Whaddyacallit #579 - Solved - John Hoke's electric King Midget

[Ray B.]

Ever seen this ?

If you did, please respond below and, tell us what is this car and who built it.

[Ray B.]

Experts ?

[Zerk]

Is this a King Midget?

[Ray B.]

Basically, it was, when new.
But that's only part of the answer.

[fyreline]

While the base car was certainly a Type 3 King Midget from Athens, Ohio - the real clue for me was what the man standing next to it appeared to be holding. It looks like a good-sized storage battery, so a search for King Midget/Electric Car in various combinations finally turned up one Mr. John Hoke, who apparently had quite a history of energy-conservation efforts. He turned his King Midget into an electric car for (reportedly) less than $1,000. The vehicle had a top speed of 35 mph and could run 20 miles between charges according to Life magazine, which ran a photograph of Mr. Hoke standing in his suburban yard in 1966, preparing to plug in his car.

[Ray B.]

Right you are. A clever search and a perfect answer.

I could have blurred that clue but I thought it would have been a dishonest trick. I first found the picture in the Time-Life archives, and later more details about John Hoke in an obituary from the Washington Post.
So it's 200 points for you.
Doesn't this makes fyreline a pro?
Can an admin please upgrade him?

[Carnut]

Congratulations fyreline and welcome to the barren wastelands!

[fyreline]

Yep.  Now I've gone and done it. 

Well, I'm sure the puzzles I am eligible to solve will get harder and the competition will get tougher. Both, in my view, good things. I can't tell you folks how much I enjoy this site, and the people who make it so. Here's to the next 200 solved puzzles!

Dave Reeves (fyreline)

[Paul Jaray]