SAN ANTONIO -- Nick Viera had a $10,000 budget, a 1988 Jeep Cherokee and the Internet to set out on an ambitious project.

Viera, an electrical engineering student, wanted to convert his sport utility vehicle to an electrical vehicle.

He ripped out the gasoline engine, the transmission, the radiator and replaced them with electric motors, controllers, chargers switches and 20 golf cart lead batteries.

By the time Viera knew it, he was cruising silently in his electrical-powered vehicle on San Antonio streets at 40 mph.

"You pretty much can't hear anything but the noise of the wind," Viera said as he took KSAT 12 News for a ride.

Viera said he feels a lot safer in his SUV now that it doesn't run on gasoline and likes the fact that his converted vehicle has no greasy parts and are built to last.

"Most of the components in an EV are designed for a very long service life," he said. "The motors, for example, can actually last a 100 years."

Nick's next project is to install air conditioning in his Jeep.