Prior to high school graduation, Ian Hillier and I were leaders of the robotics club at school -- we even won the 2007 Skills Canada Robotics competition for a soccer playing bot! When we weren't building robots, we built some electric scooters for fun -- that was the beginning of our adventure into electric vehicles.

We began to research what it would take to build an electric car that would be road legal -- turns out, a lot. We then discovered an alternative, why not convert a car to electric? Maintain the original safety systems required for legal use, but swap out the engine for a cleaner ride. 

Thus began the search for a suitable car to convert. It needed to be small, light, have a manual transmission, and preferably a manual steering rack. We eventually settled on 1993 Honda Del Sol, which we managed to pick up for $300. Its engine was shot, making it a perfect candidate.

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A bit rusty, a caved in bumper (thanks to a forklift backing into it) but a solid frame with everything working -- except for the engine.