ESCONDIDO -- Jeremy Good hasn't paid for gas in two months.

Just as gas prices were hitting record highs in San Diego County, the Escondido resident was converting his orange 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle into an electric car.

"It's been like getting a pay raise," said Good, who estimated the project cost less than $5,000, including the price of the Beetle.

Going electric is just one way motorists are coping with high fuel prices. Even with recent decreases, the national average for a gallon of gas is nearly a dollar more than it was a year ago.

Good's electric car is equipped with a 72-volt battery system that is connected to a 40-horsepower motor that quietly clicks on when Good turns the key.

Fully charged, the batteries power the car for about 50 miles at an estimated cost of 2 cents per mile, Good said. He said he expects to spend about $1,000 to replace those batteries every two or three years, a cost that is far lower than the price of gas needed each year to power a large truck.

Over the Labor Day weekend, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas hovered around $3.85; it peaked at $4.65 cents per gallon in June.

The Beetle has gone up to about 55 mph, but it was never intended to be a freeway vehicle after the conversion, Good said.

He said he has a truck for longer drives, but only filled it up two months ago because he was afraid gas prices would rise even higher. He hasn't paid for gas since.

The only thing behind the fuel door of his Beetle is a three-pronged plug that fits into the average wall socket.

Good said he was inspired by the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" The 2006 documentary blamed political influences for keeping electric cars from drivers, even after General Motors released an electric model in the 1990s.

"It really opens your eyes," Good said of the movie. "They had electric cars in the '90s and they could have produced them, but they didn't."

Eventually, Good turned to the Internet to help him make his electric car. He said he paid $3,000 for a conversion kit from the Web site http://e-volks.com.

After spending an additional $900 on the car, $700 for the batteries, and the cost of a bumper sticker that says "Electric cars kick gas," Good finished the job in just three days.

A firefighter, Good said he took an auto shop class in high school, but has no special mechanical or electrical training.

"It's even more ironic that I, with no special training, can do this myself, but that car manufacturers are not making this available," he said.

Joseph Gottlieb, head of Escondido-based Electra-City Motors, said he isn't surprised.

"If you're waiting for the big manufacturers to make you an electric car, you're going to be waiting a long time," said Gottlieb, whose company has sold electric cars and now focuses on gas-to-electric conversions.

Gottlieb said manufacturers have no strong financial incentives to make electric cars.

Even for drivers, the economic benefits may be limited, Gottlieb said. Buying a new electric car, or converting to one that is large and powerful, can cost as much as some gas-powered cars -- a cost that driving gas-free isn't likely to cancel out, he said.

But even a pricier electric car will appeal to someone who is concerned by hazards to the environment or dependency on foreign oil, Gottlieb said.

And Electra-City customers still appear to be influenced by the costs at corner service stations.

"Our business pretty much ebbs and flows right with the price of gas," he said.

Good said he knows his Super Beetle isn't for everyone, but it's perfect for people who mostly drive on local city streets.

"There are whole families that work here and live here and never have to leave the city," he said.

Contact staff writer Colleen Mensching at (760) 739-6675 or cmensching@nctimes.com.