Welcome to the Electric Car Weblog. In addition to links, news, and tips about electric cars and other forms of alternative transportation we are publishing an on-line diary of our current EV project. Started in August 2005 the chronicle follows the conversion of a gas powered Ford Probe into an Electric Car.
You will find articles organized by categories, along with recent comments, along the right hand column of the website. If you are just getting started with the idea of converting a gas car to electric be sure to check out Your First Electric Car .
Welcome and enjoy!
-Jerry
You will find articles organized by categories, along with recent comments, along the right hand column of the website. If you are just getting started with the idea of converting a gas car to electric be sure to check out Your First Electric Car .
Welcome and enjoy!
-Jerry
- More news on the Think City electric car, this time a whole thread on slashdot (which isn’t always a good thing). Some interesting comments if you can wade through the noodleheads.
- The Think story also brings Dean Kamen’s stirling engine back into the news. Stirling engines run off of temperature differentials and while not able to provide quick surges of power (think lumbering) they are good at slow and steady output. If you consider all of the hot surfaces (i.e. pavement, the roof, ALL of Phoenix, AZ!) it doesn’t take long to envision places to use them.
- Martin Eberhard will be speaking at an MPG Luncheon on August 7th about what’s up with Tesla Motors and their electric car plans.
- A story on Tim Moore’s electric Ford Escort that he converted himself. Their EV club (FVEAA) has the process of converting a car down to one month: I should go see them!
Comment [6]
- For the electric motorcycle fans out there: Bill Dube’s fantastic Killacycle is in the news again.
- Interesting article on Think’s electric car plans. Includes a segment with Dean Kamen’s stirling heat engine and how he’s integrating it into the electric car to extend its range.
- After a few other companies started their own after-market versions, Toyota is starting to seriously consider a plug-in Prius. Oddly they seem to be planning on sticking with NiMH batteries.
- Oh, sure, your electric car may go 350 mph but how many cup holders does it have?
- 200 MPH in a steam powered car? Welcome to the British Steam Car Challenge. More details here.
- Teresa Hertz’s electric ZAP Zebra. “My father, who loves me very much, said, ‘You know, if you get hit in that thing, you’re dead. Please get the most obnoxious color,’” Hertz says, revealing the inspiration behind her choice of bright green over mellow blue. “It looks like a little aphid.” As for the price of commuting? “I’ve only noticed a $10 or $12 difference in my power bill — practically nothing,” she says.
- From the mailbox (thanks!): Building a company: 0-60 in 4 seconds about Tesla motors.
- James sent along a link to the news regarding Firefly’s future batteries. You can read more about their technology here.
- Interesting read, The Truth about Recycling.
- Boggles the mind…
- A boy and his EV motor! Congrats to Gavin on receipt (and installation? I’m late in posting…) of his ADC motor. You can start at the beginning of his conversion from the KiwiEV homepage. (Gavin, that shirt isn’t conductive is it?? :) )
- James sends along a link to the Build It Solar web site he ran across the other day.
- From the in-box also comes a link to Richard Marks’ EcoVElectric website.
- Article on Sparky, Mike Phillips’s S-10 EV.
- Gas prices are going up, which means more news/speculation/research/(and kooks) with alternate fuel production, storage, or consumption techniques. Among the latest:
- Heat -> sound -> electricity device
- Solar cells may finally break into the realm of 40% efficiency
- Analysis of switch-grass ethanol production
- Mike Chancey sent along a link to a new battery pack monitor that he’s ordered: PakTrakr. It looks like a very nice unit and the price isn’t too onerous. It comes as either a 6 or 8 battery monitoring system with the ability to expand using remotes for up to 24 batteries being monitored. There’s also optional PC interface and data collector, along with a current sensor.
- SHPEGS is an open source style Solar Heat Pump Electrical Generation System. Haven’t been able to pour over the whole site yet, but I’ve done some reading of geothermal heat pumps lately and this looks interesting.
- Doug sends along a link to his very nicely done Karmann Ghia EV conversion site. Lots of pictures and a few schematics along the way from gas to electric powered automobile.
- I’d post a couple more links but my wife just let me know that her water broke…gotta go!
Comment [5]
- Hey, James, says here that everyone in the UK is eligible to get a free device that shows how much electricity is being used in the home at any one particular moment. Maybe you could mod it for the EV too?
- I wish you all would quit fooling yourselves, this can never work! (he does have some good points)
- The Velozzi electric concept car.
- Nissan and NED are teaming up to produce batteries for electric cars.
- Pietro hasn’t put his new LiPo batteries in his EV yet, but some of them went into his son’s go-kart … and won the race!
Comment [4]
- Mostly a fluff piece, Popular Mechanics takes the Hybrid Technologies L1X-75 composite body electric car for a spin. (the comments nicely illustrate the typical bi-polar responses to EVs)
- A short article on the mechanical design of the Tango electric two-seater. The Tango is an interesting car, whether you like the look of it or not. It’s not underpowered but it’s also not catering to the typical sports car crowd. Here’s the specification page. Note that it doesn’t have a tranny, but instead uses a 9” FB1-4001 on EACH rear wheel (via a custom gear box). 0-60 in 4 seconds, top speed 150mph.
- Here’s a story to warm Darin’s heart (is it still Winter in Canada Darin?): Japan mileage maniacs hack their hybrids to get over 100mpg.
- Meanwhile GM is still serious about electric cars…honest! (Ignore the man behind the curtain)
Comment [4]
- Massey University in New Zealand has announced a Solar power breakthrough. Using a patented range of synthetic dies they are somehow able to produce electricity. “We now have the most efficient porphyrin dye in the world,” said the centre’s director, Ashton Partridge. Hey, maybe our NZ friends can get samples?
- The KillaCycle, electric motorcycle, is now the fastest electric vehicle of all time. It completed a quarter mile in 8.168 seconds, at up to 155.87 miles an hour. The bike is powered by 990 lithium ion cells from A123.
- Last year when I bought our Prius it included a $3,200 tax rebate. As Toyota sells more hybrids the rebate is going down (hmm, wonder if the tax rebate for buying a hummer is going down?) so Toyota is starting to offer their own incentives.
- A couple EV links sent in this week: Mannyman’s EVorBust and the EV Enthusiasts of Maine