Plugs and Cars
MAY 30, 2007
Ynetnews.com, an Israeli news site, reports on continuing progress on the Middle East electric car front. Building on initial discussions in Davos at the World Economic Forum in January, a meeting has now been held in Jordan to move the idea forward. Renault and Toyota are reported to be involved along with Shai Agassi, ex-SAP executive. Tags: renault israel electric car toyota shai agassi jordan.
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 28, 2007
As you may have noticed, the blog entries have dropped off rather abruptly in recent weeks. I've sent three e-mails and one phone call to Electro Automotive asking about the status of the battery racks/boxes and received no reply. As you might imagine, I'm a bit frustrated with this and don't really know what to do next. I should be getting the 18 8-volt golf-cart batteries from American Battery Company early next week.
Plug In Partners
MAY 23, 2007
F or those who think that GM is not serious about its new PHEV , the Volt , here is a piece that makes you think they are: The Volt To Be Lutz's Legacy May 21, 2007 So, I heard General Motors’ Bob Lutz on National Public Radio’s “Wait. Wait Don’t Tell Me” this past Saturday.The GM product boss said the vehicle he is most excited about, and the one he thinks will be the most significant for GM, is the Chevy Volt.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 27, 2007
Chairman Sawyer, Members, my name is Marc Geller, and I represent the San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association. Many of our members, including myself, drove ZEV Mandate battery electric cars - GM EV1, Honda EV+, Ford Th!nk City - until they were confiscated by the automakers. A few of us still drive Toyota RAV4 EVs - a truly great car. I hope Board Members understand that we continue to use these zero-emission, zero-petroleum cars in our daily lives.
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Plugs and Cars
MAY 19, 2007
Synovate Motoresearch presented some very interesting survey results at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Long Beach, CA last week, as reported in MIT's Technology Review. Simply put, as the first sentence of the article states, [W]hen consumers understand what plug-in hybrids are, they want them. All that's needed, the survey discovered, is a dollop of education.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 19, 2007
Tony Blair came to DC to say farewell. And make one final pitch for American cooperation on climate change. At a Rose Garden press conference within earshot of anti-war protesters beyond the White House gate, Bush's prepared remarks included this: And we talked, of course, about climate change. We spent a lot of time on climate change. And I agree with the Prime Minister, as I have stated publicly, this is a serious issue, and the United States takes it seriously, just like we take energy securi
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Plugs and Cars
MAY 16, 2007
The California Air Resources Board may still be living in an alternate universe where hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles are making meaningful (if glacial) progress toward commercialization, but back here on earth battery power is where it's at. A123 Systems has introduced Automotive Class Lithium-ion cells. Read the press release here. Tags: california air resources board lithium-ion a123 systems.
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 13, 2007
I went back to Parkrose hardware today to pick up stainless steel bolts to attach the motor cables to the controller. In the process, I got some two-conductor wire to make the connections to the potbox switch and backup-light switch cleaner. Here's the somewhat finished potbox. Note the added accelerator cable and extra pullback spring on the potbox arm.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 11, 2007
From Saturday's New York Times story " Cheney, on Carrier, Sends Warning to Iran " Vice President Dick Cheney used the deck of an American aircraft carrier just 150 miles off Iran’s coast as the backdrop yesterday to warn that the United States was prepared to use its naval power to keep Tehran from disrupting oil routes. Oil seemed to be on Mr. Cheney’s mind yesterday when he told 3,500 to 4,000 members of the Stennis’s crew that Iran would not be permitted to choke off oil shipments.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 12, 2007
PBS' Now profiles government auditor Bobby Maxwell's attempt to get oil companies drilling on government land to pay royalties due. The corruption in the oil business isn't only in Iraq. See the video here. Tags: Big Oil pbs now bobby maxwell.
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 11, 2007
Last night was the monthly OEVA meeting. There were many electric vehicles there to ponder and I got a chance to chat with a bunch of people. I'm kicking myself a bit for not bringing my digital camera, but that's life. Victor Tikhonov of Metric Mind and I talked about his new EVision system and how I might get involved with the embedded programming for his latest BMS (battery management system).
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 11, 2007
I received a package from Azure Dynamics yesterday with a field upgrade to the bolts on the AC24 motor for the EV kit. Apparently, the nylon washers weren't good enough to hold the bolts in under all conditions and some of them may get loose. I'm happy that Azure sent these before I started driving the vehicle around, although no major field failures have been reported.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 11, 2007
The British Government is attempting to strangle the electric car baby in its London cradle. The Times Online reports the British government's Department for Transport (DfT) has conducted a safety test on the all-electric Reva G-Whiz and found it wanting. The small, 45mph zero-emission vehicles have found a ready market in London - 850 sold so far - where electrics are exempt from the stiff daily congestion charge for driving in central London.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 10, 2007
The Texas House of Representatives votes in favor of increased gasoline consumption. I should add that Texas, in the form of Austin Energy's Plug-in Partners effort, shows us the right direction to head, promoting plug-in hybrids (and electric cars) to use the electrical grid to replace gasoline. Tags: petroleum electric car plug-in hybrid.
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 8, 2007
My 914ev partner-in-crime Randy (who purchased the very first 914 AC kit from ElectroAuto) e-mailed me some photographs of how he's wiring up his terminal blocks and relays. Here are some pictures and descriptions from his 914 AC conversion. (Thanks, Randy!) Excerpt from Randy's e-mail: I've also started on the wiring kit. I looked at the instructions and decided to rearrange things (typical).
Plug In Partners
MAY 7, 2007
P erhaps the most important milestone in developing Plug in Hybrids is the availability of an affordable, practical, and powerful battery pack. Here is a significant announcement by David Vieau , CEO of A123 Systems. A123 Announces Standard Retrofit Module Energy Blog May 2, 2007 On May 1 in testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, David Vieau , CEO of A123Systems announced that they will be testing a standard
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 5, 2007
I'm still waiting on the battery racks/boxes from ElectroAuto, so I took care of a bunch of little things that have been neglected so far. Here's the battery tray that the directions said to remove. It came out surprisingly easily with a hammer and mini-crowbar since there were only a few spot welds holding it in. One of the other 914 kit converters questioned why the accessory battery couldn't stay in the original tray, but I decided to remove it anyway and have the accessory battery up in the
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 4, 2007
I spent all day today going through those hundred technical articles on SOC (state-of-charge) and SOH (state-of-health) algorithms for lead-acid batteries. They were all fascinating, but the one I really liked involved a Kalman filtering algorithm to constantly estimate the internal parameters of the lead-acid battery. The algorithm models the battery and samples the current draw and voltage across the pack.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 3, 2007
Google.org is stepping up to the plate for electricity in cars. Calcars.org has received a $200,000 grant to continue its advocacy of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Founder Felix Kramer has been dogged and successful in pushing plug-ins into the national and international media. Everyday Prius owners ask me where to get their car converted to a plug-in. It is largely thanks to Felix that hybrid owners now desire something more than a gasoline-dependent car.
Porsche 914 EV Conversion
MAY 1, 2007
Since I'm still waiting on parts from ElectroAuto, I decided to take the plunge and do some extensive research on Lead-Acid battery technology. The 914 AC kit uses 8V golf cart batteries and I'm wondering if different batteries like Hawkers or Optima Yellow-Top batteries would be better. After researching different battery types, it looks like the Hawkers and Optimas can put out more amps for more torque and are more rugged, but the golf-cart batteries still rule in terms of capacity per weight
Plugs and Cars
MAY 1, 2007
The California Air Resources Board , one of the culprits identified in Who Killed the Electric Car? , was originally charged with reducing pollution. Now it's actions are meant to help reduce carbon emissions and petroleum usage, as well. The electric cars produced to meet the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate uniquely contribute on all three counts. Of the transportation fuel options before us, only electricity can provide both near term mitigation of the many problems wrought by petroleum and the
Plugs and Cars
MAY 2, 2007
Martin Eberhard, Tesla Motors CEO, testified at the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. In a succinct presentation, he makes the case for electricity. And he suggests turning the perverse federal incentives that brought us the Hummer on their head. Read his complete testimony here. Tags: martin eberhard electric cars hummer tesla motors.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 1, 2007
The French Post Office, La Poste, is seeking to place 10,000 electric vehicles in service in the next five years. This week La Poste will invite manufacturers to bid to build the first 500 for delivery in 2008. "There has never been such a big order (for electric vehicles) in the world," said French Industry Minister Francois Loos in an interview with AFP, referring to the plans for 10,000 electric vehicles.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 6, 2007
70 years ago today. Hat tip to Arthur Keller. Tags: hydrogen.
Plugs and Cars
MAY 18, 2007
Governor of New Mexico and candidate for the Democratic nomination Bill Richardson Richardson has released his "Energy and Climate Policy Plan." Plug-in hybrids and electric cars are part of Goal 1: Get low and zero petroleum plug-in cars into the marketplace, while sharply reducing the carbon emissions from our electric sector. The pure-electric vehicle offers simplicity and performance for an average daily commute in our larger metro areas, while the plug-in electric car or truck provides more
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