New Karma in Detroit!
Electric Cars are for Girls
DECEMBER 20, 2008
Fisker's Karma is a production-ready plug-in hybrid, - meaning TODAY, not 2010 - and it's coming to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 15th.
December, 2008
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Inside The Green Task Force
Creative Greenius
DECEMBER 8, 2008
For more than a year now in this blog I’ve been researching and reporting on climate change, energy and transportation issues and related environmental stories covering them on both a personal and a global perspective. I haven’t been breaking any hard news, I’ve just been spreading the news that doesn’t get enough attention and adding my take on top of it for the majority of my readers who don’t have the time to dig as deep as I do.
Filming Tesla - 2
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 12, 2008
Our co-producer continues her account of shooting behind the scenes at Tesla. As we captured key meetings with department heads, Elon stressed his commitment to ramping Tesla up - and the fact that his role was hands-on. He reminded person after person that no problem or detail was too small. The buck stopped with Elon. Elon Musk (left) inspects a Roadster.
Battery Woes
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
DECEMBER 31, 2008
Ugh. I think my battery pack is dead after 8600 miles and 1.5 years. Rats. My Zivan charger alarm has gone off for the past week and I finally looked into it. Apparently the alarm is indicating a timeout that the charge cycle is taking too long for the capacity of batteries that I have. If I charge overnight, I wake up in 40 degree weather and the pack is very warm, around 80 degrees with vigorous "boiling.
How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim
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Mounting the Zolox Sensor
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
After futzing around awhile, I was able to get the spacer ring for the Zolox tachometer sensor to line up. Here's the bottom of the mounting ring. The screws that came with the mounting kit stripped out the plastic, so I sunk some depressions in the backside of the ring where the bolt holes were and put in 8-32 x 1" bolts from the backside. Notice that the large holes in the upper left and lower right are somewhat warped.
Snow falls, Tango plows in Spokane
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 26, 2008
It's one thing to read about a Prius powering a home during a blackout. Check out this video showing an unexpected benefit to the torc, power and design of the Tango electric car. Tags: tango electric car.
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Join Me For A Visit To Reality
Creative Greenius
DECEMBER 4, 2008
Clean Coal is a shameless marketing scam designed to allow coal companies to keep raking in the bucks while they continue to destroy the environment. They know it’s a lie, but they’ll say and do anything to make their profits. I hope they’re saving those dollars to pay the carbon tax they have coming due. Tax what we burn, not what we earn, says the Creative Greenius - and Al Gore.
Filming Tesla - 1
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 10, 2008
Tesla Roadsters awaiting final prep and delivery to first owners. Let me just give it away now….the first day we filmed this fall at Tesla, we got to see not one, not two, not three, but, and I counted—over 40 production Roadsters in the Menlo Park buildings. There is something about the sight of more than four million dollars of incredibly sleek, fast (they do look fast - even standing still) car flesh under one roof that really makes you tingle.
Featured EV Video: Living with an EV part 4
DIY Electric Car
DECEMBER 5, 2008
Gav's EV Conversion - Living with an EV - IV from Gav on Vimeo. If you aren't familiar with Gav, he's been a long time contributing member of DIYElectricCar under the name of "kiwiev." Gav converted a 1987 Mitsubishi Tredia last year and has been since making films about his conversion, his lifestyle and other EV conversions. This video is the fourth in the series of lifestyle videos.
Add the Splash Guard
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
I'd like to get the car off the jack-stands and back into a position where I can drive it while still adding things like the guages. After installing the speed sensor, the last thing needed under the car is the splash guard to protect water and grit from getting into the Warp9. After playing around a bit, I found that a piece of ABS plastic 15" x 18" and 3/16" thick will probably work.
Clean coal
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 25, 2008
Just a the coal companies go on the air with ads that could be Obama campaign commercials, down to the Yes We Can (make coal clean,) the real world intrudes. Tags: clean coal.
AC Motors, NiMH batteries, and Wheel Motors
Electric Cars are for Girls
DECEMBER 20, 2008
AC motor question: I'm looking for a less expensive, probably US-made AC motor. I'm aiming my design at 1400 lbs maximum. Ideas? NiMH.
The Further Adventures of The Solangelist
Creative Greenius
DECEMBER 2, 2008
As we move into the final month of the year 2008 I keep looking up at my rooftop longingly. Even with the extension of the solar tax credit which came as an unexpected bonus along with the $700 billion bailout and the big increase in how much you can claim, I still think dipping into my cash reserve to the tune of $29 grand for the up front cost of my solar system would be loony tunes at the moment - and with the economy putting us into this Not So Great Depression I’m not really intereste
Guest blogger: Andrew Grin - From Kansas to LA
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 1, 2008
This week we welcome Andrew Grin, a 16 year old sophomore from Kansas City who spent the day with us filming during the LA Auto Show. Andrew owns a converted pure EV Hyundai. My first sighting of smog-filled Los Angeles brought a sad thought to my mind. A few weeks back, I read a study which found that dirty air in Southern California’s coastal basin and the San Joaquin Valley kills more people than car accidents.
Building the heater
Honda S2000 EV Conversion
DECEMBER 28, 2008
Money has been tight after ordering the batteries and the holidays so progress has been rather slow lately. This is technically the second heater but I will only fully document the final design. I first built a water heater utilizing the existing heater core. It used a 1500 watt engine block heater and pump to circulate the water. I decided not to use this setup for a few reasons.
Christmas Presents
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
Santa was good to me this year. I received a Link-10 battery monitor from my parents. I don't think they understand what it does and why it costs so much, but okay, they got it for me anyway. The items on the right came from Belktronix. The wires on the upper left are the Link-10 voltage prescaler. The module on the upper right is the DC-DC to supply an isolated 12V to the link-10.
Toyota on concept EV: Just for show
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 23, 2008
A bit more information today on Toyota's small EV. The message, from spokeswoman Jana Hartline, is don't expect more information. There will be no press conference devoted to the vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show, where it will simply be displayed. “It’s a concept we are bringing to the show basically to confirm our interest in electric vehicles,” Hartline told the Detroit Free Press.
How to Connect the Electric Car Motor to the Transmission
Electric Cars are for Girls
DECEMBER 23, 2008
How do you connect the electric motor to the engine transmission? Is it welded? Do I need to have an adapter or an engineered.
Frustrations with Zolox sensor mount
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 29, 2008
I tried installing the Zolox sensor mounting ring for the Warp9 motor from EVsource today. It looks like the holes on the mounting ring don't line up properly. The holes for the Warp9 casing don't match, so I had to drill them a bit larger so the bolts would go in. Here I've placed the spinning magnet onto the end of the tailshaft with a short 1/4 bolt to properly center it.
U.S. Battery Makers Power Up
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 23, 2008
I wrote a few months ago about the Japanese and European carmakers teaming up with Asian and Euro battery manufacturers with $200-$400 million deals to build large production facilities that will soon be cranking out high volumes of LiIon batteries for plug-in cars. Since achieving cost parity with internal combustion requires batteries to cost less than $500 per kWh, this is a welcome sign that we’ll be seeing those prices in short order.
Toyota To Show EV Concept Car At Detroit Auto Show
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 24, 2008
“Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. said today that it will show a small electric concept vehicle at the Detroit auto show next month.&# - Toyota Division Communications. Considering the implication of those two short lines, they were barely whispered to the press. Toyota is going to show a Battery EV at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month, 12 full years after they began leasing the RAV4 EV to fleets in California, and 7 years after 328 private citizens got their h
Toyota to display a concept EV
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 22, 2008
The press release couldn't be shorter. TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 22 -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. will display a battery electric vehicle concept at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. This display marks the world debut of this concept vehicle. It's hard not to be snarky. Toyota will display a concept EV! My six year old Toyota RAV4 EV electric car continues to perform flawlessly and gaslessly.
Tach Mount, Splash Guard and POR-15
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 19, 2008
It's still pretty cold in the garage, but I motivated myself to get out to TAP plastics (10 blocks away) and pick up some ABS plastic for the improved splash guard. Here's the 3/16" thick piece of ABS lying on top of the existing splash guard. I got a piece 36" x 18" which is way too big, but I didn't know what would be needed. In the final directions, I'll probably list a smaller piece to acquire.
Tachometer is Here!
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 18, 2008
This is a cool day(And not just because it's freezing outside). The package with the custom tachometer from SpeedHut arrived. Although I received the 2-hole pillar pod last Friday, I wanted to show it here since I ordered both items from Speedhut. The wiring harness is nice and long. The small module in the lower left of the photo is the dash light interface which allows a variable dash light brightness to control the tach brightness as well.
Biofuels surge under Obama?
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 18, 2008
Obama's choice for Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, apparently can't be faulted for his dedication to dealing with climate change. Praise for the nomination ranges from Greenpeace to the Union of Concerned Scientists. But in a cabinet filled with ethanol boosters, his coziness with corporate sponsors of biofuels research makes me wonder what solutions to the climate crisis will get top priority, and top dollar after January 20th.
Obama's cabinet drunk on ethanol?
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 17, 2008
Obama's cabinet is looking very friendly toward ethanol, The Hill reports. Vilsack from Iowa at Agriculture, Salazar from Colorado at Interior, Daschle from South Dakota at HHS and likely Transportation nominee Ray LaHood are all big ethanol boosters. Chu at Energy, while critical of corn ethanol, has been an advocate for cellulosic. I can't help but wonder who will be sitting at the table who understands and believes in transportation electrification.
Build My Dreams, BYD
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 16, 2008
The announcement that BYD, the Chinese battery giant turned automaker, has actually begun selling its plug-in hybrid, is pretty big news. Shares rose about 15% on the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday. Earlier this year Warren Buffet invested over $200 million in the company (10% share). As most automakers plan for lower sales in 2009, BYD plans to double its sales to 350,000 units, including 10,000 plug-in hybrids.
Hybrid batteries doing fine
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 15, 2008
There's good news in Jim Motavalli's Greentech report in the NY Times about NiMH batteries in hybrids. The batteries have gotten cheaper, and they have proven robust and long-lived. Toyota reports a tiny percentage of replacements - 350 packs out of hundreds of thousands of 2nd generation Priuses. Yellow Cab in Vancouver has about 100 hybrids, some having racked up as many as 300,000 miles.
Beyond Detroit: Think halts production; appeals for govt help
Plugs and Cars
DECEMBER 15, 2008
Think Global, the Norwegian electric car maker, has halted production of its electric City car, generating fears of a possible bankruptcy. As reported by Reuters , "Like many other car companies, privately-held Think said it had difficulties in obtaining working capital and that automotive suppliers offered tougher terms on parts." It has asked the Norwegian government for $100-200 million to see it through the crisis.
Charging parts back and more miles
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 14, 2008
I received the fixed charger parts back from Belktronix on Friday and installed them with no problems. After going through a full charge cycle, I did find another Batmon board that was activating the shunt resistor at 13.5 volts instead of the expected 14.6 volts. I'll look into that early this week or send it back for repairs. After fixing up the charging system, I took a quick test drive with my friend Jonathan for about 7 miles and the car behaved well.
Plastic Boxes and Speed Sensor
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 11, 2008
I got some fun stuff today. The plastic boxes for the BatMons and the Zolox speed sensor with Warp9 mounting hardware came in. Here's a pile of 2x2" plastic boxes 1/2" high that fit the BatMon boards quite well. If I cut off one side, I should have at least some protection from splash and other grit that enters the engine compartment. Here's the Zolox speed sensor from EVSource.
AC Propulsion: Making Gas Cars Electric
Revenge of the Electric Car
DECEMBER 8, 2008
The talented Kristen Reeves produced this wonderful video segment on AC Propulsion and their world class electric vehicle drive technology. For the past 3 years AC Propulsion has been converting gasoline Scion xBs to 100% electric drive with their phenomenal AC150gen2 electric drive system. In her video, Kristen interviews AC Propulsion President & CEO Tom Gage, and legendary actor/director and longtime EV enthusiast Tom Hanks.
A Different Tachometer
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 8, 2008
After a suggestion I received from Bryan Belk (of Belktronix), I decided to go with a different tachometer than the cheap Shucks one: [link] This tach is only $96 and comes with a customizable face. I was even able to add the text "Civic EV" for free! The other cool thing is that it has an LED driver on the back for a particular shift point. This could easily be set and tied into the LVP (low-voltage-protection) circuit on the controller to prevent over-revving the motor.
Assembling a Price List
Open Source Civic EV Kit
DECEMBER 8, 2008
I always wondered how much this kit really cost me, aside from tools, so I assembled a total parts price list and uploaded it to the Civic-EV Google Group here: [link] I'm a bit surprised I came out below $10K (barely). For those of you who have done conversions, please check my spreadsheet and let me know what I missed. One of the high-wants for the kit was that it would cost Cheers, Tim.
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