DIY Electric Honda CRX Found in Junkyard After Decades

A rusting Honda CRX recently discovered in a Chula Vista, California junkyard tells an inspiring story about believing in the future before anyone else did.

The first-generation CRX sports handmade EV decals and a completely DIY electric conversion that someone painstakingly built decades ago. Battery packs sit behind the seats, control electronics fill every available space, and a popular DIY onboard charger shows this was a true labor of love.

This wasn't some corporate experiment that failed. Someone took their own car, their own tools, and their own vision to create an electric vehicle when the idea seemed ridiculous to most people.

Back then, there were no public charging stations, no lithium-ion batteries, and definitely no Tesla to prove EVs could work. Yet this unknown builder saw past all those obstacles and created their own solution anyway.

The timing makes it even more remarkable. While Honda was experimenting with a second-generation CRX EV prototype in 1988 that made just 26 horsepower, regular people like this builder were doing their own conversions in garages across America.

Some companies did offer conversion services before the 2000s. Electric Vehicle Association converted Ford Fairmonts for the federal government, and Sears even sold an electric Fiat 128 through their department stores that tackled Pikes Peak.

But finding a converted CRX suggests this builder charted their own path. They lived through an era when most automakers abandoned electric technology entirely, choosing hydrogen and hybrids instead.

Why This Inspires

This forgotten CRX represents something bigger than one person's project car. It shows how grassroots believers kept the EV dream alive during the decades when major manufacturers gave up.

While Tesla and Nissan eventually proved modern EVs could succeed at scale, people like this CRX builder never needed proof. They just needed parts, determination, and faith that cleaner transportation was worth pursuing.

Even today, with some automakers retreating from EV commitments, this junkyard find reminds us that true innovation often starts with individuals willing to build the future themselves. The builder may never know their creation became a symbol of persistence, but their work speaks louder than any corporate press release ever could.

Someone believed in electric cars enough to transform their Honda by hand, and that belief outlasted countless naysayers and industry pivots.