spiffy two seat roadster that is made of fiberglass and powered by batteries
Dozens of potential buyers have already placed $100 deposits on the Tropica, which resembles a Miata and a Corvette that gets about 62 miles per charge and will retail for under $15,000
Top speed is around 60 miles an hour and there is a waiting list because the first 2,000 have been promised even before they have rolled off assembly lines in Florida. The car is expected to go on sale later this year, although in Northern California only one dealership has signed on.
"I think this will do to the automotive industry what the Model T did," Starr said, caliing it a "cutting-edge car" because its light welght and relatlvely few moving parts will keep the price in the moderate range.
Starr's first company, U.S. Electricar, was launched in 1984 and used an old warehouse in Sebastopol to convert conventional cars into solar and electric-powered vehicles. There were few takers back then, but with the first hint of a war in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and possible oil shortages interest suddenly soared.
U.S. Electricar quickly moved from a backyard, homebuilt company to one that now employs 300 people, according to company officlals.
Starr left the firm three months ago to start another company after a business dispute with U.S. Electricar's new management.
"Gary left us because he wants to focus on consumers and U.S. Electricar focuses on fleets and utilities," said Alex Campbell, a spokesman for Electricar. "It's a different path."
Starr and business associate Mark Neuhaus are still among the largest shareholders in Electricar company, but they are betting that public awareness of electric cars has changed since the days when most people thought golf carts were the apex of the industry.
Starr concedes that there are skeptics, especially because most people still want cars to go 400 miles without stopping. Logistically, there are only a handful of re-charging stations for batteries so commuters cannot really drive to work and plug their car during the day.
"The secret is to build a car that doesn't promise too much," said Frank Markus, an influential automotive writer. "Will this (the Tropica) replace your gas car any time soon? Nope. But I'm impressed by it."
The car takes about eight hours for a complete recharge and the dozen, 6-volt batteries that power the car must be replaced every 20,000 to 30,000 miles at a cost of about $900.
The public may get used to seeing more electric cars because California's Clean Air Act requires that two percent of all vehicles sold in 1998 must be electric powered and by the year 2,003 that number must increase to 10 percent.
Investors in the electric car industry hope that a few tax incentives, such as a $1,500 federal tax credit, will lure more commuters into purchasing their cars. California also offers a $1,000 tax credit and buyers only pay half of the normal sales tax on an electric car.
In Northern California, only one dealership has agreed to sell the Tropica.
"It's a breakthrough," said Cordon Bingham, who owns an East Bay BMW dealership and expects the Tropica on his showroom floors in the fall. A former vicepresident of BMW's North America division, Bingham applauds Starr's effort. "I think it is going to be more popular than we think."
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