A RAV4-EV with the heart of a Tesla China is electrifying AC in an

Transcription

Electric Auto Association
CURRENTEVENTS
June 2011
Promoting the use of electric vehicles since 1967
Vol. 43 No. 6
China is
electrifying
page 3
AC in an EV?
... page 16
A RAV4-EV
with the heart
of a Tesla
... page 18
POWERING LEAF / VOLT USING AC LEVEL 2 CONDUCTIVE COUPLER
EAA AVCON ADAPTER
Contact Interface Functions
SUPPLY EQUIPMENT PLUG
EAA AVCON
adapters &
the new JPlug
... page 20
EVSE
(Using
Residential or
Commercial
AC Mains as
input)
Pin 1
Supplies AC
Power
& Pilot signal
Pin 4
INTERFACE CONNECTOR
AC power (L1)
Pin 2
AC power (L2, N)
Pin 3
Equipment Gnd
Control Pilot (CP)
VEHICLE INLET
Pin 1
ON-BOARD CHARGER
usingof
120/208/240
Photo
courtesy
NEDRA Volt
Pin 2
(Automatically
Tribute
...
page applied
6
accommodates
Pin 3
voltage).
Pin 4
Road Taxes for EVs?Chassis
... page
Gnd 32
Proximity Detection (CC)
Pin 5
STEP 1: Pilot passes straight
Control Circuit
IN THIS ISSUE
Articles
3
China is electrifying — Marc Geller
shares insite into the world’s oldest
civilization and its electrification.
8
The Passing of an EV Legend – Bob Rice
— A tribute.
11 antique evs — Photos of electric vehicles
in the early 1900s.
CURRENT EV STAFF
27 AMP delivers first all-electric
Mercedes-Benz ML 350 to Northern
Lights Energy — Icelandic vision
becoming a reality.
28 Before the EV-1: Came the Impact —
The Car That Could - Part IV.
32 Road Taxes for EVs? — The issue of
imposing a road tax has surfaced.
Contributors:
E-mail: [email protected]
Contributors – Bob Oldham, Ron Freund, Marc
Geller, Forbes Bagatelle-Black, Earl Killian, JB
Straubel, Doug Korthof, Jerry Pohorsky, Linda
Nicholes, Lee Galbraith, Daniel Davids, Jim
Bohorquez, Felix Kramer, Paul Scott, Doug
Brentlinger, Darell Dickey, Thomas Sidle, Bill
Hammons, Tim Wong, Chelsea Sexton, David
Turock, Olaf Ungerer, Jack Rickard, Jack Ashcraft,
Irwin Dawid, Tom Dowling, Oliver Perry, Jack
Bowers, Eric Burns, John McEwan, Michael
Bianchi, Jory Squibb, Dave Kodama, David Hrivnak,
Tom Moloughney, Charles Hall, Charlton Jones,
Mark Larsen, David Herron, Prof Eckhard Elmers,
Ruediger Hild, Tom Saxton, Stephen Johnsen, Noel
Adams, Richard Lane, Charles Whalen, Anatoly
Lobtsov, Carol Cole, Jon Ando, George Stuckert,
Dave Oliveria
13 Volts go 1,000 miles between fill-ups,
says GM — What are the real combined gas
and electricity costs?
35 German automakers back HomePlug
powerline standard for networking
EVs — The HomePlug GP standard allows
EVs to communicate over the Internet via
their charging port.
13 US reaches milestone of over 1800
electric vehicle charging points —
500th ChargePoint electric vehicle charging
station installed recently in Los Angeles.
36 All-electric Porsche on the horizon
— Boxter E prototype shows at Michelin
Challenge Bibendum in Berlin
Board Chairman, CE Publication – Ron Freund
Managing Editor – Dorothy Foglia
Book Reviewers – Warren Winovich, Jack Swartz,
Earl Killian, Stan Hanel, Ollie Perry
14 eGenius electric aircraft makes
successful maiden flight — Successful
maiden flight in Germany.
37 Luxgen Neora EV Sport Sedan Concept
Unveiled aT Shanghai Auto Show —
Luxgen Neora EV sport sedan concept
Calendar of Events:
14 nedra news — Shawn Lawless takes the
Rocket to new heights.
37 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid First Test
Drive — Road Tests begin on Volvo’s entry.
15 Looking for funding or support for
your local EAA Chapter? — Join a
Clean Cities coalition.
38 ELECTRIC CAR ROUND THE WORLD
16 Keeping Your Ride Cool — Taking on the
challenge of cooling an EV
18 A RAV4 EV with the Heart of a Tesla —
Test driving the new-generation RAV4.
39 Loon Solar Boat Wins Mansura Award
— The Loon has won the “Nobel Prize of
Green Boating.”
45 Introducing the new electric eStar.
— Navistar’s commercial class 2c-3 electric
truck.
™
20 EAA AVCON Adapters and the New
J-Plug — Guidance to provide owners of
converted EVs access to the newly installed
public infrastructure.
Columns
22 EV Cup – world’s first EV racing
series moves to U.S. — World’s first race
series exclusively for zero-emission electric
cars.
12 Chevrolet Volt Charging Into the
Future – Book Recommendation
23 Georgia Power Paves the Way for
EVs — Tools to help consumers make an
informed decision.
3
EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2011
14 ALTERNATING CURRENTS
40DON’T MISS THESE (FILMS & VIDEOS)
41 CONFERENCE & SHOW CALENDAR
24 Lessons Learned from a Simple DIY
Conversion — Highlights (and low lights)
of a conversion project.
42, 43
26 Which comes first, EVs or charging
infrastructure? — What current
activities around EVs and charging
infrastructure tell us about the future.
46 EAA MEMBERSHIP FORM
2 Current EVents / June 2011
Advertising Manager:
CE Advertising: [email protected]
Article Submissions:
The deadline for articles is the first of every month for
consideration in the next issue of CE. Articles received
after this date will be retained for future issues of CE.
Contact the Publication Committee for more info at
[email protected].
Advertisements:
A full advertiser’s information package and Rate Sheet
can be sent by E-mail. Please contact Advertising
Manager or CE Staff for details.
National EAA:
Web Site: www.electricauto.org or electricauto.org
Mailing: CE Comments
847 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-3216 USA
Membership/Address Changes:
Mailing: EAA Membership
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248 USA
If you have comments, please send them to
[email protected].
http://electricauto.org
EVENTS
44 CHAPTER LISTINGS
47 EV CONFERENCE AND EAA CHAPTER
EVENTS CALENDAR (SEE WEBSITES FOR
MOST CURRENT INFORMATION)
Current EVents is printed on recycled paper (30% post
consumer waste), using soy-based inks. The press chemicals
are non-toxic.
©2011 Current EVents is a publication of the Electric Auto
Association. All rights reserved. While Current EVents and the
Electric Auto Association strive for clarity and accuracy, we assume no responsibility for usage of this information. Permission
to copy for other than commercial use is given, provided that full
credit is given to originator of material copied. This permission
does not extend to reprinted articles. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes.
EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2011
china
Chairman, CE Publication: Ron Freund
[email protected]
China is electrifying.
Membership: Will Beckett
[email protected]
Secretary: Doug Stansfield
[email protected]
Treasurer: Leslie Grossman
[email protected]
Co-Chairman, Plug In America:
Marc Geller
CE Advertising Manager: Carl Vogel
[email protected]
Elections/Board Calendar: Joe Lado
[email protected]
Larry Tuttle, Don Francis,
Rob Neighbour , Jerry Asher
Board Appointees
Jerry Pohorsky
PHEV-SIG Chairman
Tom Dowling - EV Charging Infrastructure
[email protected]
Jay Friedland
Education Grant Manager
Tom Sidle
Awards
Darryl McMahon - Historian
[email protected]
EAA Board Contact:
[email protected] 415-861-7278
Notice: IRS requires us to ask for a full disclosure by
the donor for donations of $1000 or more. This should
include Full Name, Complete Address, Phone Number,
and Social Security or Tax ID Number.
High speed Railway Station, Wuhan. Photo: Marc Geller
By Marc Geller
When I was studying China and Mandarin
Chinese 35 years ago, “Red” China was
unrecognized by the US, literally, and dark
in a way difficult to imagine now. Who
knew what was going on over there? Was
“reality” that the world’s oldest civilization
was throwing off the shackles of Western
Current EVents Back Issues on the Web
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Please visit
http://electricauto.org/ and from the home
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domination and its own past to offer a
new vision of civilization, or was it bodies
floating downriver to Hong Kong during
the Cultural Revolution?
Just as today we can look at a nighttime
satellite image and see the black void that
is recalcitrant, unelectrified North Korea,
once that was China. Today China is as
illuminated as the rest of the world, and
they are carrying electrification further.
I can’t cite the government decree, but
having just returned from two weeks
that took me from Beijing to Changsha,
Hunan to Shanghai, it is evident that a
national transportation system is being
continued on page 4
June 2011 / Current EVents 3
china
China is electrifying
Continued from page 3
Super capacitor bus on regular route in Shanghai. Photo: Marc Geller
implemented, and electrification is at
its core. From two-wheeled scooters, a
mainstay of urban mobility, and urban
mass transit, to high-speed inter-urban rail,
China will soon see the day most people
move about most of the time on electricity.
Fifteen years ago Shanghai was a city of
diesel busses and bicycles. It had few
private cars. For a while, gas scooters held
sway piled high with people and products.
It had no subway system. Today Shanghai
has the world’s largest. Smoother and
quieter than any I’ve ridden anywhere.
And three types of electric busses —
legacy trolleys with catenary wires, battery
busses, and super capacitor busses. And
most of the scooters are now electric. (And
they are headed directly at you, at night,
with no headlight.)
Not very many years ago, tens of millions
of Chinese packed themselves regularly
into unairconditioned, slat-seatted box
cars to get to work and visit family during
holidays, enduring trips of more than 24
hours. I’m sure there are still plenty of oldschool trains about, but today Chinese are
boarding comfortable, high speed electric
trains coursing on unimpeded raised
trackbeds at over 200 MPH between cities
large and ever-larger. Last year it took 24
hours to go from Beijing to Guangjou. Next
year it will take 6 or 7.
With these dedicated high speed electric rail
lines crisscrossing the nation, and the huge,
attractive new train stations being opened
to serve these inter-urban lines, it becomes
clear China has decided most long distance
passenger travel will be by electric trains.
And these trains are being integrated with
existing and new subway systems. Step off
one system right onto the other.
Cars will undoubtedly be the last piece of
the electric transportation matrix in China.
The week I was in Shanghai, the Electric
Vehicle Test Drive Center opened to the
public in Shanghai Automobile City, a far
suburb still reachable by subway. Plug-in
cars from a half dozen Chinese automakers
were on display along with charge stations
in an attractive setting amidst a winding
course for test drives. The BYD plug-in
hybrid I drove performed well. I have no
doubt we will see Chinese brands in the
US when they are ready to make a move.
While I think selling gasoline cars by the
tens of millions to the domestic market
is perceived to be of prime economic
importance, I hope they choose to forgo
following the Japanese and Korean model
of aggressively competing on the low end
in the export market. We really don’t need
more cheap gas cars. With some attention
to fit and finish, the Chinese could use their
low-cost advantages (labor and a huge
battery industry) in a market segment that
sells at a premium outside their borders.
Once EVs are cool in the West, the Chinese
domestic market will follow.
China is a work in progress. As progressive
and foresighted as they seem to be on the
transportation front, they’ve got huge
challenges ahead regarding electricity
production. Largely dependent on domestic
coal, cities are smothered in smog. Beijing,
which systematically restricts automobile
usage and moved a lot of factories out of
town for the Olympics, had clearer skies than
I expected. But it is an anomaly. Shanghai
and Wuhan are enshrouded in poison.
continued on page 30
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TRIBUTE
The Passing of an EV Legend – Bob Rice
years following his tour of duty to pursue
electric vehicle manufacturing in Taiwan.
Bob left Asia in the mid ‘60’s and went to
work for Robert Aronson of Electric Fuel
Propulsion (EFP) Corporation in Detroit.
Aronson was developing the Tri-polar Lead
Cobalt Acid battery for electric vehicles. Bob was instrumental in helped set up a
chain of charging stations at hotels along
the interstate from Chicago to Detroit. He
even drove and recharged their electric AMC
along the route.
On one special EFP assignment, Bob was a
vital Support Crew member (and emergency
auto mechanic) for the CALTECH VW Van,
one of the teams in the 1968 Great Electric
Car race between MIT and CALECH. Bob
had great stories to tell about coming down
to the final 100 miles when the driver of
his car drove over a curb and mangled the
steering gear. Only Bob could come up with
a quick fix to get them back on the road to
complete the race!
A legend in EVs passed away this spring
after many months struggling to survive
a major stoke and finally succumbing to
the effects of a very serious infection. Bob
Rice’s life has truly made a difference for all
who have come to call him a friend.
Starting in early childhood while waiting
at the Long Island train station for his dad
to return from work in the city, Bob would
admire and be able to name each electric
train engine that passed by. In his youth
he made his own go carts, in late teens, he
“created” his own EVs in Asia. In the 60’s,
70’s, 80’s and 90’s, Bob worked with the
early EV & battery innovators and pioneers
on new electric cars and battery storage
systems. Still later in the prime years of his
life, he was driving America’s largest and
most powerful EVs– Amtrak’s Acela high
speed train.
After retiring, Bob continued his enthusiastic
support of electric vehicles as President of
the New England Electric Auto Association
(NEEAA) chapter of EAA. Since those early
days of the rebirth of the electric vehicle,
Bob had been an active and fundamental
change agent in advancing electric vehicles
wherever he traveled. Robert “Bob” Rice, 69, of Killingworth,
Connecticut, died at Connecticut Hospice in
Branford on May 13th, 2011. He was born on
July 5th, 1941 in Southampton, NY to Robert
and Francis Rice of King of Prussia, PA. Bob
spent his teen years in Remsenburg, NY.
Born in Pennsylvania, Bob grew up on Long
Island after his family moved to what had
been their summer home in Remsenburg, NY
and was reared in the family sport of sailing.
He and he mother earned several awards for
their sailing at the local yacht club.
Following high school, Bob joined the US
Army and served in Taiwan in the late 50’s
and early 60’s. During that time, he built his
own Jeep EV (unofficially, of course) in his
free time while assigned to power turbine
generating stations.
He even designed and built a “drive-up”
charging station for his electric JEEP – no
plugs to handle, just drive in, park and “fill
‘er up!” He returned as a civilian for several
Later, Bob moved to Florida and worked
on the City. Bob worked for designer Bob
Beaumont when he was developing and
manufacturing the new electric cars. Among
other things, Bob Rice was tasked with
designing the car doors and he was only
given a week to do it! He soon discovered
how much work was involved in creating a
fully functioning door, window and latching
mechanism!
In 1973, Bob married Wendy (Zoe) Margaret
Hawkins and they settled in Connecticut.
Together they raised their three sons,
Ken, Charles “Chuck,” and Eric. In 1974
Bob began his career on the railroad with
AMTRAK, working his way from ticket
agent to engineer before retiring in 2005.
Bob started attending meetings at the
newly formed New England Electric Auto
Association (NEEAA) in the mid 90’s with
meetings usually held around the Boston,
Massachusetts area. Bob was a very strong
proponent of Electric Vehicles and active
member of NEEAA.
continued page 10
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TRIBUTE
Bob Rice
In the late 90’s, Bob drove the chase car
for the Solectria’s dramatic Sunrise longdistance run from Boston to New York. The
trip was done on all battery power without
recharging the entire distance. And Bob felt
that the car had enough juice left to drive
around town a few miles afterward!
Bob started making many EV friends on a
national level EV community level about
this time, as well. He had attended several
annual pilgrimages to major electric vehicle
events on the west coast, Florida and DC
(Woodburn, Battery Beach Burnout, Power
of DC, Portland International Raceway,
etc) and knew many of the top people in
these groups on a first-name basis. He was
very active in NEDRA and was a runner
up for Vice President a few years ago. He
was constant presence on the EVDL and
NEDRA discussion lists and often offered
that innocent, common-sense voice that
makes the lists work.
Around this time Bob also converted a
white VW Rabbit to electric and commuted
to work with it for over seven years. In
2005, Bob retired from his “day job” as
engineer for Amtrak’s Aceala high-speed
train, making runs from New Haven to
Boston and New York — totally electric and
running at 25,000 volts! We couldn’t imagine
Bob driving anything else for work! About
the same time that he retired, the NEEAA
chapter presidency became open and Bob
took over as the new chapter president. The
chapter meetings were held more frequently
at Bob’s home in Killingworth, Connecticut,
and evolved and grew under his learn-bydoing leadership. There was always at least
one conversion in progress to see and discuss
at the monthly meetings in his home. And
every meeting included a cookout meal,
courtesy of Bob. He’s even been known to
bake and decorate a cake with the EAA logo
for some meetings!
Other conversions he had done or helped
on included a clean, factory-like VW Jetta
conversion for a daily driver to replace his
Rabbit, a Nissan Sentra (later sold to a fellow
EAA chapter member), Ford Ranger and
a Chevy S-10. Bob also mentored at least
eight other members in their conversions by
sharing his broad experience and offering
his garage of tools and equipment to build
battery boxes, solder new battery cables, etc.
old 78 records from the first half of the 20th
century that he collected over the years. He
would often play and record them to cassette
so he could listen as he drove his Jetta EV
around on errands. Other passions included
volunteer work at the Trolley Museum in
New Haven, Connecticut.
Bob was always active locally in spreading
the word about EVs. His car had pro EV
bumper stickers all over the rear bumper.
He would always take the time to answer
any questions inquiring bystanders ask (he
had even been followed a few times until
he stopped so they can ask about EVs).
He participated in weekly summer “Cruise
Nights” car show events in Clinton, CT with
his EV and proudly displayed signs in the car
window promoting EAA. He coordinated
EV participation in a local 2008 Madison,
CT Earth Day Parade and attended the June
2008 “Plug-In Electric Vehicles” conference
in Washington DC. He personally bought
several copies of “Who Killed the Electric
Car” when it first came out and distributed
them to libraries and individuals to learn
more about EVs.
Bob will be remembered for his strong
opinions, unique sense of humor, and
penchant for talking about his passions.
Bob is survived by his sons, his daughterin-law, Rebecca, and his grandchildren,
Leo and Lily Rice. His wake was held
Friday May 20th at Robinson, Wright and
Weymer Funeral home in Centerbrook,
Connecticut, with over 120 people from
AMTRAK, the Trolley Museum, NEEAA
and family and friends in attendance. Many
photo collages were on display throughout
the funeral home, each one highlighting
special moments in Bob’s life. One of the
memorable flower arrangements included a
“Bob Rice” hand painted front license plate
touting an Electric Vehicle.
The highlight of his Electric Vehicle “career”
came when the national level Electric Auto
Association honored him with the 2009
EAA Lifetime Achievement Award.
If we could look up to see what Bob’s up
to right now, we would probably learn that
he has already made his first EV Cloud
conversion and is now trying to install the
first of many heavenly recharging stations
for us.
Believe it or not, Bob had other passions
as well that he was very active in. Most
significantly, he enjoyed a wide range of
God’s speed, Bob!
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Chevrolet Volt Charging Into the Future
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The Chevrolet Volt was introduced
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Chevrolet Volt, officially licensed by
GM, takes you behind the scenes of
the car’s development from concept to
finished product. With unprecedented
access to the people that made the car
happen, author Larry Edsall brings
you behind the scenes with exclusive
photography from General Motors.
EAA Members:
Special Discount $21.95
+ tax where applicable
includes s/h for orders in the USA Only
Numbers are limited. Order your copy now.
http://electricauto.org
In-depth interviews of the designers,
engineers, aerodynamicist’s, and
other key figures reveal the hurdles
and setbacks, advances and victories
in the car’s evolution. No other book
offers the unrestricted access to the
development of one of the most
important cars from Detroit—ever!
volt mileage / charging
Volts go 1,000 miles
between fill-ups, says GM
By Peter Valdes-Dapena
The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt is averaging 1,000 miles on
each tankful of gas, according to General Motors. The Volt’s gas
tank holds 9.3 gallons, so that means drivers are averaging about 111
miles per gallon. As a result, Volt drivers are stopping to fill their
gas tanks only about once a month, GM (GM, Fortune 500) said.
GM collected the fuel economy and fill-up data through the vehicles’
OnStar system, spokesman Rob Peterson said. As of Friday, there
were about 2,000 Volts in customer hands, he said.
While there’s no reason to doubt GM’s claim — 1,000 miles a
tankful could be easily achievable if drivers recharge their cars’
batteries frequently — it doesn’t necessarily mean drivers are
really paying a lot less per mile to drive, said Jeremy Anwyl, chief
executive of the automotive website Edmunds.com.
“What’s not being stated is that Volt drivers who go 1,000 miles
between gasoline fill-ups are also charging their vehicles with
Volt drivers averaged about 1,000 miles per tank of gas in March.
But car shoppers need to remember that electricity’s not free either.
Photo Courtesy of General Motors.
electricity each night and incurring the cost of electricity,” he said.
The Volt can travel about 35 miles on a fully charged battery,
according to EPA estimates. If the battery becomes depleted, a
gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for continued
driving.
continued page 30
US reaches milestone of over 1800 electric vehicle charging points
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
has ploughed $400 million into the efforts
of electric vehicle infrastructure specialists
Coulomb Technologies and ECOtality,
carmaker General Motors and others.
although charging points have been installed
in all nine of the originally planned regions,
including Detroit, New York, Orlando,
Washington DC, Sacramento, San Francisco,
Los Angeles and Austin.
The milestone was marked by the installation
of Coulomb Technologies’ 500th ChargePoint
electric vehicle charging station last week in
Los Angeles. The installation was the latest
in the $37 million ChargePoint America
program, which is being backed with $15
million from the Department of Energy’s
Transportation Electrification Initiative
and $22 million from other public agencies
including the California Energy Commission
and private sources.
The program has now expanded into six
new cities: Baltimore, Tampa, Boston, Santa
Barbara, Ventura and Santa Cruz, the last
three of which are all in California.
The US has, to date, installed over 1800
electric vehicle charging points, announced
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently.
Ultimately, the program, which is being
backed by Chevrolet, Ford and smart USA
and supports electric vehicles from Nissan,
Tesla Motors, Coda and Smith, aims to
provide 4600 public and home charging
points this year.
By 2013, the ambitious Transportation
Electrification Initiative promises to have
installed over 22,000 residential, commercial
and public charging points and support the
deployment of over 13,000 electric vehicles.
President Barak Obama’s American
There is some way to go on that target,
Photo: Coulomb Technologies
“The expansion of the ChargePoint Network
into Los Angeles is significant as this is the
largest auto market in the world and yet Los
Angeles is the recognized leader in taking
action to keep clean air,” says Coulomb
Technologies’ Richard Lowenthal.
http://www.energyefficiencynews.
com/i/4097/
alternating currents / electric aircraft / Nedra
ALTERNATING CURRENTS
Alternating Currents Letters and Opinion Policy
Current EVents welcomes letters commenting on its coverage and on topics of interest to the Electric Vehicle community. Be sure to sign your letter
and please provide you address and daytime phone number so we can reach you in case of questions. Only your name, city and state will be published
unless you request otherwise.
We encourage letters to be a maximum of 100-150 words. Letters can be sent via email to [email protected].
Current EVents reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity and to correct factual errors know to us.
Current EVents strives to present a full spectrum of opinion on these pages. Alternating Currents letters, letters to the editor, commentary pieces and
cartoons reflect the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of the Current EVents or the Electric Auto Association.
Gentlemen:
As the owner of a new Nissan Leaf I’ve read
with interest the articles by Marc Geller
on the trials of public charging. I have a
suggestion that I hope is taken up by the
association.
Chevron and BP have advertised their
interest in and commitment to making the
planet a greener place to live with nothing to
show for it. A strong lobbying effort to have
all company owned gasoline stations install
at least one fast charge station would give a
public demonstration of their commitment.
There are advantages to the oil companies
if they installed charging stations. They
could impose a fee for a 30 minute charge
thereby replacing revenue for the gasoline
not sold to electric car drivers. The drivers
would probably spend money in the stations’
mini-mart while waiting for the battery
charging. With their extensive network
eGenius electric aircraft makes
successful maiden flight
of stations oil companies would be in the
forefront to fill the need for the coming
fleets of electric vehicles. They would
retain their competitive edge in refueling
all automobiles.
I would like to see the EAA make the effort
to see this happen.
Laurence Sykes (#1389)
NEDRA NEWS
\Shawn Lawless and his crew took the
Rocket electric drag bike to new heights
on recently at Virginia Motorsports Park in
Petersburg, VA with several low 7 second
runs.
rpm and can travel at cruising speeds of up
to 235 km/h (146 mph) with a range of up
to 400 km (248.5 miles).
A Zilla motor speed controller was once
again employed in traditional record setting
fashion with driver Larry “Spiderman”
McBride making several runs after some
laptop Zilla tweaking and launched to a 7.13
sec @ 187 MPH display on the board.
Read the rest of this article at:
http://www.gizmag.com/electricpowered-egenius-maiden-fligt/18759/
picture/135064/
With NEDRA going international, read what
our record breaking British EV racers are
up to and more exciting details on http://
nedra.com !
eGenius electric aircraft makes successful maiden flight. Photo: eGenius
An electric powered aircraft demonstrator
has taken to the air for the first time with
a 20-minute flight from Mindelheim,
Germany. Intended for entry in the NASA
funded CAFE 2011 Green Flight Challenge,
the eGenius concept’s single tail-mounted
propeller is driven by an electric motor
producing a maximum of 60 kW at 2,000
local eaa chapter funding
Looking for funding or support for your local EAA Chapter?
Through out the USA you will find Clean
Cities coalitions. They are free to join and
open your chapters to grants and support.
Clean Cities advances the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by
supporting local actions to reduce petroleum
consumption in transportation. Clean Cities
is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s
(DOE) flagship alternative-transportation
deployment initiative, sponsored by the
Vehicle Technologies Program. Clean Cit-
ies coalitions work to reduce petroleum use
in communities across the country. Led by
Clean Cities coordinators, coalitions are
composed of businesses, fuel providers,
vehicle fleets, state and local government
agencies, and community organizations.
These stakeholders come together to share
information and resources, educate the
public, help craft public policy, and collaborate on projects that reduce petroleum
use. To find more information please go to
this website http://www1.eere.energy.gov/
cleancities/index.html . From the website
you will find a map with locations. Click on
a location closest to you. As a Clean Cities
stakeholder in the NY chapter I would be
happy to help or answer any questions from
any of our EAA chapters to get you started.
Carl Vogel, EAA board Member. carl@
LIEAA.org
For the most current list of Clean Cities coordinators, visit www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/coordinators.php.
Benefits of Joining
•
Networking opportunities with fleets and industry partners
•
that have experience in alternative fuels and advanced
vehicles
•
Technical training, workshops, and webinars
•
Information resources on alternative fuels, advanced
vehicles, idle reduction, and other technologies that reduce
petroleum use
•
Individual consultation and technical assistance
•
Funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Energy
Information about funding sources from state and local
government agencies, non profits, and foundations
•
Assistance with funding applications
•
Public recognition for progress in reducing petroleum
consumption
•
Assistance with media outreach.
(Yes it is all free!)
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/index.html
air conditioning
Keeping Your Ride Cool
By George Stuckert, SJEAA
Photos courtesy of author
When I built my electric car two years ago, one of the main criteria
was that the car would have heating and air conditioning just like
a normal car. Given the inefficiency of an ICE, their virtually
unrestricted and quickly replenished energy supply and the copious
waste heat available — heating and cooling in an EV become a
challenge. I had looked at a lot of conversions prior to building my
car and found that most of them did not have A/C. On the Internet I
found that there were two basic ways of cooling an electric, maybe
three if you include putting a bucket of ice and a fan in the car.
One method was to use the existing A/C compressor and connect
it to an electric motor to run it. I did not like this idea because I felt
that would require too large of a DC motor to run the compressor
and it would draw too much current from the pack.
The second method (the one I chose) was to use an electric
compressor, similar to ones used in residential window air
conditioners. There is a company called ‘Electric Blue Motors’
http://electricbluemotors.com in Flagstaff, Arizona which seems to
have taken apart a window air conditioning unit and then sell you the
compressor, condenser and controller in a somewhat large package.
I decided not to go with this method because of space limitations.
After a lot more research on the Web, I found a company called
‘Masterflux’ which makes A/C compressors for airplanes, boats and
even electric cars. But Masterflux will not sell you a compressor so
you need to contact their distributor Revolt http://www.revoltevc.
com in Austin, Texas. They will handle the order with Masterflux.
On www.masterflux.com I searched for a compressor that would
fit my car. The model that I chose was an SIERRA 05-0982Y3
variable speed compressor. You will need a controller to power the
compressor. There are several controllers to choose from with input
voltages varying from 100v DC to 300v DC depending on your
pack voltage. They offer a range of compressors and controllers.
The reason I chose this unit was that the compressor is small, and
only uses about 8 amps to run and I would also be able to reuse my
existing condenser and evaporator on the car. My system voltage
is nominally 120V.
MOUNTING COMPONENTS
To install the unit the first thing you will need to do is to determine
where you will place the compressor and controller. I decided to
mount the compressor in the left front fender behind the bumper
and headlight. This way I could run shorter hoses to the condenser
and evaporator. See Figure 1.
You will also need to find a place to install the controller. I found
some room near the batteries under the hood. The image in figure 2
is DC-AC inverter, to drive the brushless motor in the compressor
housing.
Figure 1 above
Figure 2 below
After you locating homes for the compressor and controller, the
next important step is to thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) flush
out the condenser and evaporator. See Figure 3.
There are several A/C flushing products on the market, so check with
your local auto parts store. Follow the instructions on the can and
use compressed air to clean out the condenser and evaporator. You
will need to replace the accumulator since that is almost impossible
to flush out. This too, should be available at an auto parts store.
Before mounting the condenser in the car – mount the cooling fans.
Reusing the cooling fans that came with the car (see Figure 4) can
save money otherwise plan on buying some aftermarket cooling
fans. Once you have all the parts flushed out, the next task is to
properly mount them. The condenser and accumulator will mount
continued next page
air conditioning
Figure 3 above
Figure 4 below
Figure 5 above
Figure 6 below
in their original locations. You will need to find a place to mount
the compressor and controller.
HOSES AND POWER
The next task would be to have some hoses made. Most automotive
A/C shops can make custom hoses for you. The fittings on the
Masterflux compressor already have automotive type connections.
Power for the controller comes from the pack through a solid state
DC relay. I added a variable speed control, but this is not necessary.
Run and secure all the cables and hoses to the compressor and check
your connections. You are now ready to charge the compressor.
CHARGING THE COMPRESSOR
NOTE: If you have no experience with charging A/C compressor,
you may want to take the car to a shop and have it charged. I have
some experience with A/C so I charged the compressor myself. The
first thing that you will need to do is to add PVE (polyvinyl ether) oil
to the condenser, evaporator and accumulator. Since the Masterflux
hermetic compressor housing contains both a high efficiency scroll
compressor and the motor that drives it, and the motor is immersed in
that refrigerant, the refrigerant and lubricant must be non-conductive.
Be sure to consult your shop manual or with an A/C shop to find
out how much oil you will need to add to the system.
Next, connect the manifold to the A/C charging ports and connect
a vacuum pump to the manifold. Run the vacuum pump for at least
4-6 hours to get all the moisture out of the system. See Figure 5.
Charge the system with R134A refrigerant. You should be able to get
this refrigerant from any auto parts store. Freon (R-12) is an ozone
hole maker and is not readily available anymore. Depending on how
big your system is, you may need between 4 and 8 cans of it. See
Figure 6. Connect the refrigerant cans to the manifold and turn on
rav4 ev test drive
A RAV4 EV with the Heart of a Tesla
By Linda Nicholes, PlugInAmerica
Seems as though Toyota is not fully
committed to producing the 2012 RAV4
EV. Great car, but they plan a limited
production of only 2,600. Also they don’t
know if they will even sell it. Maybe only
lease
I recently had the privilege of driving what I
secretly fantasized might be the clandestine
automotive love child of an illicit tryst that
could have occurred in the midnight hours
between my 2001 RAV4 EV and 2008 Tesla
Roadster whilst parked next to each other in
the garage. Bill Bergen, Toyota’s National
Manager of Training and Technology,
had kindly dropped by our Huntington
Harbor Home in a gleaming, pearl white
demonstration prototype Toyota / Tesla
RAV4 EV; one of 32 currently being put
through paces in a wide range of climates
and conditions under real-world driving
circumstances in anticipation of a planned
summer 2012 production.
After I inspected the new-generation RAV
from the sleek under belly pan to the
stylish headlamps, Bill calmly explained
the stratospheric value of the electrified
prototype RAV I was just about to pilot.
Vowing to drive
with elaborate care,
I slid cautiously
behind the wheel,
stepped on the
brake and pushed
the roadster-like
Drive Button on the
center console. It
was cool to realize
that, unlike my
gracefully-aging
2001 RAV4 EV, this
re-engineered RAV
h a s Te s l a D N A
coursing through
the power train, the
motor, inverter and in the 660-pound battery
pack mounted under the floor. Future
2012 RAV4 EVs will share —though not
precisely — the Tesla roadster’s lithium
battery chemistry and regenerative braking
as well as other Tesla touches. Toyota,
with its long-standing RAV4 EV history, is
clearly hard at work with Tesla Motors to
create a revolutionary RAV4 EV with its
mostly standard RAV4 2012 body — a body
that is longer and sleeker in style than the
chubby, cheeky RAV4 EVs we long-time
RAV4 EV drivers are used to.
Under the Hood
But back to the test drive: I stepped on the
accelerator and off we headed to Pacific
Coast Highway. I could discern the distinct,
Tesla-like whir-purr I’ve come to love with
none of the annoying roadster road noise
I’ve come to resent. At the first stop sign I
experienced familiar Tesla-like regenerative
braking. Perhaps it’s only because I’ve
grown accustomed to the touch, but I totally
dig my roadster’s level of regenerative
braking. And in that respect, this RAV4
EV prototype couldn’t have been better
designed for me than if it were custom
created for me. I found that with just the
right foot lift from the accelerator, I could
pretty precisely time stops without much
continued next page
Rav4 EV test drive / air conditioning
Keep it cool
the A/C. Set the panel settings to Max fan
and Max cooling (re-circulate). Follow the
directions that come with your manifold on
how to charge the system. Continue to add
refrigerant until the temperature coming out
of the vents is 45 F or less. Disconnect the
manifold from the A/C charging ports. You
are now done charging the system.
brake action. Other drivers less familiar with
the roadster’s more aggressive regenerative
braking compared to their legacy RAVs’
lighter regenerative braking might disagree
with me on that, however.
As we headed down Edinger Avenue’s
sparsely-traveled straight-away, I became
focused on this RAV’s torque and off-theline performance. I guesstimated zero to
60 at about nine seconds. And that, as it
turned out, was right on the money. This
SUV doesn’t pretend to be a flashy, fast
electric sports car, but it would effortlessly
leave my dear old 2001 RAV4 EV in its
electrified wake.
I don’t know how many cells make up the
RAV’s battery pack, but as with my Tesla
Roadster, there are thousands of them to
provide the wherewithal to potentially
power a 3,932 pound SUV up to 100 miles
an hour while in much more moderate
driving, sending that same car over a range
of 100 miles. Bill explained that small,
liquid-cooled format cells with 37 kWhs
of usable energy make up a long, relatively
narrow battery pack which rests under the
floor — much more similar to Tesla’s Model
S battery format than to the roadster’s.
I steered this rare RAV down Pacific Coast
Highway, over to 2nd Street and then
zoomed onto the 22 Freeway where the
car performed well at higher speeds and in
traffic. Here’s my main concern, though:
The car is designed to take an inconvenient
12 hours to charge at 240 VAC and a
stultifying 28 hours to charge at 120 VAC.
(Toyota must, therefore, be limiting the
charge rate on 240 VAC to 16 amps.) Since
the 2012 RAV’s usable energy is 37 kWhs, if
32 amp charging were allowed at 240 VAC,
a full charge should take a mere five hours.
So why would I choose to wrestle with the
inconvenience of wrestling around with 12
hours for a Level 2 charge in a supposedly
new and upgraded car? What this means is
that a 2012 RAV is going to take nearly seven
hours more to charge than my 2001 RAV.
Really? Even more compelling: my Tesla
roadster (the other half of this production
equation) takes a mere 3 1/2 hours to charge
at 70 amps.
You’ve proven before that it can be done,
Toyota. Plus you are co-partnering with this
amazing start-up, Tesla Motors, to design
an innovative new product. But you do
need to get amped up about this charging
business. If you can reduce that charge time
to a reasonable rate, then gimme the keys,
and I’ll fork over the dough. Because in
other respects that new RAV4 EV of yours
is a winner.
Photos courtesy of Linda Nicholes
http://www.pluginamerica.org/driversseat/rav4-ev-heart-tesla
PERFORMANCE:
On my car, I added a potentiometer, to allow
me to vary the speed of the compressor.
There is a control pin on the controller
for this purpose. See Figure 7. With the
potentiometer set to High and the A/C set
to Max, the output temperature at the vents
is about 45 to 50 degrees F. When I set the
potentiometer to half way, with the A/C
still set to Max, the temperature is 55 to 60
degrees F. Cold enough for most hot days
and in some cases I have to lower the fan
because it just gets too cold in the car.
With the A/C set to Max the current draw
is about 17 amps @ 120V DC, (~2kW).
When you set the potentiometer to half
way, “just comfortable” setting, the draw
on the pack is about 8 amps @ 120V DC.
The compressor does not cycle on and off
like in a gas car. The car came with safety
pressure switches on the accumulator to
protect the compressor. If the refrigerant
leaks out of the system, the pressure will
drop and the switch will open not allowing
the compressor to turn on. If the pressure
gets too high, the pressure switch will open
— shutting off the compressor. When I use
the A/C my compressor is on only when the
key is turned on.
I have not noticed much of a reduction in
mileage when I use the A/C. The lead acid
batteries get nice and warm during the
summer and I still get my 40 to 45 miles
range while using the A/C. Running the
heater, on the other hand, is another story.
George can be reached by email:
[email protected]
adapters and j-plugs
EAA AVCON Adapters and the New J-Plug
By Ron Freund, SJEAA
This technical note is to provide guidance
to owners of the EAA AVCON adapter to
be able to now plug in their new J-1772™
equipped cars at the legacy AVCON EV
Supply Equipment (EVSE) both in public
(or in private garages) and to provide owners
of converted EVs similar access to the newly
installed public infrastructure springing up
throughout our nation.
BACKGROUND
Starting during the late 1990’s the Ford
RangerEV, the Honda EV+, Th!nk, and
later the Solectria Force limited production
EVs implemented a conductive charging
approach to allow recharging from AC
mains. A short time later, the SAE J-17722001 standard was adopted and later still in
California, the Air Resources Board (CARB)
adopted this approach for all new public
charging installations placed into service
after January 1, 2007.
Around that time, this standard underwent
revision and was updated in a multi-year
effort. Primarily the physical interconnect
was changed. Meanwhile the supplier of
the AVCON charging interface had virtually
ceased operations. Their inlet (which
allowed converted EVs to fully utilize the
public infrastructure) underwent multiple
price increases, each in excess of 40%.
This organization provided adapters with
the necessary circuitry to allow one-up
prototypes (and Tesla’s) to similarly access
public 208/240V AC sources.
Now that a new physical interface has been
defined, the EAA AVCON adapters are not
entirely useless. We have a new, smaller
connector. Where pre-2010 (existing) public
and private EVSE remains, only minimal
modifications to this adapter are required
to be able to power the chargers in Nissan
LEAF, the GM Volt, and others still to be
released.
USING the EAA AVCON
ADAPTER
The two suppliers of AVCON-based EVSE
were EVI Inc, in Auburn, CA and AVCON,
in Milwaukee, WI. EVI primarily deployed
models ICS-200A (steel case), ICS-200B
(synthetic case) both of which had an audio
annunciator, the DS-50, and the DCS-55 (a
dual unit). The AVCON unit was called the
“AVCON PowerPak”. They both supplied
208/240 volts but did not convey a neutral
line to the load. (This meant that no 120
VAC was available, unless a step-down
transformer was on-board the conversion.
Such transformers were heavy and not many
followed that route to powering their ride.)
Both AVCON EVSE also supplied a pilot
signal which allows their designs to pass UL
safety requirements. This signal was placed
on a blue #22 AWG wire coming out of entry
level inlets. (Premium inlets from the vendor
had everything integrated.) Of course, a
safety ground was similarly passed thru the
interface to the car chassis. Four wires are
passed through from the pedestal or wall
mounted EVSE to the car: 2 hot wires, a
ground and a pilot signal.
A more expensive version of the J-Plug
contains a micro-switch that opens when
the mechanical latch is depressed, thereby
adding an additional 330 ohms to the 150
ohms. This change in resistance signals the
on-board charger to shut down, so that high
current level do not flow as the AC line
contacts slide apart (all to prevent arcing).
Entry level J-Plugs seem not to contain the
switch or the resistor.
To make it work for conversions, when
the AVCON connector is inserted into
the inlet, a properly constructed EV then
connects to the pilot wire. The +12 volt
DC level sources current thru a diode and
resistor. When that connection is sensed the
EVSE energizes a 1 kilohertz square wave
generator whose signal swings normally
would be +12 to -12 volts, but due to the
diode-resistor combination, a net average
DC level is created, signaling the contactor
to energize. Then EV charging commences.
Step 1: Before a LEAF or Volt can be
powered, the adapter box internal dioderesistor needs to be disconnected from
the blue pilot line coming from the inlet.
(Leaving the diode resistor disconnected
does no harm, as it is grounded.) The blue
wire from the inlet should now be extended
and routed to the (unused) ‘neutral’ pin on
the 14-50. This allows the production EV
circuitry (located in the car) to perform
what the adapter box used to do. The EVSE
supplied pilot signal goes straight through
the adapter box, undisturbed.
2010 CHANGES: 5 not 4!
Today the new standard uses five wires
between the EVSE and the vehicle: all of
the above, plus a proximity line. Without
this additional connection, we can supply
both AC and a pilot signal, but LEAF and
Volt cars simply won’t respond. That fifth
wire inside of the J-Plug needs to have a
simple addition which is best placed at
the EVSE end in the connector for our
purposes. This addition is a 150 ohm resistor.
¼ or ½ watt, 10% tolerance, available
from any decent electronics part source.
SUPPLYING POWER
If a J-plug and cable is purchased, adding a
NEMA 14-50 plug to the opposite end of the
cable will allow the EAA AVCON adapter
to be used. If a J-plug inlet (receptacle)
is purchased and mounted on the EV, so
you can use public charge spots — but
remember that the applied voltage level
may be incompatible with your charger.
Check it first! The EAA will not bear the
responsibility for such errors made by its
members!
PRODUCTION EVs:
Step 2: In that 14-50 plug (inserted into
the AVCON adapter surface mounted
receptacle), the 150 ohm resistor needs to
be tacked on to the ground line, covered in
heat-shrink tubing and connected to the new
proximity line which goes directly to the EV.
The car needs to sense 150 ohms before it
commences charging. See Figure on p. 21.
CONVERSION EVs:
Step 1: Before a conversion can be
continued next page
adapters and j-plugs
powered using public infrastructure J-plugs,
purchase and mount a compatible inlet (or
receptacle). Install the 820 ohm resistor
and 1N4001 diode series combination
in the EV, connecting it so that the pilot
line connects to the resistor and the diode
cathode (banded end) connects to chassis
ground. (Remember, your charger should
have universal input voltage capability to
accommodate any applied mains voltage, not
just one fixed input voltage, such as 1990’s
vintage Zivan’s etc.)
Step 2: When disconnecting, disable the
on-board charger (whatever it is) before
removing the J-plug from your receptacle.
The arcing inhibitor circuitry doesn’t exist
in your ride, and the expensive contacts
will erode and wear out prematurely. In the
diagram below, the heavy lines represent
changes that need to be made to power
a LEAF or volt from the EAA AVCON
adapter.
J-Plug PIN IDENTIFICATION
If you look “down the barrel” of the J1772
plug, note the five conductor sockets: two
large sockets at the top (at 11 and 1 o’clock)
are for power, while the large one at the
bottom (at 6 o’clock) is for ground.
The small socket on the bottom-right (at 4
o’clock) is the pilot (communications) signal
line, which corresponds to the blue wire on
the opposite end of the cable. Sometimes
it is labeled CP. This wire should *not* be
shorted to ground.
The other small socket on the bottom-left
(at 8 o’clock) is the proximity line. On a
top-of-the-line Yazaki cable, there is no
corresponding proximity conductor on the
far end of the cable to connect to the EVSE;
it is built into the plug.
Using an Ohm-meter, one should be able to
see a 150-Ohm measurement between the
ground socket (bottom) and the proximity
socket (lower-left). Pressing down the latch
(opening an internal switch), one would now
measure 480 Ohms between the two. The
vehicle senses this as the operator presses
the latch to remove the plug. This disables
their charger, readying it for removal. The
measurement between these two sockets
should not be a dead short.
Once again, inexpensive imported plugs
simply omit the resistors and the switch
POWERING LEAF / VOLT USING AC LEVEL 2 CONDUCTIVE COUPLER
EAA AVCON ADAPTER
Contact Interface Functions
SUPPLY EQUIPMENT PLUG
EVSE
(Using
Residential or
Commercial
AC Mains as
input)
Pin 1
Supplies AC
Power
& Pilot signal
Pin 4
INTERFACE CONNECTOR
VEHICLE INLET
Pin 1
AC power (L1)
Pin 2
Pin 2
AC power (L2, N)
Pin 3
Pin 3
Equipment Gnd
ON-BOARD CHARGER
using 120/208/240 Volt
(Automatically
accommodates applied
voltage).
Pin 4
Control Pilot (CP)
Chassis Gnd
Proximity Detection (CC)
Pin 5
STEP 1: Pilot passes straight
thru on neutral pin of NEMA
14-50 inlet (w/o components
under heat shrink insulation).
Control Circuit
150 ohm
Step 2: Add 150 ohm resistor to ground
from Pin 5 of J-plug in 14-50 shell, covered
w/ heat shrink insulation.
ev cup
EV Cup – world’s first
EV racing series moves to U.S.
and the latest THINK
prepared motor and
battery technologies.
By Darren Quick
Billed as world’s first race series exclusively
for zero-emission electric cars, the EV Cup
was originally scheduled to kick off its
inaugural season in the U.K. at Silverstone
on August 6, 2011. It has now been delayed
and will start out in the U.S. with two race
events in California at Laguna Seca in
November and Auto Club Speedway in
December, ahead of a full series launch
in 2012. EV Cup organizers say they
wanted to ensure that everything was ready
before the series kicks off and cited safety
requirements, car delivery schedules and
the need for testing time as the reasons for
the switch.
“The interest in the EV Cup has been
fantastic, especially in the U.S. which is why
we wanted to keep our two race events there
this year,” said Sylvain Filippi, managing
director of the EV Cup. “We plan to begin
the full series early in 2012 and will expect
to start with races in the U.S. again before
coming back to Europe for races here.”
The EV Cup is a seven-race motorsport
series that will include two principle classes
of zero emission electric cars — the City
EV class and the Sports EV class. The
City EV class is limited to city focused,
production vehicles and will feature THINK
City vehicles that have been modified to
race specification with weight reductions
Meanwhile, the
Sports EV class is
designed for drivers
experienced in
open cockpit race
competitions and
will feature the
iRACER, a bespoke
race car developed by
Westfield Sportscars
that is designed for
sprint racing with a peak power of 260
bhp and 660 Nm of maximum torque.
To create a lightweight, aerodynamically
efficient and low cost body, the iRACER
is constructed from a range of materials,
including composites, aluminum, recyclable
plastics and even a stretched lycra skin over
an aluminum framework.
The iRACER can reach 96 km/h (60 mph)
in under five seconds and boasts a top speed
of 185 km/h (115 mph). The iRACER is also
equipped with a boost button that allows for
a surge of power when executing overtaking
maneuvers.
The EV Cup will also include a third
Prototype EV class that, instead of races,
will follow a time-trial format that will
see entrants battling it out to set the
most competitive lap-times on street and
race courses. Designed as a showcase
for the latest non-production electric
vehicles, the Prototype EV class has few
design limitations and no weight or power
restrictions.
In September last year, the EV Cup team
organized the first eco car parade on The
Mall in London in an attempt to generate
interest in electric vehicles and highlight
them as the future of motoring. It hopes
the EV Cup will help
change the image of
EVs as local runabouts
to high performance,
highly desirable cars.
“We are creating an
opportunity for the
EV manufacturers to
promote their vehicles
in a new and exciting
way. We want to show
that green motor sport
is a reality — and an
exciting one at that,”
said Filippi.
While Westfield admits the use of fabrics has
limited scope for road use, it sees advantages
for such an approach for racing, with the
bodywork able to be changed in minutes by
simply stretching a new fabric body over the
framework. In addition to allowing for rapid
repairs, it also allows for the color of the
car and sponsor logos to be easily changed.
http://www.gizmag.com/ev-cup-launchusa/18727/
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section
107, this material is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research
and educational purposes.
georgia power
Georgia Power Paves the Way for EVs
By this fall, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs)
will begin making their way into Georgia
and onto car dealer showrooms.
As a leader in the electric transportation
industry since the early 1990s, Georgia
Power can help consumers decide if an
electric vehicle is right for them by giving
them the tools they need to make an
informed decision.
Before arriving home with an electric
vehicle, customers will need to decide how
often and quickly they will need to charge
their vehicles and the electricity rate plan
that best suits their lifestyle. The next step
will be to equip their home with the type of
charger they want.
Georgia Power’s new electric transportation
website will help customers navigate
through the process. The site offers detailed
AVCON to J-plug
underneath the latch. So conversions
have an extra step to perform; wiring
the 150 ohm resistor from the proximity
socket to ground allows the EAA
AVCON adapter to play along and power
production EVs from major manufacturers.
This new revision of the standard allows
the current level delivered to the EV to be
controlled by varying the duty cycle of the
square wave. The default setting (50%)
provides for a maximum of 32 A to be drawn,
but of course, that is load dependent. More
details on that can be found in the SAE
Standard specification.
It is important to remember that non-power
factor corrected chargers on conversions
may not function properly. An EVI AVCON
EVSE requires near unity power factor
(pf=0.99). There are crude workarounds,
available, however. If you encounter
difficulties in performing this modification,
feel free to contact me, as I built the AVCON
adapters for EAA customers. -RF
information about the different types of
plug-in electric vehicles entering the market,
how to get ready at home, and the location
of public charging stations around the state
and country. Customers will also learn
about Georgia Power’s three residential rate
options, including a new PEV rate, and the
impact charging is likely to have on their
electricity bill.
would add an additional 4,000 kWh annually
to a customer’s bill. As Georgia consumers
begin purchasing PEVs, Georgia Power
will also be testing the new technology.
The company is expected to receive its first
Chevy Volt plug-in electric vehicle in June.
Georgia Power will test the demo vehicle
under a variety of conditions in order
to evaluate its performance and better
understand the impact PEVs will have on
the electricity grid and the company’s peak
generation. The company has also integrated
a plug-in hybrid bucket truck into its fleet
in Columbus and is collaborating with
Alabama Power on an additional plug-in
hybrid bucket truck for integration into its
fleet operations.
“Georgia Power is committed to being
an industry leader and expert resource
for customers as they purchase their first
electric vehicles,” said Chris Bell, Georgia
Power’s vice president of energy planning
and sales. “With more than 20 years of
experience researching, developing and
marketing electric vehicles, our goal is to
educate customers about this developing
new industry and help get them up to speed Georgia college students will also have an
on everything they need to incorporate an opportunity to weigh in on the future of
electric vehicle into their household.”
electric vehicles. Through a partnership
with Emory University’s Goizueta Business
Georgia Power offers a whole-home PEV rate School, Georgia Power is sponsoring
plan for residential customers who are willing a competition in which students are
to shift their energy usage and charge their challenged to provide the best strategy for
electric vehicles between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Atlanta to build the demand for 50,000
Customers who choose this plan and charge electric vehicles in the next two years.
a vehicle overnight can save approximately Learn more at the competition website.
13 percent annually compared to Georgia
Power’s standard residential rate.
Visit Georgia Power’s new EV website to
learn how to save money on your electric
The typical residential customer uses 12,000 bill and sign up for the new PEV rate.
kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually. Based on
12,000 miles of driving, an electric vehicle www.georgiapower.com
Georgia Power offers help to customers on electric vehicles
Georgia Power is offering help for consumers
to decide if an electric vehicle is right for
them, by giving them the tools they need to
make an informed decision. Before arriving
home with an electric vehicle, customers
will need to decide how often and quickly
they will need to charge their vehicles and
the electricity rate plan that best suits their
lifestyle. The next step will be to equip their
home with the type of charger they want.
Georgia Power’s new electric transportation
website will help customers navigate
through the process. The site offers detailed
information about the different types of
plug-in electric vehicles entering the market,
how to get ready at home, and the location
of public charging stations around the state
and country. Customers will also learn
about Georgia Power’s three residential rate
options, including a new PEV rate, and the
impact charging is likely to have on their
electricity bill.
Read more about this:
http://www.brighterenergy.org/23519/news/
transport/georgia-power-offers-help-tocustomers-on-electric-vehicles/
diy conversion
Lessons Learned from a Simple
DIY Conversion
By Jon Ando, SJEAA (Photos by Author)
Let me start with a brief personal background before I give a
rough timeline of some of the highlights (and lowlights) of my
conversion project.
In 2006, I learned about the limitations of world oil production.
This was only a few years after I purchased my last new car, a 2002
Mitsubishi sedan (with a V6 engine!). The writing on the wall was
clear to me: Oil and gasoline prices were high and would continue
to climb. I would try to make my Mitsubishi my last gasoline
powered car.
The Mitsu was still a perfectly good car and our only gas car at the
time. There’s really no sense in converting a perfectly good gas
car. Also, the Mitsu would have been a little heavy for a 72 volt
conversion anyway.
Motor mount, coupling and adapter plate mated and ready for service
Funny thing about my electric car conversion is that I actually had
initially resisted the very idea of an electric car because I knew
continued next page
(Below) Completed for testing, but not yet finished: an under hood
image: how many things can be faulted here as “the wrong way to do a
conversion” ? Answer at end of article.
diy conversion
What’s wrong with this picture? (Hint: never underestimate torque forces,
and council with someone who has been down this road before)
Zorched controller after internal short circuit…
Motor mounting spacer
Feb, 2009 – Removed the gas tank and exhaust system
Not as easy of a task as you might think. There were many
bolts and it was impossible to siphon out ALL the gas.
Conversion Timeline
May, 2008 – Purchased the donor car
The choice of donor vehicle to convert is an important one:
something light with manual everything; something with
good brakes; something you can still get parts for. If it’s in
good shape and fairly inexpensive, that’s good too. After
a few weeks browsing on craigslist, I found my candidate
in a 1992 Toyota Tercel. It ran, but one cylinder was shot.
That was fine with me since I wouldn’t need the gas motor
and the body was in great shape for its age. The guy that
sold me the car was a little remorseful about the deal. He
said that if he knew how to fix it, he would. I told him I
would try to “fix it” myself. I didn’t tell him I was going
to convert it into an electric car. I drove it home for $650.
March, 2009 – Removed the motor
The number of wires and hoses connections associated with
a modern motor is unbelievable! There were so many in
fact that I just started cutting them indiscriminately. That
was a big mistake. A number of weeks after the conversion
I discovered that I had cut the wires that operate the back
up lights. Oops! I was able to repair the wiring but... it
would have been better if I didn’t cut them to begin with.
3 pieces: motor – trannie coupling (spacer and adapter plate in
background)
electric vehicle technology was better suited for lighter vehicles such
as my various electric bicycles. (See my business website for more
info on electric bike www.JDOBikes.com.) But after a particularly
miserable ride in the rain on my electric bicycle, I decided that an
electric car wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
April, 2009 – Purchased machined parts and lithium batteries
I ordered the hub, spacer and adaptor plate from a machine
shop that made these parts for another person converting
the exact same car. These are the critical parts that mate
the electric motor to the stock transmission. During this
month, I also ordered 24 pieces of 100 Amp Hr Thundersky
cells for a system voltage of 72 volts. More on lithium
batteries later.
charging or infrastructure
Which comes first, EVs or charging
infrastructure?
By Jessica Harrison
We’ve heard a lot of news about plugin electric vehicles (EVs) from the auto
manufacturing industry. Now, we’re starting
to hear about EV charging infrastructure
initiatives. A question often heard is why
build public charging infrastructure if most
charging will happen at home—consumer
range anxiety meets industry investment
anxiety. So, what do current activities around
EVs and charging infrastructure tell us about
the future?
A few years ago, a number of announcements
by auto manufacturers described plans to
launch new plug-in EV models within the
next few years. Those promises are coming
true, with several models on the road today
and many more planned. We’ve also heard,
though with less of a splash, from some of
the EV charging infrastructure developers.
Federal, state, and local projects and funding
to invest in EV infrastructure have helped
grab attention.
We’ve seen several EV infrastructure
initiatives take off. For example, ECOtality
began deploying EV chargers across the U.S.
as part of an EV Project funded in part by
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stimulus
grants. The project aims to install 14,000
chargers in 18 cities and metropolitan areas
in six states and the District of Columbia.
DOE committed $114.8 million toward the
total project funds of $230 million. Coulomb
Technologies has also been deploying EV
chargers across the United States, as part
of a ChargePoint America program, which
is supported by federal grants. It plans to
deploy almost 5,000 by October 2011. GE is
in the game with a national EV Experience
tour planned, similar to some of the launches
by EV auto manufacturers. Many more
charging station developers are out there,
and many more are seeing their markets
grow. By some estimates, the United States
will have over one million charging points
available in 2015.
Additional government support via grants
and other incentives is likely to grow. In April,
the U.S. Secretary of Energy announced that
$5 million in new funding would be granted
to communities through the DOE’s Clean
Cities program to assist deployment of EV
charging stations and infrastructure. In the
U.S. House, Republican and Democratic
lawmakers proposed the Electric Drive
Vehicle Deployment Act. It promotes EV
deployment through grants to communities
for the development, installation, and
deployment of EV infrastructure, including
public charging stations. It also extends
federal tax credits for the purchase and
installation of EV charging equipment to
individuals and businesses.
Such infrastructure-focused incentives are
geared towards helping resolve the chickenand-egg problem between charging stations
and electric vehicles. EV installers want
to be sure they have an EV market before
investing, and EV owners want to make sure
chargers will be available before buying.
The push to deploy charging infrastructure
could send a signal to drivers that charging
stations will be there when they’re needed.
While most experts expect the majority of
charging to take place at home or work,
the availability of charging stations could
ease the fear of getting stuck with an empty
battery.
It’s caught on in the private sector
Retail market areas such as Cracker Barrel,
Macy’s, Whole Foods Market, and momand-pop stores have also joined the fray.
Charging stations will likely be available
at retail spots in addition to public places
and government offices. The retail-based
charging station model hopes to attract
business by having a charging spot available
for customers—to create an inviting space
for drivers to stick around and shop while
charging.
Google is involved in EV charging as well. It
is working on prototype software to facilitate
smart charging and is trialing a cordless
EV charging station at its headquarters in
California. Recently, Google announced
a partnership with DOE and other public-
and private-sector organizations to enhance
public information about charging station
locations. The partnership will improve on
an existing directory to locate alternative
fueling stations, managed by the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory and funded
by DOE’s Clean Cities initiative, which
offers the public geographic information
about all makes of chargers.
What does this mean for electric utilities?
For one, it is further proof that EVs really
are on their way. It’s no longer just talk—the
cars and charging infrastructure are here.
This also means utilities will want to be
involved sooner rather than later, even if the
total number of EVs is not large. Utilities
need an EV readiness plan to assist those
that will be using the charging stations, and
if they’re considering getting into charging
station ownership, they need to make
decisions now.
The location of charging stations is
also important. From a transportation
perspective—a good distribution of charging
stations would match public needs based on
transportation patterns. However, certain
locations are difficult to meter or upgrade,
such as condos or apartments.
From the utility perspective—the focus
needs to be on where the additional load
be taken and how will it impact the system.
EV numbers do not have to be large before
they impact the distribution system. Clusters
of charging stations can result in localized
strain points. Utilities need to account
for these new load types, evaluate system
impacts, and account for the fact that installs
will need to be placed to best meet the needs
of drivers.
http://www.kemautilityfuture.com/whichcomes-first-evs-or-charging-infrastructure
mercedes ev
AMP delivers first all-electric Mercedes-Benz ML 350 to
Northern Lights Energy
Iceland, the agreement anticipates expansion
throughout the Nordic region to include
Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and
the Faroe Islands.
“This is an extremely important EV order
for our entire AMP team and we are focused
on all necessary steps to execute NLE’s
requirements” continued Taylor.
This is taken from the AMP Holding Press
Release.
Photo: Mercedes
AMP Holding Inc. (OTCBB: AMPD), a
company engaged in the emission-free
electrification of OEM vehicles through
its wholly owned subsidiary, AMP Electric
Vehicles, Inc., at a press conference at their
Cincinnati, OH facility, presented the first
AMP electrified Mercedes Benz ML to Gisli
Gislason, Chairman and CEO of Northern
Lights Energy (NLE) of Iceland.
This is the initial delivery committed in
AMP’s long term supply agreement with
the Icelandic company signed on April, 14,
2011. We expect to begin volume deliveries
in the September 2011 time frame.
The AMP/NLE agreement, when fully
implemented, would result in potential
revenue to AMP of one-hundred million
($100M) and we believe positions AMP to
be a leading supplier of electric sport utility
vehicles (SUVs).
“The demand for SUVs is very high in
Iceland at approximately 35% of new
vehicle sales,” said James Taylor, CEO
AMP. “Our AMP Electric Mercedes ML
SUV fits NLE and Iceland’s needs perfectly.
The vehicle comfortably fits five people,
and offers the efficient performance of 100
miles per charge. We are very pleased to
have presented the first vehicle, and look
forward to supplying the rest of this 1,000
vehicle agreement.” The order represents a
major milestone in AMP’s business plan to
capture a portion of the SUV market in both
the United States and key overseas markets
like Iceland.
“We were very excited to receive and drive
the AMP Mercedes ML EV today,” said Gisli
Gislason, Chairman and CEO of Northern
Lights Energy. “The vehicle drove extremely
well, and I feel will fit perfectly in our Iceland
program. We have fifty Icelandic companies
and government offices, including the
Ministry of the Environment, signed up to
host electric vehicle charging and to convert
their fleets to 100% electric vehicles and
their expectations are high. In my opinion,
this AMP EV will meet and exceed all
expectations.”
Iceland is very suitable venue for electric
vehicles in that most of the country’s
electricity is derived from a combination
of hydro power and abundant geothermal
resources, making the electric supply
extremely economical versus expensive
imported gasoline.
While the initial sales territory is specific for
By Sebastian Blanco
The vision of an Iceland filled with electric
vehicles got a bit more real in, of al places,
Ohio. At a press conference at Amp’s
facility in Cincinnati, the EV conversion
company delivered the first of potentially
1,000 all-electric SUVs to Gisli Gislason,
chairman and CEO of Northern Lights
Energy. The vehicle in question is Amp’s
latest conversion, a Mercedes-Benz ML 350.
The 1,000-vehicle order – potentially worth
$100 million U.S. – has been in devlopment
since last November, when NLE and AMP
signed a letter of intent for the SUVs (the
companies signed a “definitive agreement”
last month). Today, Gislason was all smiles
and thumbs up as local politicians and Amp
employees milled around the showroom
with the Amp Mercedes-Benz ML EV (one
of only two Amp has converted thus far).
Amp said that “volume deliveries” should
start this September. NLE plans to begin
selling converted SUVs models, including
Amp’s Chevrolet Equinox EVs, in Iceland
and other Nordic countries. We’ll have more
from Cincinnati soon and, until then, you
can find more details in Amp’s press release
after the jump.
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/11/ampdelivers-first-all-electric-mercedes-benzml-350-to-nle/
the car that could – part iV
Before the EV-1: Came the Impact
The Car That Could authored by Michael Shnayerson – Part IV Review
By Oliver Perry, EEVC
Review
find ways to make the car more desirable in
the marketplace and less expensive to build.
Ken Baker was the chief engineer from GM
placed in charge of moving the prototype
Impact electric car from it’s initial concept
stage, one of a kind vehicle, to a proof of
concept car ready for the assembly line as
the first mass produced electric vehicle in the
world. As previously mentioned Baker was
hoping to convince the GM directors that
a mass-produced electric car was feasible
even while GM was losing money and closing down manufacturing facilities. On the
one hand the California mandate for cleaner
emissions favored Baker’s effort but the
US economy and climate within GM was
against him. Baker resorted to a “fast built”
assembly line prototype Impact in an effort
to convince his superiors of the viability of
a profitable EV before they had a chance to
cut a losing program.
The best he could do Baker figured was to
reduce his hoped for production figure of
20,000 cars per year down to 10,000 cars.
It was true that the more cars produced the
cheaper one could make the production
tools, but overproducing cars that did not
sell could easily offset these gains. Baker’s
projected selling price would be 35,000
dollars per car, half to cover cost of parts
and half to cover R&D costs. Getting to
profitability would mean using the Impact
as a two seated sports lead car. A profitable
larger four-seated EV would have to be offered after the EV market was established.
But larger cars would require larger batteries
if its range was to match that of the Impact.
But Baker saw no immediate way to make
a larger car profitable at the same price as
the Impact.
On May 12, 1992 Baker’s team unveiled a
fantastic vehicle. However Baker asked for
thirty more days in order to tweak the Impact
with further improvements. Since all of the
easy improvements had been accomplished
to the point where most felt the project was
ready to be advanced, Baker’s tweaking
would prove to be difficult and stressful to
say the least. The story continues…
John Dabels, the marketing manager of the
project was quoted as saying that the Impact
program was committed to losing a billion
dollars with a car that nobody would want
to pay such a high price for.
Hollow Victory
Quote from the chapter titled Hollow Victory: “In the thirty-day win period, tensions
sharpened and tempers snapped. The glow
of camaraderie had given way in many cases
to resentment and confusion. It wasn’t unusual for one’s immediate supervisor to look
over one’s shoulder and say, do a fender this
way, only to have that superior ‘s superior an
hour later come by and say, do it that way.”
Aside from the tensions on the work floor
Baker’s main concern related to finances. He
knew that regardless of how many changes
he made in the Impact design that the best he
could do would be to present a vehicle that
would dip $500 million into the hole before
it would begin to make a profit. He had to
John Dabels, and other progressives, saw
the auto industry mired in a manufacturing
mind set that needed to change. Electric
cars seemed to be more like computers and
the whole approach to producing them had
to be revolutionized. GM was a company
committed to huge capital expenditures on
bringing new “made in steel” models to
market with costly three year plans to design
them. These vehicles needed thousands of
sales to become profitable. Dabels thought
that the Impact project needed to be geared
toward lower volume and more flexible
production models with less overhead. He
questioned the whole approach that Baker
was implementing to usher in the Impact
program.
Baker did accept that after the 30 day tweaking process that the Impact’s business case
still remained in question. However, at the
end of thirty days the team had succeeded
coming in slightly under the 1319.8 Kg
(about 3,900 pounds) mass target. The price
cost was within 3.7% of its target. Baker
hoped that these accomplishments would
impress top management sufficiently to let
the Impact project advance.
A birthday cake with one candle was
presented to the Impact team to celebrate
graduation from Phase Zero to Phase One.
Baker told his engineers that the Impact was
not only the best electric car in the world but
perhaps the best car in the history of GM.
He was ready to showcase the car before
GM management and ask for a lions share
of investment . He predicted that within a
year’s time the first Impact would roll off the
assembly line in Lansing, Michigan.
Wait a Minute! Wait maybe a few
months! We ain’t got money!
The directors responsible for advancing or
killing GM programs had a mixed review
of the Impact program. A number on the
panel felt that the Impact’s achievement
was extraordinary. Bleak as the prospect
was for producing a profit some thought
that the Impact could make up for its losses
in raising the GM image. Maybe the Impact
image could actually raise GM gas car sales.
However the Impact program was clearly
not a go across the board.
On August 11,1992, Bill Hoglund, the chief
financial officer of the GM management
committee, asked Baker if he expected GM
to take money from a profitable division like
Buick and invest in a losing venture like
the Impact. The implication was that GM,
running short of money, had a limit as to
the number of projects they could support.
Most of the management bosses seemed to
favor supporting the programs that were
making money.
Come up with some options
As a result of the management committee’s
review of the Impact project Baker was told
to prepare three or four options for the next
steps, from full speed ahead to a full stop.
continued on next page
for 100,000 batteries. So if they cut the Impact to 35,000 vehicles
they still had to purchase the 100,000 batteries. (Union contracts
were also factors beyond Baker’s control.) The more Impact financiers looked at the numbers it appeared that the best approach for
the Impact program was to go into EV components production, not
car production. Baker began to pass the word, to the GM owned
and contracted companies authorized to develop components for the
Impact, to begin soliciting clients among GM’s competitors. Told
for several years to keep their programs a secret, the heads of these
companies became confused. Why the sudden change of direction?
With orders like this floating around GM everyone involved in the
Impact program began to suspect the worst.
In the months before the October ultimatum, which would finally
decide for or against moving the Impact from a prototype to a Phase
One production car, Baker’s team continued to produce more proof
of concept cars. Cars were needed for crash tests. Cars were needed
for test driving. Cars were needed for assembly practice to make
sure all parts really fit together. Only the cars needed for test driving were completed vehicles. At the same time the assembly line in
Lansing was being made ready for assembly line production. If the
green light was given in October then the Lansing facility would be
all set up to produce the first 50 prototype build Impacts (the first
factory made Impacts).
Regarding the text about being “for sale in all 50 states.” It was never for
sale period, an only offered in AZ and CA.
The Electric Vehicle Cannot Exist Without
Government Help
Ken Baker, faced with the reality that the cost of producing the
Impact was more than the marketplace could bare, began considering a strategy he’d scoffed at a year or more before: going hat in
hand to utilities and lawmakers for EV subsidies and incentives.
The idea made him wince. But, knowing the Impact program had
little chance of being approved in GM, he did what a GM manager
never did: swallowed his pride and headed for the California Public
Utilities Commission and on to Washington D.C.
Within a few days Baker secured an agreement, in principle, from
the California utility heads. They would offer EV owners lower
electric rates and would themselves purchase 5000 Impacts over
several years. This agreement theoretically lowered the Impact’s
purchase price by $2000.
He had until October to come up with these choices.
Immediately Baker’s financial advisors began to investigate possible
financial options that might make the Impact program more plausible to cost conscious directors. But everywhere they looked they
found red ink. Due to some strange features in the way mammoth
companies like GM operate, the Impact program was committed to
contracts within GM owned facilities which could not be broken.
The Impact division had forged ahead and leased space sufficient for
large volumes of Impact production. This lease had to be honored in
the budget even if the production number of Impacts were to be cut.
The Impact division also had earlier signed a deal with Delco Remy
In Washington Congress had agreed to pass an omnibus National
Energy Act which would result in a tax savings of about $700 in real
cash to an EV buyer. GM’s lobbyists were pushing for it but Baker
felt he had to plead the case for himself. Unfortunately government
help had to be made available to all of the big three automakers.
All three had to agree to the terms and all three had to present a
unified financial plan. If government taxpayer assistance would not
make a significant dent in the cost of electric car production then
legislators were not in favor of passing any kind of incentive program. Baker was not able to present solid Impact cost figures to the
legislator aids assigned to review lobbyist proposals because GM’s
chief financial lobbyist Jean Crocker forbade him to divulge that
information. Chrysler and Ford representatives presented costs much
continued page 31
volt mileage / china / roadside charging
Volt Mileage
Chevrolet Volt vs. Cruze Eco: Battle of
the gas misers
Electricity generally costs less, per unit
of energy, than gasoline. For example, the
Environmental Protection Agency estimates
it would cost $2.75, on average, to drive a
Chevrolet Volt 25 miles on gasoline but just
99 cents to drive that far on electricity.
There are some places in the United States,
however, where electricity is extraordinarily
expensive. In those places, that cost gap
would be narrower and could, in some cases,
even go the other way.
“It’s a good marketing claim, but it’s not a
practical point of comparison,” Anwyl said
of GM’s 1,000-mile-a-tankful figure.
But real-world fuel economy figures like
this could help GM’s marketing efforts by
helping consumers understand its benefits.
Up to now, there has never been a simple,
straightforward fuel economy figure for the
Volt as there is for almost every other car.
While the Toyota Prius, for instance, gets
overall fuel economy of 50 miles per gallon,
according to the EPA, the Volt gets two
separate EPA figures — 93 miles per gallon
equivalent on electricity and 37 miles per
gallon on gasoline — and consumers are
left to figure out for themselves how that
translates into real driving. GM’s 111-mpg
figure, while based on real driving and not
formal testing, at least offers something
easily comparable to other vehicles. While
China Electrifying
it’s less than half the 230 mpg the
automaker unveiled to much fanfare in
the summer of 2009, it’s still much better
than any other gasoline-powered car on
the road.
“I think it does help to maybe put the Volt
into perspective a little bit,” said Alec
Gutierrez, an analyst with the auto website
Kelley Blue Book.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/02/autos/
volt_1000_miles/index.htm
Factories, including a solar panel plant I know of, have had to
curtail production because coal can’t be shipped fast enough to
supply electricity generation plants. Transportation of freight,
including coal, will be relieved by moving passengers off the
freight path and on to the growing high speed rail network. But
that only postpones the reckoning that will come with the growing
power demands of a burgeoning consumer culture.
China may end up with the world’s most efficient electric
transportation system powered by the world’s most toxic electrical
generation.
We, in contrast, may end up with an efficient, relatively clean,
partially renewable electrical grid, while still burdened with a
transportation “system” dependent on trucking freight and moving
passengers on petroleum.
Roadside Service Vehicle with EV
charger tested in Japan
Electric scooters for sale at Carrefour in Shanghai, $300-$400.
Photo: Marc Geller
Nissan and the Japan Automobile Federation are currently testing
a new roadside assistance vehicle that is able to charge the
battery of a stranded electric vehicle. http://www.gizmag.com/
roadside-service-vehicle-for-electric-vehicles/18856/
(Photo: Nissan)
Before the EV-1
higher than Baker had for the Impact. The
results seemed in inevitable. But, surprise,
surprise, surprise! October 8th 1992 Congress
passed a 10% credit on the purchase of an
EV and president BUSH (yes I said BUSH)
was expected to sign it.
The October 12, 1992 GM
Management Committee Meeting
The first date in a series of delayed dates for
deciding the Impact future arrived October
12, 1992. At the management meeting Baker
presented four options.
Plan A: Continue the Impact Program beginning with a two door money loser followed
by a larger four door version that would sop
up the losses. With the government incentive
about to be passed the future for electric cars
looked bright. Did General Motors what to
give up its lead in electric car development
to Chrysler, Ford, and Japan? Hopefully not.
Plan B: Delay production of the Impact for
two years. Trim the platform to a small band
of engineers who could turn out 50 to 100
hand built cars per year and at the same time
tool up to sell EV components.
Plan C: Build no cars but keep ahead of the
curve by refining the Impact’s existing drive
train so that GM could sell EV components
if the market developed.
Plan D: Shut down the whole program and
forget EV’s until forced to build them by
environmental regulators.
Several pro EV Impact program GM managers were present on the committee at the
October meeting. Bob Stempel advocated
Plan A. However Jack Smith, the newly appointed president and chief operating officer
who had replaced Stempel as head, felt that
GM could not afford Plan A. The decision
for the Impact future was temporarily postponed. The next day Stempel was rushed to
the hospital in an ambulance, rumored to be
suffering with acute anxiety. Further rumors
were that GM was so deep in the red that
the whole company was about to go under.
Within a few days the management com-
mittee resumed discussion regarding the
Impact’s poor business case. It was ironic
that before they decided the fate of the Impact program they had a lengthy discussion
on how GM could develop better engines for
improving emissions and fuel economy. In
the end the committee felt that advocating
Plan B was the best they could do. The production staff would be drastically reduced
but the 50 hand built Impacts would be
carried through.
Determined to cut financial losses the committee had lost faith in the certainty of California mandate looming in front of them. In
their minds the two door Impact as a sports
car would not reach a wide enough market
to satisfy CARB’s escalating EV demands.
It was better to pull back and hope the mandate would disappear. Due to the staggering
amount of financial losses that GM had suffered the committee members had lost their
right to make their own decisions as they had
in the past. They would recommend plan B
to the GM board.
The decision was not a happy one. Three of
the committee members hoped that the GM
board would reverse their decision when
it met in early November. Baker was told
that he had one more month to continue
advancing the Impact program and hope
for a reversal.
A month later Ken Baker would be provided
a final chance to make a pitch to the GM
board in their upcoming November meeting
in Washington. He could reasonably advocate keeping the committee’s choice of plan
since he had the management committee’s
recommendation for that. But afterward
Baker might witness the GM board rejecting
plan B and ditching the whole program altogether. The author of The Car That Could,
Michael Shnayerson, relates that at this
point in time Baker began preparing what
he considered to be the speech of his life.
Complexities and a too heavy GM board
agenda in November allowed Baker to
once again postpone the inevitable. Jack
Smith allowed Baker to plan on making his
address to the board in December. By then
Baker thought he could produce a speech
so powerful that it would change even the
darkest of doubters.
More negative events however would come
before the December meeting. Bob Stempel
was forced to resign from the board. All of
his EV management team were also swept
away with him. Stemple’s Impact gang was
gone along with any hope of reversing the
demise of the Impact. Although Smith and
Hoglund, several of the younger and newer
GM leaders, did not want to ax the Impact,
they couldn’t see a way to fund it.
As a consequence of the increasing bleak
situation Baker began to consider another
idea that he had previously thought might
work as a last resort. If GM would not bring
an EV into the market by itself, how about
introducing Team USA, joining with Ford
and Chrysler in a joint EV program to beat
the Japanese to the EV market. Maybe a
joint effort with Ford and Chrysler could
help keep the Impact alive.
Soon Baker was on his way to Ford and
Chrysler with the pitch that a three in one,
Team USA, electric car program was the
way to deal with the California mandate. Securing a tentative agreement with Ford and
Chrysler representatives Baker approached
several key members of the board of GM,
including Jack Smith, to test them out. They
liked the idea of Team USA. As a result,
Baker’s new speech to the GM December
Board Meeting, they agreed, should result
in Baker shifting his focus from preserving
the Impact program alone to supporting
Team USA. Hopefully by joining with Ford
and Chrysler aspects of the Impact program
might survive.
The day of Baker’s long hoped for speech,
now modified to stress Team USA, finally
arrived. The day of reckoning had come.
Ironically his presentation would be delivered December 7, 1992…Pearl Harbor
Day… in the GM building on 5th Ave, New
York City.
It was indeed Pearl Harbor Day. While Baker
was making his speech in the safe harbor
of GM’s lavish New York boardroom, an
unexpected article appeared in the Wall
Street Journal. The article dropped a bomb
on Team USA.
to be continued…
road Taxes
Road Taxes for EVs?
This article was compiled from contributions made by various EAA Board members and chapter officers.
[Ed: At press time, a version of the $100
EV license fee bill died awaiting a vote in
the House during the special Legislative
session called specifically to pass a budget
for the next biennium because there was
either insufficient votes to pass it or its
priority was not high enough. This year it
had passed the Washington State Senate
during both the regular and again during
the special Legislative sessions. See
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.
aspx?bill=5251&year=2011 ]
Introduction:
EVs are here and this time here to stay. Finally
EVs from major manufacturers are available,
with more to come. But even as EVs roll
off the production line and onto highways
nationwide the issue of imposing a road tax
has surfaced. This topic may not affect just
EVs. Road taxes /use fees may spill over in
other areas as well. As manufacturers build
more efficient vehicles and use alternate
fuels, we indeed end up using less fuel which
would result in less road tax revenues being
collected. Yes, the goal is to use less fuel
and use other alternate sources of clean nonpolluting energy. Right now the count of EVs
on the road is insignificant, likened to a grain
of sand in a sand box. Any revenue lost by the
state governments is not worth mentioning.
Tough problems require tough solutions. But
simply taxing EVs is unwise. A broader and
thought out solution would be a wiser choice.
Where do you stand?
To understand the various “per gallon” state
taxes paid — find your state in this table
and compare it to others. Were you aware of
this steady revenue stream? What does your
state do with that money? Does it flow to
the general revenue funds, or is it earmarked
by statue for only road repairs? The table
comes from the American Petroleum Institute
(API). http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/
upload/State_Motor_Fuel_Excise_Tax_
Update_05_2011.pdf
Table - 1 Partial American petroleum
Institute State Excise Tax Table (Right)
Gasoline
Total
State
Taxes/
Fees
Total State
plus Federal
Excise Taxes
(@ 18.4 cpg)
State
Excise
Tax
Other
State
Taxes/
Fees
Diesel
Total
State
Taxes/
Fees
State
State
Excise
Tax
Other
State
Taxes/
Fees
Alabama
16.0
4.9
20.9
39.3
19.0
2.9
21.9
46.3
Alaska
8.0
0.0
8.0
26.4
8.0
0.0
8.0
32.4
Arizona
Arkansas
18.0
21.5
1.0
0.3
19.0
21.8
37.4
40.2
18.0
22.5
1.0
0.3
19.0
22.8
43.4
47.2
California
35.3
15.2
50.5
68.9
18.0
42.8
60.8
85.2
Colorado
22.0
0.0
22.0
40.4
20.5
0.0
20.5
44.9
Connecticut
25.0
26.9
51.9
70.3
39.6
0.0
39.6
64.0
Delaware
23.0
0.0
23.0
41.4
22.0
0.0
22.0
46.4
District of Columbia
23.5
0.0
23.5
41.9
23.5
0.0
23.5
47.9
Florida
4.0
30.4
34.4
52.8
4.0
25.8
29.8
54.2
Georgia
7.5
21.7
29.2
47.6
7.5
24.2
31.7
56.1
Hawaii
17.0
32.4
49.4
67.8
17.0
33.0
50.0
74.4
Idaho
25.0
0.0
25.0
43.4
25.0
0.0
25.0
49.4
Illinois
19.0
31.6
50.6
69.0
21.5
30.3
51.8
76.2
Indiana
18.0
25.6
43.6
62.0
16.0
36.1
52.1
76.5
Iowa
21.0
1.0
22.0
40.4
22.5
1.0
23.5
47.9
Kansas
24.0
1.0
25.0
43.4
26.0
1.0
27.0
51.4
Kentucky
21.1
1.4
22.5
40.9
18.1
1.4
19.5
43.9
US Average
20.6
10.5
31.1
49.5
19.2
11.4
30.6
55.0
What does this mean for EV drivers? In
all probability you will soon have to pay
special use taxes on the electric power from
public charging stations as well as from
your home EVSE (EV Supply Equipment).
We empathize, but let’s face it: “Get over
the shock, get used to it.” Everyone should
be aware that driving an EV is not “driving
Total State
plus Federal
Excise Tax (@
24.4 cpg)
for free”, it simply remains a whole lot less
expensive than driving on petroleum, be it
diesel or gasoline, on average, but certainly
over the lifetime of the vehicle. Several
western states are currently examining such
possibilities, so driver input (by writing well
articulated letters to lawmakers) to voice
continued on next page
road Taxes
your ideas could impact policy. Remember:
state and federal tax funds represent nearly
half of state spending on highways, for
repaving, repairs and general maintenance.
Share the taxation
but is it too early?
Clearly, EVs share the responsibility with
others on the road for wear and tear, but their
numbers are currently negligible in terms of
a potential revenue contribution (plus they
are generally not as responsible for road bed
and surface degradation as are heavier SUVs
and trucks). Even if your EV is powered by
sunshine, all drivers still should contribute
their share.
The US roadways are among the best,
longest and smoothest in the world. Given
the current fuel prices, the old mantra of
“just give me a full tank of gas, the open
road and my rock ‘n roll” for cruising the
streets on a Friday night may soon have lose
its luster. Replacing that “full tank of gas”
with a “full charge” and that paradigm better
fits the 21st century.
EVs enjoy the smooth ride (except where
highway funds don’t get applied in a timely
manner to patch potholes emerging after the
winter season).
Keeping this inevitable expense in mind
may help placate the EV pundits who often
resent that “free charging” is being offered
(or planned to be made available) to the
public. EV drivers have sometimes been
categorized as “smug” about their ability
to avoid fees that have been levied upon
internal combustion engine users during a
century of its ascension to dominance. What
we currently enjoy will most probably not be
sustained as more Americans plug-in. That
probably applies to free public charging too.
The new cell phone accessible, networked
EVSE infrastructure with remote status
checking is expensive to install and maintain,
as compared to an extension cord stretched
to an outdoor plug somewhere.
Discussions about taxing EV’s and PHEV’s
because they do not pay any tax on their
fuel has raised proposals for taxing based
on miles traveled. That idea is great except
it must also pertain to ALL vehicles. The
universal vehicle road use fee could be
based on:
• Measured or standardized fuel economy,
MPGge (miles per gallon gas equivalent)
so vehicles with poorer fuel economy
pay more which they do because they
purchase more gas. Perhaps it’s time to
consider a gasoline penalty versus other
cleaner fuels (CNG, part or exclusively
electricity)?
• Emissions the vehicle emits (older and
bigger vehicles pay more),
• The type of fuel (obviously our nation’s
dependence on foreign oil needs to be
paid by users of foreign oil, doesn’t it?),
• Weight of vehicle, and
• Miles traveled.
It has been suggested that if a truly smart
system is used, it could also be based on
time-of-day-used to discourage use during
peak travel times and encourage mass transit
and car pooling. But a key question to be
addressed is based on our society’s needs:
should there not be a higher tax on gasoline
to offset the harm to society caused by gas
burning cars and to mitigate the impact on
our national security? [Ed: we can hear the
howls of pain from the petroleum industry
lobby already, as well as non-EV driving
consumers.]
In the Pacific Northwest, Washington’s
legislators recently heard:
“Electric vehicles put just as much wear
and tear on our roads as gas vehicles,”
said Democratic state Sen. Mary Margaret
Haugen, the bill’s lead sponsor. “This simply
ensures that they contribute their fair share
to the upkeep of our roads.”
Plug- In America, a California-based electric
car advocacy group, has come out against
the proposed flat fee and has urged the state
to consider one based on odometer readings
that owners would self-report each year.
An Oregon bill would charge drivers of
electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles up
to 1.43 cents for each mile they drive,
beginning with cars from the 2014 model
year. It would cost about $172 per year
for a car driven 12,000 miles — about the
same as the gas tax paid for a vehicle that
gets 21 mpg.
Today our gas tax is based on fuel
consumption. When every ICE car got about
the same mileage and weighed 4000 lbs, a
flat tax on gas was a fairly equitable way to
allocate road maintenance costs.
But now the numbers vary; here are the
“typical” numbers
• Non Hybrid, plain ICE — EPA 12-32
mpg
• Hybrids — High mileage gas powered. EPA 24-50 mpg
• Plug In Hybrids — High mileage gas
powered with short BEV range. Gasoline
engine runs after 1-5 miles at low speed.
EPA 30-70 mpg
• EREV — Extended Range Electric
Vehicle with batteries and an on-board
gasoline powered generator. Gasoline
engine runs after 25-40 miles. It is
possible to never need to buy gas except
that engine has to run on occasion for
maintenance reasons — EPA 70-90mpg+
• BEV — no gasoline ever EPA mpg infinite
If we want to create a new tax structure or tax
policy to insure that every vehicle pays its
fair share of road maintenance taxes, many
say it should include more parameters than
just gasoline used. To be equitable, it HAS
TO INCLUDE miles driven and vehicle
weight. Some legislators have proposed a simple
strategy to charge flat $100 fee every year.
This is far more simplified than a Vehicle
Miles Traveled (VMT) tax, as proposed by
the U.S. Federal government We suggest that the EV market be allowed
to mature more, rather than to ‘jump the
gun’ and rush to tax EVs. EV owners are
pioneers and early adopters who support
alternate vehicles. Such EV owners should
be supported in their efforts rather than
penalized for their efforts and hastily taxed
in this nascent market. This issue calls for
close examination to identify the correct way
to proceed. We are not opposed to paying
our share of road use taxes, but it needs to
be done wisely and most importantly —
done fairly.
Current EVents may print your well
articulated counter points submitted for
consideration to [email protected]
diy conversion
August, 2009 – I drive the converted car for the first time
Driving the electric car for the first time was quite a thrill!
It’s so quiet. It was eerie to stop at a light and not hear
anything.
September, 2009 – I install a balancing battery management system
(BMS)
I purchased this BMS kit online. They function by
shunting excess charging current through a resistor when
an individual cell voltage exceeds 3.65v. This is done to
make sure that all battery cells are at the same voltage
when fully charged. They do nothing during driving. All
is well until, about a month later, one of the units fail and
kills one of my cells. After obtaining a replacement cell, I
then remove all the BMS boards. Once again, a big job!
I have not installed a BMS since.
February, 2010 – Disaster! The controller catches FIRE!
Remember that drawback to series wound motors I was
talking about earlier? The drawback is that when the main
Field-Effect-Transistor (or FET) fail inside controllers for
series wound motors, they can fail as a short circuit. This is
what happened to my controller. If they were to fail as an
I am happy to report that I still use my electric car conversion every
day. The batteries still work well. The motor appears strong. I do
hear the occasional odd noise from the suspension but the added
conversion pieces all seem to be working well.
Things are working well despite my lack of a proper Battery
Management System (BMS). While there are dissenting opinions
on the matter, the general consensus is that a BMS is still a good
thing to have… as long as it doesn’t kill your batteries or start a
fire. There may be good units on the market but you have to pay
a fair sum for a good system. There are reasonably priced systems
but they still need to prove themselves as reliable.
Despite all the problems I’ve encountered in my electric car
conversion, overall it was a very positive learning experience. The
conversion cost less than $10,000 and the best part is that today
I get to fill up with electricity at less than $1 per gallon. I’ve put
almost 13,000 miles on my conversion over a period of 20 months
or so. This is despite the fact that its top speed is 49 MPH and its
range is only 20 to 25 miles. I expect my total cost of ownership to
be less than a gas car. If I can get the full 2000 charge cycles out of
my batteries, I should be able to go 50,000 miles before replacing
the pack. An average gasoline car getting 25 mpg would require
$8,000 for gasoline to go that distance if costs stay at $4 per gallon.
This nearly pays for the conversion with just the cost of gasoline!
Converting a car to electric isn’t for everyone. There are many
technical challenges and it can be a lot of work. It takes a lot of time
too, but the satisfaction of driving without using gasoline is worth it.
Ed: This car would fail an EAA Rally Tech safety inspection and
would not be allowed to transport visiting guests.
http://evalbum.com/preview.php?vid=2975
Here are the answers to the conflicting items in the photo under the hood.
July, 2009 – The Thundersky lithium batteries arrive.
Lithium batteries had come a long way in the last few
years but incorporating them was still something of a risk.
Their use in electric vehicles is still relatively new. I had
experience with lead acid batteries in my electric bike
and I decided that using lead acid batteries would entail
the car having trouble getting out of its own way. Twenty
four 100 amp hour LiFePO4 cells (which, while they’re
way lighter than lead), still weigh 200 lbs. It’s something
to consider when the shipping company driver tells you
he can’t get it off the truck without a forklift. After nearly
two years of use, I can now report that the lithium batteries
have worked out beautifully.
April, 2011 – Motor mount broke
The motor mount continues to be a problem. I don’t
suffer damage to the motor this time but it’s interesting
that something so basic can prove to be a tricky thing to
get right. I replace the mount with a bigger, thicker piece
of steel.
1.
2.
June, 2009 – Coupled electric motor to transmission
I bolted the electric motor to the stock transmission and
tested it on my table. It worked! One problem arose when
I broke a bolt off the motor while experimenting with
motor mounts. Unfortunately, this required me to ship the
motor back to New York for repair. Motor mounts became
a problem again in the car’s future.
May, 2010 – The car is repaired!
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the electric car rides
again!
Exposed and accessible high voltage points on the pack and the controller.
No barrier strips, no labels, or color coding of wiring. Problematic lead dress
will cause EMI issues, potential controller shutdown.
No emergency high voltage DC disconnect was used.
Non-permanent highly unsafe battery mounting (nylon strap hold-downs)
No protective cover, exposed sharp edges, etc.
Perforated angle iron should not be used for motor mounts.
May, 2009 – Purchased electric motor
I purchased a new series wound motor from D&D Motors
in Syracuse, NY. It’s a series wound, brushed motor which
isn’t as efficient as a brushless motor but they are strong
and inexpensive. They do have a drawback… more on
this later.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Conversion
open circuit, less damage would have been done. Luckily
I had a manual transmission. It was a mess! I lost the
controller, the motor and the battery charger. I nearly gave
up on the car altogether but after cleaning up the car and
evaluating the damage, I decided the car could be saved.
homeplug
German automakers back HomePlug
powerline standard for networking EVs
HOMEPLUG ALLIANCE
The HomePlug GP standard allows EVs to communicate over the Internet via their
charging port. Photo: HomePlug
By Darren Quick
Electric vehicles (EVs) may be set to
charge smarter following an announcement
by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance at
Computex 2011. The body responsible
for the compliance and certification of the
HomePlug powerline communications
standard said that German automakers Audi,
BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen
have thrown their support behind the
HomePlug GP (Green PHY) standard that
will allow electric vehicles to be connected
via existing home electrical wiring to a home
network or send and receive data over the
internet via the vehicles’ charging ports. This
will not only allow EVs to intelligently take
advantage of lower cost, off-peak electricity,
but will also allow for remote checks of the
vehicle’s systems and battery condition.
Designed for smart grid applications,
including smart meters, smaller home
appliances, HVAC systems and plugin electric vehicles, the HomePlug GP
specification is a low power standard that
consumes up to 75 percent less power than
the HomePlug AV specification designed
for higher bandwidth applications such as
HDTV and VoIP. With 802.3, IPv6 support,
HomePlug GP provides a minimum 1
Mbps effective data rate with a peak PHY
rate of 3.8 Mbps. It is interoperable with
HomePlug AV and IEEE 1901 and will also
be interoperable with the HomePlug AV2
standard that is still in development.
“For electric vehicles to be widely accepted,
they must integrate into existing and
emerging charging infrastructures, connected
to the smart grid,” says Dr. Heiko Doerr, the
HomePlug’s Manager of Coordination Office
Charging Interface. “For charging electric
vehicles, the communication interface is
established via the charging connector,
and the HomePlug Green PHY provides
a common communications standard to
support all modes of AC and DC charging.”
HomePlug is an industry Alliance
comprised of industry leaders at
each level of the value chain —
from Technology to Services &
Content. The Alliance members
bring necessary capabilities and
a financial commitment to the
successful launch of the technology.
The Alliance’s mission is to enable
and promote rapid availability,
adoption and implementation of
cost effective, interoperable and
standards-based home powerline
networks and products.
http://www.homeplug.org/about
HomePlug also announced that it has invited
the supporting automakers to participate in
developing the HomePlug GP certification
program. The HomePlug GP standard was
finalized in June, 2010, with the first certified
products expected to ship by mid 2011.
http://www.gizmag.com/germanautomakers-ev-powerline-standard/18779/
HomePlug supports networking via a homes existing electrical wiring: Photo: HomePlug
porsche
All-electric Porsche on the horizon
Porsche Boxter E prototype on show at the Michelin Challenge
Bibendum in Berlin. Photo: Porsche
By Noel McKeegan
Having already made the leap into hybrid
drive-trains with the GT3 R Hybrid and 918
Spyder, Porsche has now delivered a taste
of possible future all-electric models by
showcasing two Boxster E prototype variants
at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in
Berlin last week. Designed to retain the
driving dynamics of their ICE driven
brethren, the 4WD and 2WD prototypes are
being used to investigate the integration of
EVs into the company’s infrastructure as
well as “explore the everyday practicality
of all-electric vehicles.”
Boxster E 4WD
The 4WD Boxter E is driven by two electric
motors — one at each axle — which
produce a total power output of 180 kW
and a maximum total torque of 540 Nm at
12,000 rpm. This translates to acceleration
of 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.5 seconds, a top
speed limited to 200 km/h (124 mph) and,
according to Porsche, a driving experience
equivalent to that offered by the Boxster S
ICE production model. The vehicle layout
sees the front drive unit replace the fuel tank
and the rear unit located where the manual
transmission and exhaust system would be
found on a conventional model. A central
electric control unit synchronizes the two
electric motors and controls the front and
rear torque distribution while a recovery
Porsche Boxter E prototype. Photo: Porsche
system harvests energy during braking. Use
of the recovery system can also be modified
using buttons in the steering wheel to deliver
“a sort of on-demand engine brake.”
Boxster E 2WD
Two rear-wheel drive only Boxter E
prototypes were also rolled out in Berlin
last week. Sans one motor, this variant
produces half the torque and power of the
4WD prototype (90 kW and 270 Nm) and
has performance figures of 0 to 100 km/h
(62 mph) in 9.8 seconds with a top speed of
150 km/h (93 mph).
Range, recharging and the
sounds of silence
Both Boxster E variants draw power from
a 29 kWh, 440 cell lithium-iron-phosphate
with a nominal voltage of 3.3 V and capacity
of 20 Ah per cell. Located where you would
find the engine in a Boxter S, the watercooled battery accounts for 341 kg of the
car’s 1,600 kg overall weight and delivers a a
range of around 170 kilometers (107 miles).
The “fuel” left in the tank is monitored via
an “intelligent range management system”
displayed on the instrument cluster’s righthand TFT display which shows remaining
range and tells the driver how many extra
miles they will gain by turning off the air
conditioning system.
The charging port is located at the front end
and a full charge takes around nine hours
through a conventional socket, though
Porsche says a rapid charging function will
improve on this. The design also enables the
battery can be swapped out very quickly,
which leaves open the possibility of a system
where an empty battery is exchanged for a
full one.
Porsche engineers have also taken into
account the potential safety issue raised by
a vehicle that can hit 124 mph in relative
silence — they’ve integrated an Active
Sound Design system that gives both drivers
and pedestrians acoustic feedback.
Porsche is trialling the Boxster E EVs as
part of “Model Region Electro-Mobility
Stuttgart” and given the short time that it
took for the Hybrid 918 Spyder to make
the leap from concept to production, we
may not have too long to wait before an allelectric Porsche based on these prototypes
hits the road.
http://www.gizmag.com/electric-porscheboxster-e/18705/
ev yulon / volvo v60
Luxgen Neora EV Sport Sedan Concept Unveiled at
Shanghai Auto Show
• Taiwan’s Yulon Motor showed the
Luxgen Neora EV sport sedan concept
in Shanghai.
• The Neora has a 241-hp electric motor
running off a 48-kilowatt-hour Li-ion
battery pack.
• The Acura-esque sedan is said to
provide design cues for future Luxgenbranded models.
SHANGHAI, China — Yulon Motor,
Taiwan’s largest domestic automaker, has
unveiled its Luxgen Neora at the 2011
Shanghai Auto Show. The electric sport
sedan concept has a top speed of 155 mph,
0-60 acceleration in less than 6.5 seconds
and a range of up to 250 miles.
The Neora is said to provide design cues
for future Luxgen models. Yulon’s Luxgen
range now consists of a minivan and an SUV,
which share a common platform and can be
Photo: Luxgen Neora
ordered with either a gasoline engine or an
electric motor.
Yulon said the Neora is fitted with a
241-horsepower electric motor and a
48-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack
that can be quick-charged to 80 percent
capacity in one hour. The concept sedan’s
features include a sunroof, head-up display
and infotainment system with LED screen.
— Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Read all about this new concept car:
http://www.insideline.com/car-news/
luxgen-neora-ev-sport-sedan-conceptunveiled-at-shanghai-auto-show.html
Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid First Test Drive
cylinder 2.4-litre turbodiesel producing 215
hp/440 Nm and the rear wheels by a 70 hp
electric motor, which receives power from
a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Volvo is going to kick the development of
green cars into high gear, as they will be
testing three cars in Berlin including Volvo
V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the Volvo C30 Electric
and the Volvo V50 DRIVe.
Volvo begins road testing the V60 Plug-in Hybrid, with the first test drive planned at 11th
Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin. Photo: Volvo
The V60 hybrid can be a game-changer
when it finally arrives in 2012, if it manage
to produce the same economy figures Volvo
has claimed. Just check it out: a combined
power output 215 + 70 horsepower and
maximum torque of 440 + 200 Nm, diesel
fuel consumption of 150 mpg (total range is
up to 746 miles), CO2 (NEDC) emissions
49 g/km!
“The V60 Plug-in Hybrid and the C30
represents our ambition bring electric
power into the Volvo showrooms as soon
as possible. The cars shown at Michelin
Challenge Bibendum are part of test fleets
that are very close to production quality.”
http://www.motorward.com/2011/05/
volvo-v60-plug-in-hybrid-first-test-driveunderway/
The car is effectively an all-wheel-drive
car with the front wheels driven by a fiveJune 2011 / Current EVents 37
moto mundo
ELECTRIC CAR ROUND THE WORLD
Dear friends in Russia, China, USA and
Europe
We did it!
Thanks to your help, encouragement and
inspiration we kept moving every day
towards our goal: to prove you can go round
the world in a fully electric car. On May
7 we arrived in Copenhagen, 30.000 km
and 10 months after the start. It was a very
emotional day for us.
Our Green Car is still in good shape and
we will go on using it in Denmark to do
more promotion for electric cars and green
mobility. Our web-page will go on. It is our
ambition to build on all the contacts we got
round the world and contribute to the flow
of ideas, experiences and news for people
with interest in electric cars and e-mobility.
Send us information about what you are
doing and what is going on where you live.
You are free to use material from our webpage and please contact us if you need more
information, pictures or video.
The Monte Carlo Rally for electric cars gave
us a wonderful kick and we will take part in
more rallies, if at all possible. And we will
write a book about our adventure. If you
happen to get to Denmark you are always
welcome in our house.
warm, electric greetings
Nina and Hjalte
Photos: moto-mundo
http://www.moto-mundo.com/da/node/115
solar boat
Loon Solar Boat Wins Mansura Award
Business partners Ray Hirani and Monte
Gisborne have good reason to toot their little
steamhorn these days – their 10-passenger
recreational solar boating innovation known
the Loon has won the “Nobel Prize of Green
Boating” in their category, the Mansura
Award. The accolade puts their product
on the same level as the first solar boat to
cross the Atlantic Ocean in 2007 (the Sun
21) and the 100-passenger Australian Solar
Sailor which operates in Sydney Harbor.
Montgomery Gisborne, president of the
Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company
and inventor of the Loon ™ solar boat,
couldn’t agree more as the order book for
his innovation increases.
This is not the first such award for the duo,
in December, their newest version of their
innovative solar-powered boat product line
also took a first place finish at the “Future of
Electric Vehicles” conference and exhibition
in San Jose, California. Innovators from
around the world found their way to the
conference, which focused on land-, waterand airborne vehicles powered by efficient
batteries and electric motors.
The Mansura Awards Ceremony was
held at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60
Knightsbridge, London, UK in the presence
of the Deputy Lord Mayor of Westminster,
C o u n c i l l o r D r.
Cyril Nemeth
MBE JP, with the
awards themselves
being presented
by Bernhard Bihr,
President of Bosch
Engineering,
principal sponsor of
the Mansura Awards.
The German
Ambassador was
represented by
Joachim, Baron
von Marschall and
t h e A m b a s s a d o r Gisborne (left) and Hirani show off their Mansura medals and a scale
of Thailand was model of the 22-foot Loon solar boat which will be built in Rome,
r e p r e s e n t e d b y NY starting later this year.
Mr Siripakorn
Cheawsamoot. The Chief Executives of product in Europe and have shipped a 1:10
the Royal Academy of Engineering and scale model of “The Loon” from China to
the Institution of Mechanical Engineers show what they have designed. The Judges
were present, as were representatives of were impressed by the rigorous development
Imperial College, London, the Royal Yacht process and proven reliability of the design
Association, Green-Blue and the Royal of this smooth and silent lake and river boat.
Thames Yacht Club.
Edwards adds: “Once again, we have seen
According to Jack Edwards, Chairman of a wide range of technically innovative and
Trustees for the Award, “This design of sturdy well-designed craft demonstrating the huge
inland electric watercraft has undergone a strides that are being made in the field of
long period of prototype development with marine hybrid propulsion. The generous
the result that it has gained such a reputation support of Bosch Engineering GmbH, part
throughout Canada of the Bosch Group, has raised our profile
and the USA that the in the marine industry to a new level and
builders are starting has enhanced the scope of the competition.
series production at While encouraging prototype development,
a brand new facility this award recognises the real achievement
a t R o m e N Y i n of the entrants”.
the United States
w i t h t h e a c t i v e The Loon solar boat is a NYSERDAencouragement of supported project in Rome. Production is
the local authority.” scheduled to commence in spring 2011. A
facility has been located near the Rod Mill
Monte Gisborne, Site.
the Chief Executive Photos: Tamarack Lake
of Tamarack, stated For information about the Tamarack Lake
t h a t h e a n d h i s Electric Boat Company:
partner Ray Hirani www.tamarackelectricboats.com
were utilizing this
opportunity to raise
awareness of the
notable videos and articles
Don’t Miss These...
From time to time there are articles and videos that we are not able to reproduce in this newsletter but we would
like to bring them to your attention. The Electric Vehicle is becoming newsworthy on many different levels so
when we find interesting items we will share.
VIDEOS
Volt and Leaf score on
crash test
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/02/autos/volt_1000_miles/
index.htm
EV Chargers: A Simple Solution
Articles
Meet the Swiss Electric Supercar:
The 420-kW Protoscar Lampo3
We’ve seen two Lampo prototypes from Protoscar already, and
now comes the small Swiss company’s latest effort, the Lampo3.
http://www.plugincars.com/meet-swiss-electric-supercar-420-kwprotoscar-lampo3-107170.html
Pedal to the metal for EV
battery technology
Vincent Biancomano, Contributing Editor
Electric vehicles may be the glamour application for high-tech
batteries,but other areas could end up pulling the technology
forward.
In the segment, Mike points out, with passion, some of the
exciting business opportunities associated with the developing
EV charging infrastructure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wdKecQLyUM
Prismatic cells are
the building block for
battery packs from A123
made for passenger
and commercial plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles
(PHEVs) and battery
electric vehicles (BEVs).
Different vehicles demand
different numbers of cells
and modules.
http://eetweb.com/power-supplies/pedal-to-metal-ev-batterytech-0411/index.html
auto shows & Conferences calendar
And ... don’t miss these.
VIDEOS
Articles
Nissan LEAF: Gas Powered
Everything
Oregon To Turn Interstate 5
Into An Electric Highway
Oregon on Wednesday announced it
will install electric vehicle fast-charging
stations along a 150-mile stretch of
Interstate 5 from the California border
to the Willamette Valley.
It’s the latest section of the “Green
Highway,” an effort to build a series of
charging stations along the West Coast
to let electric car owners drive from San
Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia,
without fear of running out of electrons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0sCCJFkEbE&feature=play
er_embedded
http://blogs.forbes.com/
toddwoody/2011/06/01/oregon-toturn-interstate-5-into-an-electrichighway/
Articles
Improved Emission Measurements
Tesla Roadster owner clocks-up of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
100,000 km
Hansjörg von Gemmingen, who has just clocked past 100,000
kilometers (62,000 miles) to become the most traveled Tesla
Roadster owner to date. Photo: von Gemmingen
http://www.gizmag.com/tesla-roadster-100000-kmrecord/18713/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_
campaign=3ce8e5020c-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email
Short test cycles can
be realized by Plugin Hybrid Electric
Vehicles (PHEV)
with the internal
combustion engine
running less than
20% of the time. This
leads to potentially
inaccurate emission
results, as conventional Constant Volume Samplers (CVS) overdilute
the exhaust gas. Bag mini diluters (BMD) maintain a constant
dilution ratio at all exhaust flow rates but often do not acquire a
sufficient amount of sample gas for accurate measurements. Horiba
has modified CVS and BMD system designs and software to improve
measurements for PHEV testing and evaluated the accuracy of these
modifications.
http://www.mtz-worldwide.com/index.php?mode=textansicht&ar
ticleKey=mtzw-011-0537-9&issueKey=6&volumeKey=2011&sm
art42SID=jh6amp6um238f5ed4vtfej3pc2&smart42SID=jh6amp6
um238f5ed4vtfej3pc2
events
Refuel 2011 lets you drive Laguna Seca in your electric
vehicle for fun or trophies
For the third straight year Speed Ventures is hosting Refuel<http://
green.autoblog.com/tag/Refuel/>at Laguna Seca <http://green.
autoblog.com/tag/laguna+seca>. The event gives electric vehicle
(EV) owners a chance to take their ride for a spin on a world-famous
race track. For you more competitive types, there is also a chance
to race against the clock and win a TT Electric trophy.
This year’s edition will happen on June 26, and pre-registration
<http://www.refuelraces.com/> required, so if you feel like hooning
your new Nissan Leaf <http://www.autoblog.com/model/leaf> or
Chevy Volt <http://www.autoblog.com/model/volt>, let them know
you’re coming. The best part? It’s free!
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/04/13/refuel-2011-drive-lagunaseca-your-ev/
Battery Power 2011 Preliminary Program Announced
Battery Power 2011, September 20-21 in Nashville, Tenn., is
the industry-leading conference designed specifically for battery
manufacturers, distributors, OEMs, design engineers and power
integrators. This is a once-a-year opportunity to learn and discuss
the latest capabilities, design issues, trends and market forecasts in
batteries and battery-powered products and systems.
The conference program evolves every year to feature more than
35 presentations on the latest advancements in the industry and we
are we are pleased to announce the preliminary sessions for 2011.
Ageing Effects to the Safety Behavior of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Alvin Wu, Research Engineer, Corporate Research . Underwriters
Laboratories Taiwan Co., Ltd. Carl Wang, PhD, Research Manager,
Corporate Research . Underwriters Laboratories Taiwan Co., Ltd.
Battery Management for Tablet Applications
Yevgen Barsukov . Texas Instruments, Inc.
The Importance of Binder Selection on Li-Ion Cell Performance
Brian Cail, General Manager, New Business Development . Zeon
Chemicals, L.P.
Read the Complete Session Descriptions Here
http://www.batterypoweronline.com/bppt-conf11/bp11_program.
php
Register for the event
http://www.infowebcom.com/event_reg/bp11_reg/
events
Keep Up on all the Auto Shows &
Conferences – Everywhere!
June, 2011
International Auto Shows
Electric Storage Association 21st Annual
Meeting June 6-9, 2011, San Jose,
California.
Autosalon Brno International Motor
Show: 06/04/11 - 06/09/11
July, 2011
Plug-In 2011 July 18-21, 2011, Raleigh,
North Carolina.
Advanced Automotive Battery Conference
Europe 2010, Mainz, Germany
June 6-10, 2011
http://www.advancedautobat.com/
Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance
08/17/11 - 08/21/11
Third German Electric Vehicle Congress,
Bonn, Germany June 8-9, 2011
http://www.ev-info.com/it/all-ev-events/
details/70-third-german-electric-vehiclecongress.html
State Fair of Texas Auto Show
08/30/11 - 10/23/11
Sofia International Motor Show
Public Dates: 06/10/11 - 06/19/11
September, 2011
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World
Conference 2011 June 20-22, Berlin,
Germany
August, 2011
2011 IEEE 74th Vehicular Technology
Conference September 5-8, 2011, San
Francisco, California.
Buenos Aires, International Motor
Show, 06/14/11 - 06/26/11
VPPC 2011 Vehicle Power and Propulsion
Conference September 6-9, 2011, Chicago,
Illinois.
Electric Vehicles Land Sea Air Europe
2011 June 28-29, Stuttgart, Germany
Glenmoor Gathering of Significant
Automobiles, 09/16/11 - 09/18/11
Syrian International Motor Show,
07/01/11 - 07/07/11
Battery Power September 20-21,2011,
Nashville, Tennessee.
Melbourne International Motor Show
07/01/11 - 07/10/11
Revenge of the Electric
Car” public screenings:
•
•
Seattle Film Festival: June 8,
10, and 12. See their web site
for info.
Moscow International Motor Show
08/24/11 - 08/27/11
International Exhibition for
Commercial Vehicles
09/13/11 - 09/17/11
Frankfurt International Motor Show
09/15/11 - 09/25/11
Silver Spring MD event:
at Silver Docs June 25 at
7:30pm, June 26 at 4:15pm.
Johannesburg International Motor
Show 10/06/11 - 10/16/11
•
NYC Central Park Bandshell:
July 12
eCarTec Munich 3rd International Fair
for Electric Mobility, October 18-20,
2011, Munich, Germany.
•
Telluride, CO Film Festival:
September 2-5.
European Electric
Vehicle Congress EEVC
Brussels
October 6th to 28th, 2011.
This will be a high level exchange
of views between scientists, industry
representatives and authorities to
make sure that needs and constraints
are well understood and that the most
appropriate products and solutions
are selected for market introduction.
Such a gathering is essential to ensure
progress and foster synergies in the
field.
At EEVC, after a plenary session
dedicated to the strategic policy for
“Europe’s vision and action plan”, two
full days will be deeply R&D oriented
but industry and politic aspects will
not be forgotten as a full track will in
parallel be reserved for these aspects.
The last part of the conference will
then gather all the participants around
exciting round tables for cross-shared
and mutual interest discussions with
the following topics:
- plug-in hybrids
- hydrogen and fuel cells
- introduction barriers & market
requirements
- smart grids
- charging infrastructure
- health
Room is limited.
Do not miss this event!
Browse http://www.eevc.eu for
more info and register as soon as
possible.
ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION CHAPTERS AND AFFILIATES
International
CANADA
EV COUNCIL OF OTTAWA
Web Site: www.evco.ca/
Contact: Alan Poulsen
613-271-0940 [email protected]
VANCOUVER EVA
Web Site: www.veva.bc.ca
Contact: John Stonier, 604-379-9482
[email protected]
EUROPE
EAA Europe (EAAE)
Web Site: http://eaaeurope.org
Contact: Rüdiger Hild
[email protected]
United States
CALIFORNIA CARS
INITIATIVE
Web Site: www.calcars.org
Contact: Felix Kramer, 650-520-5555
[email protected]
NEDRA
Web Site: www.nedra.com
Contact: Mike Willmon 360-561-5180
[email protected]
PLUG IN AMERICA
Web Site: www.pluginamerica.org
Contact: Linda Nicholes 714-974-5647
[email protected]
ALASKA
ALASKA EVA Web Site: http://alaskaEVA.org
Contact: Mike Willmon
[email protected]
ARIZONA
BORDERLAND ELECTRIC
VEHICLE ASSOCIATION BEVA
Contact: Bob Adams, 520-432-3273
or Jerry Asher 202-486-5450
[email protected]
FLAGSTAFF EAA
Web Site: http://flagstaffeaa.org/
Contact: Barkley Coggin, 928-637-4444
[email protected]
PHOENIX EAA
Web Site: www.phoenixeaa.com
Contact: Jim Stack 480-659-5513
Sam DiMarco, [email protected]
TUCSON EVA 2
Web Site: www.teva2.com
Contact: Rush Dougherty, 520-240-7493
[email protected]
CALIFORNIA
CENTRAL COAST EAA
Web Site: http://eaacc.org/
Contact: Will Beckett, 831-688-8669
[email protected]
CENTRAL VALLEY EAA (CCV)
Contact: Mark Bush, 209-632-1967
[email protected]
CHICO EAA
Web Site: www.chicoeaa.info
Contact: Jerry Brandstatt,
EAST (SF) BAY EAA
Web Site: www.ebeaa.org
Contact: Ed Thorpe, 510-864-0662
[email protected]
GREATER
SACRAMENTO EAA
Web Site: www.greatersaceaa.org
Contact: Tim Hastrup, 916-791-1902
[email protected]
KONOCTI EAA
Web Site: www.konoctieaa.org
Contact: Dr. Randy Sun,
707-263-3030, [email protected]
NORTH BAY EAA
Web Site: www.nbeaa.org
Contact: Chris Jones, 707-577-2391
[email protected]
ELECTRIC VEHICLE
ASSOCIATION OF SAN
DIEGO (EVAoSD)
Web Site: www.evaosd.com
Contact: Joseph Gottlieb,
760-580-6011
[email protected]
GOLDEN GATE EVA
Web Site: www.ggeva.org
Contact: Dale Miller
415-491-0910
[email protected]
SAN JOSE EAA
Web site: http://rotordesign.com/sjeaa/
Contact: Terry Wilson, 408-446-9357
[email protected]
SANTA BARBARA SBEVA
Web site: www.SBEVA.org
Contact: Roy Prince, 805-898-0079
[email protected]
SILICON VALLEY EAA
Web site: www.eaasv.org
Contact: Jerry Pohorsky, 408-464-0711
[email protected]
ELECTRIC VEHICLE
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA (EVAoSC)
Contact: Leo Galcher, 949-492-8115
[email protected]
TEHACHAPI CHAPTER OF
EAA (TCEAA)
Contact: Michael Degrood,
661-823-9988
[email protected]
VENTURA COUNTY EAA
Web Site: http://geocities.com/vceaa/
Contact: Bruce Tucker 805-495-1026
[email protected]
COLORADO
DEVC – DENVER ELECTRIC
VEHICLE COUNCIL, Inc.
Web Site: www.devc.info
Contact: Graham Hill 303-442-6566
[email protected]
FLORIDA
CENTRAL FLORIDA EVA
(GFEVA)
Contact: Larry Wexler, 407-256-6244,
[email protected]
GOLD COAST EAA (GCEAA)
Web Site: www.goldcoasteaa.org
Contact: David Kerzel, 954-785-2184
[email protected]
SUN COAST EVA Contact: Michael Clark
[email protected]
TALLAHASSEE AREA EVA Web Site: www.taeva.org
Contact: Gillian Smith
[email protected]
GEORGIA
EV Club of the South
Web Site: www.evclubsouth.org
Contact: David Kennington,
770-944-3066
[email protected]
HAWAII
EV association of
honolulU (EVAH)
Contact: Mark Piscioneri
(808) 282-6435
IDAHO
MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN EAA
Web Site: http://michiganEAA.org/
Contact: Larry Tuttle, 734-717-0916
[email protected]
MINNESOTA
MINNESOTA EAA
Web Site: www.mneaa.com
Contact: Jukka Kokkonen,
[email protected]
MISSOURI
GATEWAY ELECTRIC
VEHICLE (GEVA)
Web Site: http://gatewayev.org
Contact: George Moellenhoff
MID AMERICA EAA
TRIANGLE EAA
Web Site: www.rtpnet.org/teaa
Contact: Peter Eckhoff
OHIO
Central Ohio Electric
Vehicle Association
(COEVA)
Contact: George Anderson
614-578-4656
[email protected]
greater dayton
Electric Vehicle
Association
(GDEVA)
Contact: David Lyttle,
937-837-2558
[email protected]
Web Site: http://maeaa.org/
Contact: Mike Chancey
OREGON
NEVADA
Web Site: http://oeva.org/
Contact: John Christian
[email protected]
EAA NORTHERN NEVADA
Web Site: http://ElectricNevada.org/
Contact: Bob Tregilus, 775-826-4514
[email protected]
LAS VEGAS EVA
Web Site: www.lveva.org
Contact: William Kuehl, 702-636-0304
[email protected]
NEW JERSEY
NEW JERSEY EAA (NJEAA)
Contact: Doug Stansfield,
973-875-6276
[email protected]
OREGON EVA
PENNSYLVANIA
EASTERN EV CLUB
Web Site: President: Oliver H. Perry
Contact: Peter G. Cleaveland,
THREE RIVERS EVA
Web Site: www.threeriverseva.org
Contact: Jonathan Belak
724-387-8210
[email protected]
VEVAX EVA
Contact: Louis Chiodo 724-417-6666
[email protected]
PANHANDLE ELECTRIC
VEHICLE ASSOCIATION PEVA
NEW MEXICO
Contact: Gordy Ormesher,
208-660-8539
[email protected]
Contact: Richard Dunn, 505-672-3866
[email protected]
TENNESSEE
NEW YORK
Contact: Randy Whorton
Web Site: www.fveaa.org/
Contact: Rich Carroll, 708-808-0801
[email protected]
Web Site: www.lieaa.org/home
Contact: Michael Anzalone,
631-471-3639
[email protected]
CUMBERLAND VALLEY EAA
(CVEAA) Contact: Sean Gates
INDIANA
NORTH CAROLINA
ILLINOIS
FOX VALLEY EAA
HOOSIER EVA
Contact: Bill Spitz, 317-366-6924
[email protected]
ABHEW
MASSACHUSETTS
NEW ENGLAND EAA
Web Site: http://neeaa.org/
Contact: Dave Oliveria, 203-530-4942
[email protected]
PIONEER VALLEY EAA
Contact: Karen Jones,
[email protected]
NEW MEXICO EVA (NNMEV)
LONG ISLAND EAA
COASTAL CAROLINASWILMINGTON EVA
Contact: Page Paterson,
Cell: 910-520-0107
[email protected]
ELECTRIC CARS OF
ROANOKE VALLEY
Contact: Harold Miller 252-534-1258
[email protected]
TRIAD EVA
Web Site: www.localaction.biz/TEVA
Contact: Jack Martin 336-213-5225
[email protected]
CHATTANOOGA EAA (CHEAA)
KNOXVILLE EVA
Web Site: www.knoxev.org/
Contact: Leslie Grossman
865-679-8732
[email protected]
TEXAS
ALAMO CITY EAA
Web Site: www.aceaa.org
Contact: Craig Egan, 210-542-7707
[email protected]
AUSTIN AAEAA
Web Site: www.austinev.org
Contact: Aaron Choate, 512-524-7159
[email protected]
EAA CHAPTERS AND AFFILIATES / eStar
HOUSTON EAA
Web Site: www.heaa.org
Contact: Dale Brooks 713-218-6785
[email protected]
NORTH TEXAS EAA
Web Site: www.nteaa.org
Contact: Jared Leverington
[email protected]
UTAH
UTAH EV COALITION
Web Site: www.saltflats.com
Contact: Kent Singleton,
virginia
RENEWABLE ENERGY EVA
Web Site: www.reevadiy.org
Contact: Mark Hanson 540-473-1248
Call for info on meetings.
WASHINGTON
SEATTLE EVA Web Site: www.seattleeva.org
Contact: Steven Lough, 206-524-1351
[email protected]
TACOMA EVA (TACEVA)
Web Site: www.taceva.org
Contact: Stan Lee 253-383-4371
[email protected]
VASHON EVA (VASH)
Education
Chapters
ALAMANCE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE EDUCATION
CHAPTER (ACCEC)
Contact: Marc Hunter
[email protected]
Appalachian State
University EAAEV
Education Chapter
(ASUED)
http://boonetransportation.com/
Contact: Asher Flynt
[email protected]
EVA of west virginia
university (WVU)
Contact: Roy Nutter
[email protected]
ELECTRIC VEHICLE
TECHNICAL INSTITUTE INC.
(EVTI)
Contact: Dennis Miles
[email protected]
James Madison
University Electric
Auto Association
Educational Chapter
(JMU)
Contact: Rob Prins
[email protected]
Contact: David Barden 206-919-5428
[email protected]
WENATCHEE EVA (WEVA)
Contact: Aimee Pope 509-886-5352
[email protected]
WASHINGTON D.C.
EVA OF WASHINGTON DC
Web Site: http://evadc.org/
Contact: David Goldstein,
301-869-4954
[email protected]
WEST VIRGINIA
APPALACHIAN
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
ASSOCIATION (WVEA)
Contact: Ken Wilkins 304-380-1315
[email protected]
Navistar’s new electric eStar.™
The items on this list have
been kept at a minimum in
order to save space. If you
wish to learn more about
a specific organization,
please check
http:electricauto.org/ for
meeting particulars.
We do attempt to keep this
list up to date. If you
have changes or notice
corrections, please
email us at
membership@electricauto.
org.
The Electric Auto
Association is a 501 (c)(3)
nonprofit organization.
The eStar, the nation’s first purpose-built
commercial class 2c-3 electric truck,
delivers something truly awe inspiring
to the marketplace.
The eStar all-electric truck is the first
medium-duty commercial vehicle to
receive US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) certification as a clean
fuel fleet vehicle as well as California Air
Resources Board (CARB) certification
as a zero-emissions vehicle. The eStar
has a range of up to 100 miles per
charge, making it ideal for many urban
applications. When it returns to its home
base, it can be plugged in and fully
recharged within six to eight hours.
Unlike other electric trucks that are
reconfigured models of fossil-fuel trucks,
the eStar ™ truck has been purposebuilt for electric power, providing a
competitive advantage with a low centre
of gravity (the battery is between the
frame rails, not mounted on top) and
a 36-foot turning radius. The eStar™ is
engineered with superior aerodynamics,
a walk-though cab and a quick-change
cassette-type battery that can be swapped
out in 20 minutes, enabling around the
clock operation. It is capable of carrying
payloads up to two tons.
With zero tailpipe emissions, each
eStar truck can reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by as much as 10 tons annually.
Drivers will be able to experience the
ultimate in ergonomic design as the
windshield provides nearly 180-degree
visibility, the low-floor design provides
easy loading/unloading and the noise
level is near zero, which makes this
nimble vehicle ideal for urban areas
facing noise challenges.
The eStar™ all-electric truck transitioned
from concept to reality in August 2009,
when President Barack Obama visited
Navistar’s manufacturing plant in
Indiana to announce $39.2 million in
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act funds from the Transportation
Electrification Initiative administered
by the US Department of Energy.
Navistar has long been a leader in clean
vehicle technology. The eStar is further
proof of their ongoing commitment to
developing brands and solutions that
meet the demands of business and our
planet.
Electric Auto Association (EAA) Membership Application Form
Fill out this form, attach a check, money order or use PayPal, in US funds only, payable to „Electric Auto Association‟.
CE = Current EVents newsletter
e-CE □$35 USA & other Countries □$25 Student □$25 Senior (>65-USA/Canada only) birth year:___________
paper CE □$45 USA □$48 Canada □$52 World □$29 Student □$29 Senior (>65-USA/Canada only)
□$120 (supporting level-1) □$240 (supporting level-2) □$500 or more (high voltage)___________ □do not list my name
I support the _______________________________________________EAA Chapter (addional, $10 each) ____________________
□($10each ) Additional Chapters or Special interest group (other than the one that comes with the membership)
You can fold this form as indicated and mail it with your payment enclosed. Use tape to seal the form, on the sides, before you mail it
or register online and pay with credit card, bank account or PayPal, http://electricauto.org
□
New Member
□
Renewal
Name: __________________________________________________________________email: ____________________________
Mailing address(Apt #):
______________________________________________________________
Home Phone:
_________________
Mailing City, State & Zip:
____________________________________________________________ Work Phone: __________________
=============================================FOLD HERE========================================
□Electronic version of Current EVents, paperless only, link sent by email.
*□Do you own or □lease an Electric Vehicle (plug-in)? □Production □Conversion □Bicycle □Hybrid or □No/None
please include miles driven and type of vehicle_______________________________________________________________________________________________
All information in this application is for the exclusive use of the EAA and not sold or given to any other organization.
Please identify your primary areas of interest relating to the EAA (check as many as you wish)
□Owner/Driver □Hobby/Builder □Professional/Business □Competition (Rallies, Races, Records) □Plug-in Hybrids
□Environmental/Govt. Regs □Social (Rallies, Shows, Events) □New Technology & Research □Solar & Wind Power
□Promotion & Public Awareness of EVs □Student or General Interest □Electrathon/Bicycle/Scooter/Other
The Electric Auto Association www.electricauto.org
‘Providing free Electric Vehicle information to the public since 1967’
The Electric Auto Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) for the promotion of electric vehicles. Your donations are tax deductible
and with your membership you will receive the EAA publication, “Current EVents”. All information and statistics in this application
are for the exclusive use of the EAA and is not sold or given to any other organization or company. Your membership dues include a
percentage goes to the EAA Chapter you support for public Electric Vehicle promotion EVents like rallies, shows and EV rides.
===========================================FOLD HERE ==========================================
Return address
[email protected]
1st Class
___________________________________________
Postage
Here
___________________________________________
Electric Auto Association
Membership Renewals
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248
EV CONFERENCE AND EAA CHAPTER EVENTS CALENDAR
June 6-10, 2011
Advanced Automotive Battery
Conference Europe (AABC 2011
Europe) http://www.advancedautobat.
com/automotive-battery-conferenceEurope-2011/index.html
Q
June 8-9, 2011
Q
Third German Electric Vehicle Congress,
Bonn Germany
http://www.ev-info.com/it/all-ev-events/
details/70-third-german-electric-vehiclecongress.html
June 30, 2011

Clean Air Awards Reception, Monterey
Plaza Hotel, Monterey, CA Breathe
California Central Coast’s 1st annual
Clean Air Awards will focus on positive
initiatives that are being taken to reduce
global warming and air pollution. http://
www.breathecentral.org/
July 18-21, 2011
Plug-In 2011 Conference &
Exposition,Raleigh, NC
http://www.plugin2011.com/
Q
June 11, 2011
P
3rd Annual Michigan Electric
Vehicle Rally & Show Noon to
6:00pm http://sites.google.com/site/
michiganelectricautos/2011-meaa-show
July 25-30, 2011

Hands-on EV Conversion Workshop
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology,
Jamison PA www.buckscountyrenewables.
com

June 11-12, 2011
11th Power of DC with e-Drag Racing
and AutoCross. An EVADC-sponsored
NEDRA EVent in Hagerstown, MD. Come
see unique EV conversions, OEMs such as
Teslas, Volts, Leafs! www.PowerofDC.com

August 11, 2011
Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance
Meeting; IBEW Local 234, 10300 Merritt,
Castroville, CA
Plug-In 2011 Conference & Exposition Opens Registration
Taking Place in Raleigh in July, Conference Will Offer a
Complete, Open and Direct Dialogue on the Future of Plug-In
Hybrid and Electric Transportation
http://www.plugin2011.com
Q
October 18-20
2011 Munich, Germany; 3rd Annual
eCarTec Exhibition and Conference
Program; Complete info available from
Jerry Kallman, at: [email protected]
or (tel) 201-519-5831
Note: EAA Chapters.
Any major event information should be sent
to [email protected] for inclusion in
the newsletter, at least 2-3 months ahead of
event date. If you have recurring annual
events, please provide New Year schedule
at the start of the year. We want to maintain
focus on EAA-specific events.
EAA Chapter Event
EV related Event
EV related Conference
=
=
=
P

Q
2011 Michigan
EV Show and Rally
Join us for the 3rd Annual
Michigan Electric Vehicle
Show
Saturday June 11, 2011
9 am - 4 pm on the Schoolcraft
College Campus, 7 Mile
Rd and Haggerty, Livonia,
Michigan
See manufacturer’s vehicles, meet
EV owners, learn about charging,
drive an electric vehicle and
watch them compete in a SCCA
sanctioned Rally.
Learn, Touch, Drive, Race
Website: http://michiganeaa.org
Facebook: http://is.gd/iFZHh
Twitter: http://twvt.us/
michiganevshow
ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248 USA
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A RAV4-EV with the heart of a Tesla China is electrifying AC in an

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