Pat McCue

Pat McCue has been working in the electric car field for over 10 years.  He began his professional career as a Ford Master Technician.  Then he taught high school auto shop at Bothell High School in the Northshore School District for 20 years.  Working within the program he introduced alternative fuels to the students and that lead to building his first EV conversion with the kids - a BMW E3.  The success of that car attracted the attention of an educational research foundation, "Foundy10," and they supported the building of the first 800Vdc AC drivetrain dragster in the United States, "Shock and Awe."  Pat assembled the "dream team" of EV enthusiasts, EV manufacturers, and drag racing experts to help the students complete and run that car.  That group included many of the members of our current team, including family friend and lifelong drag racer Jeff Lane.  That was the beginning of what would eventually become MLe (McCue-Lane electric) Race Cars.

Jeff Lane is the winningest driver in NHRA Division 6 history.  When asked to help the kids at Bothell High School by Pat, he jumped at the chance.  He even arranged for the program to shadow him around at the local drag races and pit next to his team.  He shared his knowledge of drag racing and really embraced the electrification aspect.  In the early days of MLe, he allowed us to work out of his race shop in North Bend, WA.  Soon, it became apparent that vehicle electrification within racing would take up more of his time and space than originally anticipated.  That's when Jeff and Pat formally formed MLe Race Cars and opened a race shop in North Seattle.  Jeff has been instrumental in guiding the team in the electrification of drag race vehicles while still staying true to the roots of what it means to be a drag race vehicle.  With Jeff's guidance, this team has built many of the world's most successful EV drag race vehicles.

Photo:  Jeff Lane (right) with son Cody Lane at the Protect the Harvest Northwest Nationals where they each won their respective class Wally's.

Stephen "Doc" Johnsen has been a lifelong car-guy with a passion for fast cars. Before most people had ever heard of Tesla, Stephen saw the high performance potential of lithium batteries and the immediate torque of electric motors. After graduating from the University of Washington, he built a record-setting, dual-motor electric Fiero and served as president of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA) and NW regional director for National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA). For many years, Stephen taught EV technology courses at South Seattle College, and this is where he met Pat McCue when Pat was in one of his six-day EV conversion courses. The two became friends, and, after helping Pat with a DC BMW conversion for Bothell High School's Automotive Program, Mr. Johnsen was adamant that Shock and Awe must be an AC powered 800V car.  Stephen is the only person in the MLe team that has been involved with every build they have completed, except Pat.  Stephen holds a number of trophies and wins in both road racing and drag racing EV's.

Photo of EV project Stephen completed for sustainable farm, Stephen second from right.

My whole life I have wanted to spend time around cars, especially fast ones. Because of this, I was excited to have the opportunity to begin working at MLe in 2021. During my senior year of college, I was hired as a CAD/mechanical engineering intern. At this time, I worked on the F100 Eluminator project and gained experience working on EV’s. After graduating from The University of Washington with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, I began working full-time at MLe. I worked on the Super CobraJet 1800 as well as other current projects. My focus has been on the battery system of the SCJ 1800, but I have been fortunate to be able to spend time working on many different aspects of this car and other cars. In my spare time, I enjoy being outdoors and skiing or hiking with my girlfriend and dog. I also work on my own project cars and enjoy driving and occasionally racing them. In the future, I want to continue to embed myself in the electric racing world and even build my own personal EV conversion.

Tom is a fulltime, heavy-duty mechanic.  He is our lead trackside crewman and also drives our large truck/trailer.  Tom has taken on the responsibility of servicing and maintaining the Super CobraJet 1800's transmission system.  Tom has been with us for the last 3+ years.

Htun is an Electrical Engineer graduate from UW Bothell.  He works primarily on battery testing, battery assembly, and battery development here at MLe Racecars.

Htun has been working with MLe for nearly two years.

Hans grew up working on electric vehicles in the 80's and drove an EV in high school during the 90's - before most people knew that EV's could be anything more than little golf carts.  While a student at the University of Washington, Hans started an all-battery-electric landscaping business.  Hans is an FAA-certified pilot and US Marine Corps veteran, having served overseas as a computer-systems specialist.  He has been with MLe for over two years.  Hans is our lead battery testing and battery assembly technician.  His primary responsibilities include battery performance testing, refining our battery module assembly processes, and tracking our assembly production.