EV Digest 6738
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) RE: Automatic or Manual?
by "David Hankins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) Re: Linux EDA Dexign Software
by rod dilkes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) EVLN(PV-Ebike-recharging designs)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) EVLN(Formula SAE competition rules change to prohibit hybrids)-Long
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) EVLN(Senate committee approved $1b EV battery R&D bill)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) EVLN(Dumm's Kodiak, AK VW Golf EV conversion)-long
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) EVLN(Tesla EV troted out as a Silicon Valley geekery status)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) EVLN(Captain Awesome gets into his electric car for social good)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) Re: EVLN(Captain Awesome gets into his electric car for social good)
by "David Roden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) Re: Jinxed!
by "Lawrence Rhodes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) Re: AC Questions - Just got my donor pickup!!!-
by Frank John <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) Re: EVLN(Captain Awesome gets into his electric car for social good)
by Dave Cover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: Jay Leno no friend of electric cars.
by [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--- Begin Message ---
Certainly you could get carried away and compromise the structural integrity
of the flywheel. But that would take some serious cutting (after all the
flywheel is just a big slug of forged steel, unlike that clutch or tranny).
But that is not the reason that they don't do flywheel lightning with race
engines in the lower street stock classes. Foremost You need the gear on the
outer edge to start the engine, your street stock classes tend to look down
on those sorts of mods and for the hassle and time it takes it's just
doesn't give you that much compared to what you lose (especially if you
really drive the car on the street).
I'm not sure what kind of racing that you did but "in the day" when I was
involved in the sport I never heard of a flywheel coming apart on a race
car. I have seen lots of clutches, rear ends and trannies come apart though.
The Big Daddy blew his tranny when he lost his foot. (When it happened his
first thought was that he had blown the clutch).
So yeah I don't recommend that you go nuts on the thing but you can reduce
some serious mass from it by just removing the outer 3-4" of the diameter
that now serves no useful purpose without changing the structural integrity
of it.
Regards
David
-----Original Message-----
From: Marty Hewes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 12:40 PM
To: ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
Subject: Re: Automatic or Manual?
This is another thing that sends shivers up my spine, the thought of
lightening a flywheel. Be very, very sure the person who's doing it knows
what they are doing. There is a lot of centrifugal force acting on a
flywheel when they are spinning, and they have been known to fly apart if
they are structurally compromised, even just overheated a few too many
times. Don Garlits (the first guy into the 7's), I believe, lost a big
chunk of his foot to a flywheel explosion.
Back when I was racing, there were rules about that sort of thing. If you
wanted a light flywheel, you bought one that was approved. Even then, in
the faster classes, you ran a scattershield, pretty much a bullet proof bell
housing, or what amounts to a bullet proof vest for the trans. In stock
classes, you could run a stock flywheel, but I suspect they'd frown upon
having it lightened. In my camaros, I ran an aluminum race flywheel, and a
factory high performance lightweight steel flywheel. Neither was terribly
expensive. Depending on what you're driving, you may be able to buy one for
not much more than the cost of the machine work anyway. There used to be
places around that could make flywheels for anything to spec.
Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Hankins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>A flywheel can be made "light" for EV use as you don't need the outer Gear
> ring for the starter and you don't need all that mass to keep the motor
> running smoothly at idle or to keep you from stalling the motor at low
> rpms.
>
> So, you can machine off the outer diameter down to only the area needed
> for
> the clutch. The thickness can be reduced and any additional material not
> required for structural integrity can be removed with further machining
> and
> drilling.
>
> David
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The Sourceforge PCB Project is also worth a look for platform independent
freeware.
http://pcb.sourceforge.net/
Regards, Rod Dilkes
www.ev-power.com.au
On Saturday 05 May 2007 06:55, Electric Vehicle Discussion List wrote:
> Re: Linux EDA Dexign Software.
> From:
> john fisher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To:
> ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
> Date:
> Today 06:15:30
>
> Danny, is autorouting a drawing function ( keep your lines neat) or a
> design function ( keep you from making bad connections)?
>
> Danny Miller wrote:
> > Yeah Eagle's a good one. They have a pretty good Autorouter and that
> > gets to be indispensible. Once you have over a hundred wires and want
> > to move stuff around at will, autorouting is essential because it may
> > take days to rework the traces manually.
> >
> > Da
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(PV-Ebike-recharging designs)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=8403
Solar Power Turns Mobility Scooters Green
Solar powered mobility scooters could soon be on the streets
thanks to the work of a student at The University of Nottingham.
Matt Alvey, who is studying Architecture and Environmental
Design, says the photovoltaic (solar electric) recharging system
will turn the mobility vehicles truly green.
The project began when a company that manufactures secure storage
sheds for the scooters approached the university about
integrating solar power to recharge the vehicle. If Matt can find
a solution it will overcome problems often associated with
connecting mains power to the shed. This can prove costly as it
requires a qualified electrician to do the work. It would also
prevent the possibility of the charger overloading the owners
mains electricity supply to their home. Matt says the other big
advantage is that it will generate electricity by a renewable
means and therefore has no harmful emissions.
Caroline Moore, Director of Securit GB, the Chesterfield based
company that sells the storage sheds, says We wanted a solar
panel system that would reduce the electric costs for disabled
users and cut costs on getting a power supply connected to the
shed.
Dr Mark Gillott, Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainable
Energy Technology at the School of the Built Environment says
"Increasingly more and more people are becoming aware of their
own impact on the environment. Renewable energy technologies are
becoming extremely popular with the general public and this
project is one example of how demand for a green solution was
sought by the consumer."
Shortly after the project began Loughborough based 50cycles
[ http://50cycles.com ] brought along one of their electric
bikes for testing.
Scott Snaith from 50cycles says there is a growing market for
electric bikes and they want to find a way of making them 100%
sustainable. Matt is hoping he can use the same technology to
charge the bikes.
Matt Alvey is in the 3rd year of his 4 year course and took on
the project for his dissertation study module. He has set up a
working prototype to test the proposed design and the results, so
far, look promising.
Posted May 2nd, 2007 AZoM.com Pty.Ltd Copyright © 2000-2007
===
http://groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1360
Vectric Shareholder Report Shows Promise For Electric Super Bikes
michael Posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
[image - Parking/charging station for 6 Ecycles w/ roof solar panel
http://groovygreen.com/groove/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/snipshot_e4bq8m3brd1.jpg
]
The Vectrix shareholder report for April 2007 [...] lays out
some important milestones reached by the company; as well as
future developments underway for the vehicle line. Here are some
of the highlights:
[...]
>>Talk about green. The Vectrix All-Electric scooter has been
given a has a Cleaner Drive Rating of 3, compared with a rating
of 32 for a 4-stroke 250 c.c. motorcycle, 58 for a large family
car, and 71 for an SUV. The European Union the developed the
Cleaner Drive Rating to study overall carbon impact and
tailpipe emissions for different types of vehicles.
>>In the quest to create a closed-circuit system of
sustainability and clean energy, Vectrix has entered into a
partnership with Parker Hannifin to develop a patented docking
station that will secure and charge the Vectrix scooter.
Imagine a number of these setup along highways or outside of
hotels for quick, clean charging. Granted, the practicality of
having these in the U.S. would be limited (scooters are not as
popular here as elsewhere around the world) but coupled with
other electric vehicles in the future, this might become a
reality for some. Very cool idea. I wonder what the charge time
on something like that would be to 80%
.
>>[...] A three-wheeled version of the Maxi Scooter; as well as
Premium version and Sport Motorcycle concept are also in the
works.
[...]
Groovy Green © 2006 - All Rights Reserved
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EVLN(Formula SAE competition rules change to prohibit hybrids)-Long
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http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/REPOSITORY/705030368/1043/NEWS01
Their own, hybridized race
Banned from event, college students innovate
By KATE DAVIDSON Monitor staff May 03. 2007 8:00AM Loudon
[Photos by ANDREW HENDERSON / Monitor staff
http://cmimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CM&Date=20070503&Category=REPOSITORY&ArtNo=705030368
Dave Burnham (left, front) and Abigail Davidson (right) of Thayer
School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, determine the
diagnostics of their hybrid race car during the Formula Hybrid
Project yesterday at New Hampshire International Speedway in
Loudon.]
Engineering students at Dartmouth College began designing a
hybrid car three years ago with the hopes of racing it in the
Formula SAE, one of the premier automotive design competitions
for college students. Before they could enter their race car,
however, the competition rules changed to prohibit hybrid
vehicles.
Three years later, the students and professors at Dartmouth's
Thayer School of Engineering have launched a separate competition
in conjunction with Formula SAE and the Society of Automotive
Engineers specifically for hybrid race cars. The inaugural event
began Tuesday at the New Hampshire International Speedway, where
cars from seven college teams from across the country were judged
on design, acceleration, handling and endurance.
Doug Fraser, a Dartmouth engineering professor and director of
the Formula Hybrid Project, said the competition is far more
challenging for graduate and undergraduate students than the
traditional Formula SAE, which is based on technology and
techniques that engineers have already perfected over the years.
Hybrid cars are fueled not only with gasoline from an internal
combustion engine, but also with electricity, which cuts back on
the amount of fuel used but requires more complex electrical and
mechanical engineering. At many colleges, Fraser said, the
mechanical and electrical engineering departments are on opposite
ends of the campus. At the competition, the different majors are
encouraged to work together and negotiate, he said.
The collaboration in uncharted territory often leads to new ideas
because most of the students have never worked on hybrid cars and
don't have preconceived notions about the way they work, Fraser
said.
"They're thinking outside the box because they haven't got a box
to think inside of yet," he said. "If 90 percent of their ideas
don't work and 10 percent of them do, that's pretty good."
The competition is a culmination of nearly a year's worth of work
for most of the students. Several schools participated, including
Dartmouth, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Insitute
of Technology, McGill University, Yale University and Illinois
Institute of Technology.
The cars must conform to a set of rules, or formulas, that
promote fuel efficiency and drivetrain innovation. The first day
of competition included technical inspection in the speedway
garages and judging before a panel of five design experts,
including an engineer from Toyota, one of the competition
sponsors. Students also present a business plan for their cars to
a marketing panel and demonstrate how the cars could be put into
production.
Yesterday, teams competed in acceleration heats and an autocross,
in which drivers must navigate a course marked by cones. Teams
start off the race with a set amount of gas, about 15 percent
less than what the average Formula SAE car would use. The goal is
to finish the competition, including a 14-mile endurance race
today, with the gas in their tanks.
The drivers must be able to complete a 75-meter acceleration run
in 15 seconds, meaning the car must be able to travel an average
speed of about 11 mph down a 156-foot stretch of track. They must
also finish the endurance race in 60 minutes or less, maintaining
an average speed of about 14 mph. Students have to share driving
responsibilities throughout the competition, and there must be a
driver switch halfway through the endurance race.
Most of the students are receiving some kind of class credit for
the project; for many of them it is a requirement to graduate. It
is safe to say that all of them have put in extra hours outside
of class time to work on the design and practice, Dartmouth
Professor John Collier said. There has never been a race like
this one, and none of the cars has much of a history, he added.
Although Toyota has been an innovator in manufacturing hybrid
cars, most of that technology and those parts are not readily
available, and students still don't know much about the way they
work.
"Everyone has different problems, and things fail for reasons
that you don't really expect," Collier said.
A team from Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Fla., had an inkling
that their car's vibration was causing some kind of problem with
a wire connection. As they rolled the car to the starting line of
the acceleration run and received the go-ahead, with dozens of
other teams looking on, the car stalled. They rolled it back and
started furiously adjusting and twisting the car's insides, as
the driver nervously looked on.
"These kids have no experience," said their adviser, professor
Jack McKisson. "They don't know that something will always go
wrong. They're not familiar with Murphy's Law."
About 40 students worked on the Embry-Riddle car, which had
another shot at the acceleration run and completed it in about 15
seconds.
Seconds later, a car screeched off the starting line, and shrieks
echoed down the track as students from Florida Institute of
Technology saw their time flash up on a digital clock: 4.987
seconds.
"That's really good," senior Valerie Bastien said. "We designed
it for under five seconds and we got it."
Many of the students who compete in the Formula SAE competition
leave with job offers from automotive design companies, and
Fraser said he hopes the Formula Hybrid competition will offer
the same opportunities.
Bill Wimmer, Toyota's national manager of environmental affairs
and a judge on the design panel, said the experience certainly
won't hurt their resumes. The company was one of the
competition's primary sponsors.
"There were a lot of creative, innovative ideas," Wimmer said of
the designs. "It's a learning experience. The idea is to explain
why maybe having done it a different way would have worked out
better."
Plans are already under way for a second annual Formula Hybrid
International Competition, Fraser said. It's perfect timing for a
hybrid competition, as the world faces an energy crisis and
worldwide conflicts over oil continue to make headlines, he
said.
"Even though hybrids are an interim solution, it's one of the
best that we've got at the moment," he said.
copyright concordmonitor.com
===
http://www.exduco.net/news.php?id=1423
[image of students looking at a wall with EVent informational
displays]
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EVLN(Senate committee approved $1b EV battery R&D bill)
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http://www.eemsonline.co.uk/news/04-05-07_7
U.S. Senate to be presented with compromise bill on CAFE rules
4th May 2007 (www.freep.com)
[...]
On 2 May, another Senate committee approved a bill calling for
over $1 billion to be spent on battery research for electric
vehicles.
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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EVLN(Dumm's Kodiak, AK VW Golf EV conversion)-long
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http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=4681
Batteries included By BRYAN MARTIN Mirror Writer
Article published on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007
Anton Larsen Bay resident puts alternative power to the peddle
With the price of gasoline on a continued rise, one way to beat
higher prices and also to do something to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions in the air is to think going electric.
Not just think about it, but also do something about it. Thats
what Don Dumm is doing. He just completed building an electric
car and is zipping around town fueled by batteries.
There are 18 batteries powering his car, an old Golf Volkswagen
similar to VWs Rabbit series of a few years ago.
"I see a place for electric cars in Kodiak, said Dumm, who has
only been driving his electric car the past two weeks mainly to
do family errands.
"Over time, we will see how it holds up in Kodiaks corrosive
environment, Dumm said.
"It is worth it just to know we dont have to be that reliant on
fossil fuels. It is more than just economic, said the
55-year-old Dumm who has lived in Kodiak since 1980.
Dumm, who owns Sourdough Solar, is not a stranger to working with
alternative power sources. He has developed the use of solar
power and small wind generators. Both are hooked into his home on
6 acres at Anton Larsen Bay.
"People are becoming more aware of different energy sources
because of the global warming debate. But what really hits home
is fuel prices, Dumm said.
Its happening not only in transportation but also home heating.
Lots of people have to run off fuel for their homes. Alternative
sources cut down on the use of wood, like in the Anton Larsen
area, and the use of space heaters, Dumm said.
"I gain satisfaction from the idea that we are taking care of the
earth, the environment. We need to think in terms of what we can
do to clean up our act, Dumm said.
Dumm and his wife, Susan Payne, who is a biologist for the
National Marine Fisheries Service in Kodiak, started thinking a
few months ago that they were tired of burning a lot of gasoline
in their pickup truck.
We were thinking maybe of a small economy car, and then it hit
me. Why not look into building an electric car? I had done some
reading and research and seen the video, Who Killed the Electric
Car, a movie about the auto industry and the recent demise of
electric cars by big company manufacturers.
The video showed electric vehicles on the road a few years ago
and how successful they were. Then the auto companies just quit
manufacturing them, Dumm said.
Dumm, originally from the San Francisco area, said the auto
companies in California tried to accommodate laws mandating zero
carbon dioxide emission by 2008.
A lot of electric cars were being made from 1997 to 2003. But
politics and competition between the big oil companies and
manufacturers got in the way.
Dumm said his electric car is based on technology that has been
available for at least the last 20 years.
Down the road, it is definitely possible that the automakers and
smaller companies will start marketing electric cars.
There are shops on the West Coast that can now convert cars from
gasoline to electric in four days, Dumm said.
If a few people start doing it then it will take hold, maybe even
in Kodiak.
Once Dumm got the idea, it did not take him long to put his
electric machine together.
He began working on it in February, taking two months to put it
together, gathering mostly used parts and stripping the VW Golf.
It cost about $7,000 to build the car, Dumm said.
Dumm said he stripped out everything that had to do with the
gasoline engine. That included the engine, exhaust system,
radiator, fuel tanks, fuel lines and anything related to the
combustion engine.
The new electric motor, a DC motor bolted to the clutch housing,
is air-cooled. That means for now there is no heater, the only
drawback, Dumm said.
The transmission remained the same with a stock drive, 4-speed
manual shift.
Electric power comes from 18 batteries, at six volts each. The
battery pack gives him 108 volts, with six of the batteries under
the hood, and 12 behind the back seat.
There is also a controller, a large rectangle tin box under the
hood that meters electrical current from the batteries to the
motor. The motor is 9 inches in diameter and 20 inches long,
weighing about 120 pounds, located under the hood below the
controller.
The controller allows for throttle. On a straightaway, the car
can travel up to 55 mph.
"Right now, we are using it just to run errands around town. We
drove 34 miles in one day. So far, thats the most we have done,
Dumm said.
I dont know yet what the range is. We are still testing, Dumm
said.
Dumm charges the car at night by plugging it into a 120 AC
outlet. Usually a charge takes from four to 10 hours, depending
on how much it has been driven.
He figures it cost him from $1.50 to $3 per overnight charge, and
calculates about 7 cents a mile on overall power costs.
Dumm, who has two sons, Will, 11, and Wes, 6 said he has
taken the electric car to North Star Elementary School and the
high school to show students.
He said building the car was a family project, one the next
generation might want to look into.
"There is a lot we can do other than relying on fossil fuels,
Dumm said.
Mirror writer Bryan Martin can be reached via e-mail at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ©2007, Kodiak Daily Mirror
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EVLN(Tesla EV troted out as a Silicon Valley geekery status)
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http://news.com.com/Silicon+Valley+engineers+peek+at+the+Tesla/2100-11389_3-6181574.html
Silicon Valley engineers peek at the Tesla
Mechanical engineers get a look at what makes Tesla Motors'
electric sports car tick.
By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: May 4, 2007, 1:19 PM PDT
MENLO PARK, Calif.--If you want to pack a room of mechanical
engineers in Silicon Valley, just trot out its hottest new symbol
of status and geekery, the Tesla Roadster.
Tesla Motors, maker of the electric-powered sports car formerly
code-named DarkStar, showed off the Roadster's second engineering
prototype here Thursday evening at a networking event of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Perhaps even more
compelling for the engineers than to see the car was the chance
to pick the brain of Doug Bourn, senior electrical engineer for
Tesla, who tried to illuminate the inner workings of the Roadster
to a sophisticated crowd.
Jean-Claude Roy, an engineer at Lockheed Martin, said: "Of
course, this car is too expensive, but I wanted to understand
it."
Tesla's first $92,000 two-seater sports car is expected to ship
in November or December of this year, according to Bourn. Among
the first 180 owners of the Tesla--125 of whom paid in full up
front--will be Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who
invested in the San Carlos, Calif., company.
Bourn touched on everything from the high-level thinking behind
the car's development to the nuts and bolts of how it works,
including describing the battery pack. He likely fielded some
questions he didn't entirely know the answers to, given his
curious audience of mechanical engineers who wanted to know some
things that fell outside his field of expertise, electrical
engineering. (Bourn worked primarily on the car's power module.)
The idea behind the Roadster, Bourn said, was to minimize
resource consumption per mile, emit low carbon emissions and get
away from America's destructive oil diet--all without sacrificing
performance. And the company has done that: The car can
accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in four seconds, topping out at about
130 mph. It runs completely on electricity and plugs into an
electrical outlet in the wall, giving the car's battery a range
of up to 250 miles, according to Bourn.
He offered efficiency comparisons of battery-powered cars versus
other alternatively fueled cars. For example, his equation
factoring how far a hydrogen-powered car could go on 1 megawatt
hour of electricity showed that it would go about 1,800 miles,
considering that efficiencies are lost in the conversion of
producing hydrogen in a fuel cell. In contrast, the electric car
can go 4,900 miles on 1 megawatt hour of electricity, according
to Bourn's calculations.
Part of the car's secret sauce is in relying on lithium ion
cells, commodity batteries that are commonly used in laptops.
Using many small cells, Tesla has built its battery pack with 11
individual sheets of 621 cells. Each sheet has a semiconductor
chip evaluating the cells for charge balancing and cooling, and
the pack has built-in safety features so that if one cell were to
spoil it would shut itself off so as not to degrade the rest of
the car, according to Bourn.
[Photos: Stefanie Olsen/CNET News.com
http://news.com.com/2300-11389_3-6181541-1.html
Tesla Motors, maker of the electric-powered sports car formerly
code-named DarkStar, showed off the Roadster's second engineering
prototype in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday evening at a networking
event of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The
Roadster is Silicon Valley's hottest new symbol of status and
geekery.]
The entire stack weighs about 950 pounds and packs higher energy
density than previous electric cars like General Motors' EV1. The
EV1 had an energy density of 300 kilowatts per hour, compared
with the Roadster's 580. The company guarantees the life of the
battery pack for 100,000 miles. Tesla hasn't established a cost
for an extra battery pack yet.
Other details Bourn offered: The car weighs about 2,600 pounds.
It has a carbon fiber body and a bonded aluminum chassis. It uses
all LED lighting, with a 12-volt electronic system. It uses only
rear-wheel drive and might not be ideal for a winter jaunt up to
mountains given that chains wouldn't fit in its tire well.
Right now, the car's undergoing all of the standard tests of a
regular vehicle: crash, cold weather, durability and road
handling tests. It's been tested at length on European
cobblestone streets that would make anyone's back hurt, and in
snowy conditions in Sweden. Even in cold weather, the car's
heating, ventilating and air conditioning system keeps a constant
temperature inside the battery pack so it performs in inclement
weather.
Still, engineers in the audience were concerned about how fast
and far it could go at high speeds or while taking it up to Lake
Tahoe (approximately 200 miles northeast of San Francisco), given
that its battery range is between 200 to 250 miles and driving at
a constant high speed can drain the battery length.
"It's designed as a sports car. Take it out, impress your friends
and go out to dinner," Bourn said. Considering the crowd of lead
foots, he added: "You guys aren't going to get 200 miles at
all."
The event was held here at TechShop, an open workshop that lets
members, for $100 a month or $30 a day, have access to all manner
of industrial tools like laser cutters, brake presses or a 3D
printer. TechShop opened in October with little to no press and
has so far attracted 120 members who have made things like
robots, custom skateboards, espresso machines and car parts. The
girl working the front desk etched her Mac laptop in flowers
using one of the workshop's two laser printers.
"I've been a member since November, and it's fun," said one of
the attendees.
Copyright ©2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(Captain Awesome gets into his electric car for social good)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070503/480/63b4f0adf85c4f2e84fc88932b9f2d8a
[(AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070503/capt.46310fa69ee34846a93f2fc5edc7ce47.super_pizza_mnah101.jpg
Dustin Saunders, aka Captain Awesome, poses in front of the
electric delivery vehicles at Galactic Pizza in Minneapolis,
Friday, April 27, 2007. The irreverent approach masks a
seriousness of purpose at Galactic Pizza, where the electric
delivery cars are just one aspect of what its owner calls a
'values led company.' Galactic Pizza emphasizes environmental
sustainability and protection in its business practices, uses
organic and locally grown ingredients when possible, and donates
a small portion of its profit to hunger relief and other
charities.]
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070503/capt.87f1164f1e43499f907557134d1a0dc3.super_pizza_mnah106.jpg
Dustin Saunders, aka Captain Awesome, loads his delivery bag into
his electric car, 'Bob,' after delivering a pizza for Galactic
Pizza in Minneapolis, Friday, April 27, 2007. The irreverent
approach masks a seriousness of purpose at Galactic Pizza, where
the electric delivery cars are just one aspect of what its owner
calls a 'values led company.' Galactic Pizza emphasizes
environmental sustainability and protection in its business
practices, uses organic and locally grown ingredients when
possible, and donates a small portion of its profit to hunger
relief and other charities.]
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070503/capt.63b4f0adf85c4f2e84fc88932b9f2d8a.super_pizza_mnah104.jpg
Dustin Saunders, aka Captain Awesome, gets into his electric car,
'Bob,' after delivering a pizza for Galactic Pizza in
Minneapolis, Friday, April 27, 2007. The irreverent approach
masks a seriousness of purpose at Galactic Pizza, where the
electric delivery cars are just one aspect of what its owner
calls a 'values led company.' Galactic Pizza emphasizes
environmental sustainability and protection in its business
practices, uses organic and locally grown ingredients when
possible, and donates a small portion of its profit to hunger
relief and other charities.]
===
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=164752
Galactic Pizza delivers social good
The Forum Published Saturday, May 05, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS Captain Awesome is driving Bob tonight.
Lets break that down: Dustin Saunders, a delivery guy for
Galactic Pizza who dresses for the job in a blue superhero suit
complete with red cape and boots, is ferrying pies around south
Minneapolis in an electric-powered three-wheeled vehicle thats
been dubbed Bob. Other members of the fleet are called Frank
and Les.
If it all sounds slightly ridiculous, thats Galactic Pizza. This
is an establishment that recently sponsored Richard Simmons Day
(50 percent off everything if you dress like Richard Simmons)
and also features a 4:20 Special in a sly nod to the cannabis
devotees who make up a large slice of the delivery pizza market.
(The number 420 is a slang reference to marijuana.)
But the irreverent approach masks a seriousness of purpose at
Galactic Pizza, where the electric delivery cars are just one
part of what its owner calls a values-led company. Galactic
Pizza emphasizes environmental sustainability and protection in
its business practices, uses organic and locally grown
ingredients when possible, and donates a small portion of its
profit to hunger relief and other charities.
I wanted to do good for people, I wanted to not, at the very
least, be a burden on society and try to even contribute to it,
said Pete Bonahoom, Galactic Pizzas 29-year-old owner.
Dustin Saunders, aka Captain Awesome, loads his delivery bag into
his electric car, Bob, after delivering a pizza for Galactic
Pizza in Minneapolis. The irreverent approach masks a seriousness
of purpose at Galactic Pizza, where the electric delivery cars
are just one aspect of what its owner calls a values-led
company. Associated Press
Bonahooms not alone more small business owners are finding
ways to achieve social good through their practices.
The entrepreneurs will say, how can I solve this problem now and
make money doing it? said Byron Kennard, executive director of
the Washington-based Center for Small Business and the
Environment, which advocates green business practices.
In Manhattan, Maury Rubin has opened two locations of the
Birdbath Bakery, a green bakery. Walls are made from wheat and
sunflower seeds, the floors are made of cork and the staff wears
hemp-and-linen jackets.
As a business owner and a human being at a time when the world
seems to be falling to pieces, I want to do my part, Rubin
said.
Even as a college student, Bonahoom said he was spending a lot of
time thinking about how we can transform capitalism into
something that can be an engine for good and not just creating
waste. After graduation he got a job with a large financial
services company, where he analyzed 401(k) plans and quickly grew
miserable.
Everyone was just there to make a paycheck and the ultimate goal
of our job was to take in rich clients and make sure they stayed
rich, Bonahoom said.
Bonahoom had worked at pizza joints in high school and college,
and thought it a good venue for his goals. With pizza, you need
to have a crust and some cheese, and from there you can be as
creative as possible, he said.
Some of the silly ideas were already in his head, like the
superhero costumes. In addition to Captain Awesome, Galactic
Pizzas stable of delivery heroes includes Shark Girl, Luke
Pierocker (rhymes with Skywalker), Italian Scallion and the
Veggie Avenger.
He staffed the delivery jobs with fellow travelers like Saunders,
whos 22 and believe it or not was called Captain Awesome
before he ever started dressing up as a superhero.
I used to play guitar at this cafe on Cape Cod, Saunders said,
and there was this European dude there who started calling me
Captain Awesome.
Most customers who order Galactic know the place its been in
business three years and expect a superhero to show up at the
door.
Its always a wonderful treat, said Alita Shenk, as Captain
Awesome handed over her order on a recent Friday night.
A lot of it now is people wanting to show their friends,
Saunders said. Then theres the people who laugh hysterically,
which is fun. And every once in a while I still get someone who
just picked us out of the phone book and has no idea. Those are
my favorite.
Saunders relishes the role. He greets each customer with his hand
cocked on his hip and an exclamation along the lines of, Im
Captain Awesome, and Im here with your pizza. He said he loves
delivering to homes with kids.
But hes also proud to work for a business thats trying to do
right.
Its good karma, Saunders said.
Besides the electric cars, Galactic Pizza participates in an Xcel
Energy program that allows customers to purchase all their energy
from renewable wind power.
Its mozzarella cheese comes from cows not treated by growth
hormones, and hemp is used both as an ingredient in some pizzas
as well as in the paper for menus. Most of the restaurants
packaging material is recyclable or biodegradable, and its food
waste is recycled at pig farms.
Bonahoom said some of those steps cost more than traditional
business practices, but hes covered the difference by severely
limiting his advertising budget.
All the money that typical businesses spend trying to create a
superficial relationship, we use to create ideas that are good
for people and will make them want to come back here, Bonahoom
said.
Bob Smith, owner of Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake,
Calif., said his business has earned good publicity by reducing
its waste output by 98 percent, donating to charities and taking
other socially conscious steps.
What PR budget? Smith said. That is our PR budget.
Bonahoom, who flips the dough himself most nights, said the
business is profitable. My banker loan guy keeps asking me when
Im opening another location, so that seems like a good sign,
Bonahoom said.
Bonahoom gives talks at business schools about his approach, and
hes glad to have Galactic Pizza serve as a model for other small
business.
If somebody looks at me and says, I want to do that, thats
great, Bonahoom said. If doing what I do influences someone
else, then I can create a greater good just by having a pizza
shop.
On the Net: Galactic Pizza:http://www.galacticpizza.com
©2007 Forum Communications Co. All rights reserved
===
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070503-115742-8335r.htm
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=45356
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=%22Galactic+Pizza%22
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
' ____
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. http://geocities.com/brucedp/
. EV List Editor & AFV newswires
. (originator of the above ASCII art)
===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
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--- Begin Message ---
Those are mighty funky looking cars.
http://tinyurl.com/32pwvv
http://tinyurl.com/2p5sdj
http://tinyurl.com/3xjypc
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
EV List Administrator
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--- Begin Message ---
Check with Logisystems in Texas. They might have something for you or be
able to upgrade your dead controller. LR.......
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Acuti" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <ev@listproc.sjsu.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 3:20 PM
Subject: Jinxed!
> All that talk about Curtis controller failures bit me in my a$$ today.
>
> I was 4 miles from home, waiting at a stop light. The light turned green,
I
> applied the pedal, the car bumped forward an inch and stopped dead.
>
> I was next to a gas station (isn't that ironic?) so I pushed the Bug in. I
> don't carry many tools but I do carry a Fluke multi-meter.
>
> All battery interconnects: Check. (pack meter read good also)
> Main contactor: Check.
> Pre-charge resistors: Check. They glow when I hit the switch and go out.
> Pot-box: Check. 5 ohms when the pedal is at rest, a few hundred ohms when
> weighed down with my flashlight.
> Motor: Check. All cables secure. Brushes have plenty of meat on them.
> Controller: All connections secure...
>
> When the key is on, the contactor clicks and 137 volts is then present on
> the controller input lugs.
> When I weigh the pedal down with the flashlight, there is no voltage
output
> from the controller, no voltage supplied to the motor. No fluctuation on
the
> meter whatsoever.
>
> I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's a 1221B rated for 120 volts. It's
had
> 128 volt pack on it for years. It was mounted without a heatsink until I
> bought it. I'd like to buy a Zilla 1k but I don't have $2k or 6 months to
> wait. Anyone have a gently used 1231c laying around?
>
> Rich A.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Need a break? Find your escape route with Live Search Maps.
>
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?ss=Restaurants~Hotels~Amusement%20Park&cp=33.832922~-117.915659&style=r&lvl=13&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=1118863&encType=1&FORM=MGAC01
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I am in the process of converting a 1994 Toyota 2WD short-bed truck using the
stock 5-speed tranny and 9" ADC series motor (22RE 4-cyl. stock). I didn't
think that there was tons of space available, although everything fit in OK.
Not knowing anything about what the 4WD suspension looks like, nor the V6
setup, I would recommend that you take some careful measurements before
choosing your motor. For instance, I'm not sure that the AC55 would fit my
truck without changing the driveshaft angle slightly (I think I would have had
to lift the front of the AC55 to avoid interference with steering components).
This isn't necessarily a big deal, just something to be aware of.
have fun!
----- Original Message ----
From: Tehben Dean <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
Sent: Friday, May 4, 2007 1:40:38 PM
Subject: Re: AC Questions - Just got my donor pickup!!!-
Could some other people comment on Victor's systems?
Also here are the specs for the v6 that is in the pickup right now:
150 hp (112 kW) at 4800 rpm
180 ft·lbf (244 N·m) of torque at 3600 rpm
I would like to match or exceed this with the electric drive system.
So what size motor would be recommended?
> Tehben Dean wrote:
>> Hey all,
>> I just got a 1990 4x4 toyota pickup to convert and have some
>> questions about what setup to use.
>
>> Soo what do you all think about this?
>> Does it sound like the AC55 will be a good fit?
>
> Where do you live (hot or cold climate)? Make sure you have ability
> to adequate cool off your motor if you load it for more-less
> extended periods of time.
It gets up to 70ºF in the summer ;)
> Solectria is no longer in existence, it's been sold to
> Azure dynamics years ago. Make sure DMOC445 will be well supported:
> this design, copied from BRUSA who is no longer producing
> it (close to 10 years by now) is very old. Not that it's bad,
> but documentation may be scarce.
>
>> Is there a better AC system available?
>
> There are, but I'll let other to comment as I may appear biased
> (since my company sells them).
>
>> Any comments and suggestions will be great :)
>
> Compare at least with offers on metricmind.com site and make your
> choice. FYI, I only carry liquid cooled drive systems.
>
>> Thanks,
>> Tehben
>
> --
> Victor
> '91 ACRX - something different
>
Tehben
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--- Begin Message ---
The last picture makes it look like he has Fred Flintstone brakes. I'll stick
with disc.
--- David Roden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Those are mighty funky looking cars.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3xjypc
>
--- End Message ---
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