Police sting doesn't stop homebrew electric vehicle maker in California

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily

Lola EV - click above for a high-res gallery

Last fall, we spoke with Paul Pearson, the man behind the Lola EV (above) from Electric Custom Cars, at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo. The Lola, a sort of Tesla kit car, seems innocent enough, but Pearson recently got himself into trouble with the City of Santa Monica for his electric car work. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, SMPD began a sting operation against Pearson in December that resulted in two citations, one for allegedly remanufacturing cars without a state license and the other for not getting a business license from the City of Santa Monica. As part of the sting, two undercover officers discussed converting a gas-only Ford Thunderbird to electric power with Pearson, Pearson agreed, which led to over a dozen local law enforcement officers storming his garage. Pearson is willing to admit he operated without a license, but will fight against the remanufacturing claim, telling the paper (and the police) that the vehicle, a small one-seater, is "legally manufactured as a specially constructed vehicle." The City contends the charges result from the Thunderbird conversion. We offer some clarification to the mess after the jump.

Gallery: AltCar 2008: Electric Custom Cars