EV Digest 2506
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) EVLN(Takara's Q-car nEV is a hot seller)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) EVLN(EV1 will be off California roads by August 2004)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) EVLN(EVs shrinking, battery power not completely gone)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) How To Best Promote Our Cause?
by Marvin Campbell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) EVLN(Saegert 8th-graders a full-sized electric car)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) EVLN(Kiyotaka Hamajima's "Mr Eco Car")
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) EVLN(Hybrids pose high-voltage risk for rescue crews)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) EVLN(GM developed Pathway for NY emission requirements)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) EVLN(Cheap and green Electric car sharing scheme)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) EVLN(BARSTOW MARINE BASE charges their GEM nEVs on solar)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) EVLN(China producing prototypes of solar & EVs)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) EVLN(Now that EVs have fallen out of favour)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) EVLN(ENSS engineering students bitten by the EV bug)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
14) Re: VW fire (long rambling)
by "Bob Rice" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(Takara's Q-car nEV is a hot seller)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nb20021224a2.htm
TOY COMPANY ON THE BALL
Takara's hot sellers leaving other firms in the dust
By SACHIKO HIRAO Staff writer
[...]
E-kara, a hand-size microphone that becomes a portable
karaoke machine when connected to a TV, the life-size Q-car
electric vehicles based on the popular Choro-Q toy cars and
the Bowlingual collar that translates a dog's barks are just
a few recent hot sellers at Takara Co., which is the envy of
other Japanese firms struggling amid a consumer slump.
Takara Co. President Keita Sato shows off the company's
Q-car in Tokyo's Odaiba district.
"New technology and new information inspire us. New products
are often born after new technology stimulates us," said
Keita Sato, the Tokyo-based toy maker's 45-year-old
president and CEO.
[...]
Sato also decided to target not only children but also
adults as a way to boost sales. The firm's main customers
had always been children.
The company expanded its customer base by developing
products with a "playful touch" that, according to Sato,
excited consumers, like the Bowlingual and the electric
cars, although they are not toys in a true sense.
Sato plans to apply this spin to both conventional products
as well as a new line of goods.
[...]
Takara as a toy maker does not have the expertise to sell
cars, and the very notion invited internal opposition, he
said.
"If we had discussed the idea of developing an electric car
at a meeting that involved different sections (instead of
letting the division manager decide), the idea would have
gone down the drain, " he said.
The Japan Times: Dec. 24, 2002 (C) All rights reserved
===
http://www.forbes.com/home_asia/newswire/2002/12/18/rtr826843.html
[...]
Takara said it hopes to develop in the next business year
starting April a new consumer appliance that "has fun
aspects", although no other were available.
The company has grabbed headlines this year by offering toys
aimed at both children and adults, including an electric car
capable of reaching speeds up to 60 kph (37 mph) and the
"bow-lingual", a hand-held electronic device that gauges a
dog's mood by listening to its bark.
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EVLN(EV1 will be off California roads by August 2004)
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--- {EVangel}
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/business/2002/12/30autoindustrypul.html
Auto industry pulls the plug on the electric car
By JOHN O'DELL Los Angeles Times 12/30/2002
The dream of a highway system buzzing with clean electric
cars is on indefinite hold. The present battery-powered
electric cars, with their limited driving range of about 120
miles before needing a recharge, have lost favor among
automakers and regulators. And hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles -
the next big technology dream - still are decades away from
mass production.
"The focus now is on hybrid electric cars, and then fuel
cells," said Mike Schwartz, director of Ford Motor Co.'s
Sustainable Mobility Technologies unit. "Hybrids are the
interim step that lets us use advanced technologies that
will be essential for fuel cells when we finally get
there."
Recent developments:
? At the electric vehicle trade association's annual
convention earlier this month in Hollywood, Fla., carmakers
touted hybrid gas-electric vehicles, already sold by Toyota
and Honda, as the best answer for the environment until
fuel-cell-powered cars are ready to roll.
?Last month, General Motors Corp. began bailing out of its
$1-billion experiment with its futuristic, two-seat EV-1
electric car, calling it a dismal failure. Although all 950
of GM's electric models made between 1996 and 1999 were
leased and there still is a waiting list, the company said
the program was not economically feasible. A few weeks ago
GM began reclaiming EV-1 vehicles as leases expired, and
the last one will be off California roads by August 2004.
?Ford ended its Think electric car project in the summer,
because it could not find a market for the cars.
?The Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas this month
changed its name to the Electric Drive Transportation
Association. The new name for the trade group better
reflects its mission "of advocating all types of electric
transportation technology," said co-chairman John Wallace,
a former Ford executive who ran the Think car unit.
[...]
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EVLN(EVs shrinking, battery power not completely gone)
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informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/2/012234-6332-009.html
Electric cars shrinking; business may be growing
The major automakers may have abandoned the full-service,
battery-powered electric vehicle as they pursue
hydrogen-powered cars, but battery power isn't completely
gone. It's just been replaced, for now, by the so-called
"neighborhood electric vehicle" or NEV.
A NEV is a low-speed electric vehicle that usually looks
like a slightly oversize golf cart and is limited to a top
speed of 25 mph, according to the Los Angeles Times. NEVs
have two to four seats and are legal only on roads with
posted speed limits of 35 mph or less. Prices can run from
$6,000 to $14,000.
The vehicles seem to be creating an industry in which small
players can compete with giants. At least that's what
entrepreneurs such as Ian Clifford, founder of Toronto-based
Feel Good Cars Inc., are banking on.
Clifford has launched a line of full-bodied, low-speed NEVs
under the "ZENN" brand name. It's a cartlike vehicle, but
visually it is a small version of a regular car. To be
priced around $14,000, the ZENN also has locking doors,
power windows, air conditioning, a heater, a rear window
defroster, a radio with cassette and CD player and a rear
cargo area accessible through a vanlike door.
Range on the ZENN neighborhood car is 30 to 40 miles, and
its lead-acid batteries recharge in six hours on regular
110-volt household current.
Feel Good wasn't the only new NEV builder to show its wares
at a recent electric vehicle trade show. Rivals included
ZAP, the northern California EV and electric scooter firm
hoping for a post-Chapter 11 comeback; BigMan E.V. out of
Edmond, Okla.; and Dynasty Electric Car Corp. of Vancouver,
British Columbia, which has reorganized after a round of
financial troubles.
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Taste me, taste me. Come on and taste me.
That jingle (remember Doral cigarettes?) is still in my head. It hasn't been
broadcast in thirty years.
That is branding. If we could get that same Madison Avenue-style brain
control working on our side...
What we're all working toward is really common sense. The general public is
simply misled by people who somehow profit from fomenting that public
ignorance.
People who see my EVs always seem genuinely amazed. They've never seen
anything like them. Somehow we need to increase the public awareness of the
fact that the technology exists today to make a BEV with a range of 300
miles per charge.
Solar energy, biodiesel, renewables, et al., all just make good sense. Most
people on the street have no idea what is possible for an individual to
achieve with technology that is available today.
My New Year's resolution is to stop burning gasoline. Using BEVs and
biodiesel I will be able to pull that off with minimal change in my daily
routine.
If we stop burning gas we'll be doing a lot more damage to OPEC than our
smart bombs can.
J. Marvin Campbell
Culver City, CA
on 1/1/03 8:05 PM, Electric Vehicle Discussion List at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> From: "Cliff Rassweiler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 21:23:03 -0500
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: How To Best Promote Our Cause?
>
> Marvin,
>
> Could you define what you mean by 'branding the public with EVs,
> renewables,etc.?'
>
> Cliff
>
> www.ProEV.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Marvin Campbell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 3:59 PM
> Subject: How To Best Promote Our Cause?
>
>
>> Here's a hypothetical for you-
>>
>> Let's say you had a friend who had just acquired a say in how one of the
>> largest philanthropical organizations in the world directs their funding
>> efforts.
>>
>> This friend is also very interested in promoting our cause, i.e., BEVs (of
>> course), renewables, etc.
>>
>> If you were to be a consultant regarding these issues to this person, how
>> would you advise they spend their money in order to best advance our
> cause?
>>
>> What organizations and/or projects do you believe would be most worthy,
> and
>> be able to do the most good in branding the public with EVs, renewables,
>> etc.?
>>
>> Just wondering...
>>
>> J. Marvin Campbell
>> Culver City, CA
>>
>
>
> From: Rod Hower <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Wed, 01 Jan 2003 21:25:21 -0500
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: How To Best Promote Our Cause?
>
> Don't vote for Bush or Cheney in 2004 :-)
>
> Marvin Campbell wrote:
>
>> Here's a hypothetical for you-
>>
>> Let's say you had a friend who had just acquired a say in how one of the
>> largest philanthropical organizations in the world directs their funding
>> efforts.
>>
>> This friend is also very interested in promoting our cause, i.e., BEVs (of
>> course), renewables, etc.
>>
>> If you were to be a consultant regarding these issues to this person, how
>> would you advise they spend their money in order to best advance our cause?
>>
>> What organizations and/or projects do you believe would be most worthy, and
>> be able to do the most good in branding the public with EVs, renewables,
>> etc.?
>>
>> Just wondering...
>>
>> J. Marvin Campbell
>> Culver City, CA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 20:50:38 -0400
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: How To Best Promote Our Cause?
>
> Best way would be to manufacture a product and sell it at cost so the
> most people who are really interested and can't afford to pay the price,
> with 20 % profit, might be able to afford a price at cost and thereby get
> into it.
> It all boils down to the bottom line: those people with money don't seem
> to care and those people that care don't seem to have the money.
>
> On Wed, 1 Jan 2003 21:23:03 -0500 "Cliff Rassweiler"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>> Marvin,
>>
>> Could you define what you mean by 'branding the public with EVs,
>> renewables,etc.?'
>>
>> Cliff
>>
>> www.ProEV.com
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Marvin Campbell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 3:59 PM
>> Subject: How To Best Promote Our Cause?
>>
>>
>>> Here's a hypothetical for you-
>>>
>>> Let's say you had a friend who had just acquired a say in how one
>> of the
>>> largest philanthropical organizations in the world directs their
>> funding
>>> efforts.
>>>
>>> This friend is also very interested in promoting our cause, i.e.,
>> BEVs (of
>>> course), renewables, etc.
>>>
>>> If you were to be a consultant regarding these issues to this
>> person, how
>>> would you advise they spend their money in order to best advance
>> our
>> cause?
>>>
>>> What organizations and/or projects do you believe would be most
>> worthy,
>> and
>>> be able to do the most good in branding the public with EVs,
>> renewables,
>>> etc.?
>>>
>>> Just wondering...
>>>
>>> J. Marvin Campbell
>>> Culver City, CA
>>>
>>
>>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(Saegert 8th-graders a full-sized electric car)
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--- {EVangel}
http://web.seguingazette.com/report.lasso?wcd=3044
December 24, 2002 Saegert class constructs electric car
By Jamie Mobley Seguin Gazette Published
SEGUIN ? It?s been an electrifying semester for Saegert
Middle School students.
Here?s the buzz: Eighth-graders in the school?s Industrial
Technology Education (ITE) class recently completed work on
a full-sized electric car.
This was their semester project,? said ITE instructor Matt
Johnson. ?This is the [Technical Education II] class, so
they?ve been here a year, and they know how to use
equipment. We found the plans for it on the Internet and
followed the design.?
The exercise helped students learn valuable construction
skills and offered the class an opportunity to focus their
efforts on a long-term project, he said.
This offers them a different type of learning than in other
classes,? said principal Carlos Rios. ?I think it?s great.
They get the experience of actually creating something.?
Students constructed the car from used materials purchased
online and at local junk yards. The car was molded to fit
its student driver, Kaydee Fox.
They made this whole thing for $100,? Rios said. ?It?s made
of paper mache covered with fiberglass. They used old
bicycle tires and welded them together. Even the battery is
used.?
Students held a trial run at Matador Stadium, testing the
vehicle?s speed and maneuverability. It took a semester-long
effort, however, before the group was able to complete the
project.
We had to take this thing apart probably five or six times
to get it right,? Johnson said. ?I think they enjoyed it,
though. I thought this would be a little more exciting for
them.?
Many students shared this sentiment, claiming the project
helped them learn skills that will be of great value in the
future.
One student, Omar Leal, said he found the hands-on nature of
the course far more engaging than traditional textbook
studies.
I feel really proud of myself,? he said. ?We worked really
hard on this, and I think it taught us a lot. One day, maybe
we?ll be able to build even bigger things.?
� 2003 Seguin Gazette-Enterprise Inc. All rights reserved.
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EVLN(Kiyotaka Hamajima's "Mr Eco Car")
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http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=shukan&id=159
japantoday > shukan post watcher
33 successful Japanese in 2002
How do business corporations create new businesses? How can
they make their employees creative and innovative? How can
they develop new technologies and products?
The answer is not simple but they cannot miss any
opportunities coming to them. Talk is easy but it is
difficult to implement ideas. For success, business
corporations must always concentrate on what they do best.
Detailed hard work and creativity of management and
employees are omnipotent for success.
On the contrary, if the management and employees rest on the
scale of organizations, such companies will only pave the
way to failure.
Although Japanese corporations are suffering from a long
recession, Shukan Post selected 33 creative, intelligent and
hard working executives who led Japanese corporations to
success. They did not miss their ideas which flashed across
their minds.
Some of them are:
[...]
Kiyotaka Hamajima, 50, chief engineer of Toyota Motors,
invented the electric car called "Mr Eco Car."
[...]
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EVLN(Hybrids pose high-voltage risk for rescue crews)
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http://www.hickoryrecord.com/MGBJL4QTU9D.html
Dec 18, 2002
Hybrid cars pose high-voltage risk for rescue crews
Rescue personnel get lesson on how to deal with cars in
wrecks By MEGAN WARD RECORD STAFF WRITER
Larry Mallonee, customer relations manager for Mike
Johnson's Hickory Toyota, explains the basic ins and outs of
an electric car to members of the Hickory Fire Department
and Hickory Rescue Squad at the dealership Tuesday.
HICKORY - The new gasoline-electric hybrid cars are great
for the environment and gas mileage; however, medical crews
say the cars can prove dangerous after an accident.
On Tuesday, employees with Mike Johnson's Hickory Toyota met
with the Hickory Rescue Squad and firefighters to teach them
about how to approach the hybrid cars when responding to an
accident.
The group looked under the hood of the Toyota Prius and
familiarized themselves with the the car.
In addition to a gasoline motor, the hybrid runs on a
300-volt battery.
That's 300 D.C. (direct current) volts running through this
car ? you need to use extreme caution,? said Larry D.
Mallonee, customer relations manger for Hickory Toyota.
The group watched informational videos and asked questions
about how to respond and disengage the high-volt battery.
Hickory Fire Capt. Steve ?Tank? Townsend said the need for
additional safety precautions does not worry him.
It's just another added hazard,? he said. ?Vehicle
extraction changes so much from week to week.?
Mallonee said drivers and passengers of the hybrid cars do
not face the same dangers as rescue personnel after an
accident.
For the occupant or driver, it's the same as any other car.
There are just a few safety guidelines for the consumers,?
Mallonee said. ?You never jump the 300-volt battery.?
Mallonee said Hickory Toyota has sold about 100 of the Prius
this year, and Honda Cars of Hickory has sold about 36 Civic
hybrids, according to Honda salesman Steve Cagle.
In addition to lower emissions, the hybrids get about 45 to
50 miles per gallon. Buyers are eligible for a $2,000 tax
deduction the year they purchase the car.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | 322-4510 x257a
� 2002, Media General Inc. All Rights Reserved
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EVLN(GM developed Pathway for NY emission requirements)
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http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2002/12/16/story3.html
>From the December 13, 2002 print edition [arrow] More Print Edition
Stories
ZevXchange LLC charges up local electric vehicle market
Matthew Phillips The Business Review
A Schenectady mill that once churned out train engines is
being used for the next generation of transport: electric
vehicles.
ZevXchange LLC signed a deal with Schenectady County to
temporarily lease part of the brick building on Erie
Boulevard where the American Locomotive Co. (ALCO) once
manufactured steam engines.
The Novi, Mich.-based marketer of electric vehicles is also
renting storage space from the Albany County Airport
Authority in Latham.
ZevXchange came to the Capital Region to test market the
Pathway, an electric neighborhood vehicle.
While technically an electric car, the Pathway is basically
a battery-powered golf cart able to hit speeds around 25
mph. The design is ideal for use on college campuses,
manufacturing plants, or in gated communities, said Dave
Barthmuss, a spokesman for General Motors Corp.
General Motors developed the Pathway in conjunction with
Club Car, a golf-cart manufacturer in Augusta, Ga.
The Detroit-based automaker is test marketing the cars in
New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and California.
"That's the way for General Motors to find out how these
electric vehicles are accepted in the marketplace," said
Barthmuss.
It's also a way for General Motors to meet New York state
emission requirements. The state requires that by the model
year 2005, 10 percent of all vehicles sold in the state must
be zero-emission vehicles.
Vermont, Massachusetts and California have similar
standards.
GM's promotion of the Pathway will allow companies and
individuals use of the cars at no cost for one year, in
exchange for participation in a research trial.
Participants must agree not to drive on roads with speed
limits higher than 25 mph, and they have to monitor the
car's use and performance.
At the end of the year, they can buy the cars or return them
to ZevXchange.
ZevXchange will use 100,000 square feet of space in the ALCO
building for six to nine months, said George Robertson,
president of Schenectady Economic Development Corp. The
company will store cars on the site and distribute them to
other parts of the state and to Massachusetts and Vermont.
The contract with ZevXchange worked out well with for the
county, Robertson said.
The ALCO building was left vacant when GE Power Systems,
which had used the building for around 30 years, pulled
their last 50 workers out of the plant in September. Those
workers were moved to GE operations in downtown
Schenectady.
The building now is being leased to ZevXchange for about
$1.50 a square foot, Robertson said.
ZevXchange has also hired a small number of workers to
assemble the cars as they arrive.
As for the future of the ALCO building once ZevXchange
leaves, GE is in negotiations with the county to provide
around $2 million for renovations and repairs for new
tenants, according to a GE spokeswoman.
In the meantime, ZevXchange is a good fit for the building
and the county, said Robertson, who has even gotten to test
drive some of the cars.
"I got to tell you, they turn really sharp," he said.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] | 518-640-6814
� 2002 American City Business Journals Inc.
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EVLN(Cheap and green Electric car sharing scheme)
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2569297.stm
Friday, 13 December, 2002, 10:02 GMT
Japan cleans up its hi-tech act
[Electric car sharing scheme]
Green vehicles were a popular attraction
By J Mark Lytle in Tokyo
Japan is taking the lead in developing hi-tech products that
protect the planet as a recent exhibition in Tokyo showed.
Thousands of environmentally friendly products were on
display at the Eco-Products exhibition, which attracted over
100,000 visitors.
Japan has a lot to teach the rest of the world when it comes
to being green and that is precisely what the exhibitors at
Eco-Products had in mind.
[...]
Cheap and green
Equally popular, and a lot more accessible, was the electric
car-sharing scheme from CEV Sharing.
Operating in much the same way as bicycle-sharing schemes in
some European cities, registered users pick up the
Suzuki-made cars from a parking stand, unlock them with a
special card and drive away.
It's nice to pollute less, but I feel a lot better about
saving on my electricity bills
Hirofumi Fukunishi, schoolteacher The cars have to be left
at a similar stand at the end of the journey. Costs are low,
starting at 52 pence for a 15-minute trip, plus a monthly
membership fee of �105.
The scheme is currently only running in Yokohama, but
visitors were enthusiastic.
Junko Hasegawa, from Tokyo, said she would use the car if it
were available to her.
"I'd like to share ownership like this, as it's more
convenient than public transport and cheaper than owning a
car by myself," she said.
"Of course, as it's electric, there's no problem with
exhaust gases."
Cost-savings
For its part, the consumer electronic giant Matsushita
focused on its range of domestic appliances designed to help
consumers save the planet and money.
[...]
One direction
The Eco-Products show reflects how seriously Japanese
businesses take the environment.
They lead the world in the respected ISO 14001 certification
for reducing environmental impact.
The country has almost 10,000 such certified companies,
which compares to a UK figure of only 3,000.
Junko Edahiro, renowned environmental journalist and chief
executive of the non-profit organisation Japan for
Sustainability, explained her country's success could be
down to "a typical Japanese follow-the-others mentality".
"I personally believe that for the environment, this
Japanese mentality has worked very well, pushing everyone
for the same direction," she says.
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EVLN(BARSTOW MARINE BASE charges their GEM nEVs on solar)
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http://usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/22EAFACDC37A9C9985256C8D006D7530
Environmental tests alternate energy source
Submitted by: MCLB Barstow
Story Identification Number: 20021212145534
Story by Sgt. Joseph Lee
MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. (December 12,
2002) -- New ideas and innovations for gathering and
efficiently producing electricity have been a key focus for
large energy corporations and their consumers for years.
One of their largest consumers, the United States military,
has recently become a platform for pilot programs designed
to test the viability of new alternatives to line-fed
sources.
Recently, MCLB Barstow began participating in these pilot
studies by testing alternative power and transportation
solutions provided by experimenting companies, some of which
at no cost to the government.
One such experiment being conducted here is the operation of
stand-alone solar powered streetlights. The base
Environmental Division purchased 25 of the lights from SOL,
an outdoor solar lighting company in Florida, for
approximately $4,500 per light.
"It is our intention to find out how capable and how
suitable this particular lighting method is," said Jack
Stormo, head of the base Environmental Division. "So far, we
haven't had any difficulties."
Constructed with ultra-light weight carbon fiber material,
Stormo, with the assistance of just one colleague, was able
to quickly install the first light outside their offices to
increase the safety of the parking area during the dim
evening hours.
"Some of the lights are being installed at security
locations, and some are being installed for added safety
where poor lighting in the evenings poses a safety problem,"
Stormo said.
According to Stormo, more lights are also being put in
locations where solutions are temporarily needed to
supplement the loss of light, due to the malfunction of
line-fed poles, while repairs are in progress.
"It should work out well," said Stormo, "because we are in
the best location, from a latitude standpoint, to be very
efficient at collecting solar energy."
The lights are distinctive to the eye, casting white light
as opposed to yellow light, and require little assembly or
maintenance.
"From an installation and logistics standpoint, the solar
streetlights provide a lot more flexibility then normal
streetlights," said Cmdr. Jeff Johnston, director of Public
Works. "When you need to install a new normal streetlight,
there are considerations to be made with respect to the
entire grid, wiring and placement of the light. With the
solar lights you just dig a hole and plop it in."
According to Stormo, the base was also given approximately
25 electric cars from Global Electric Motors as a part of
another pilot study being conducted by the Daimler-Chrysler
subsidiary to see how suitable they are for this particular
application. The cars were issued to various sections around
the base to replace or supplement the use of their
gasoline-operated vehicles.
"In the few months the cars have been in operation on this
base we have had very few mechanical problems with them,"
said Stormo.
To power the Environmental Division's electric car, they
have employed another experimental device known as a Solar
Pod. The pod consists of a photovoltaic panel on top of a
plastic container that holds the energy-collecting
batteries. Similar to the streetlight, the only difference
is the ability to access the energy during the daytime hours
directly from the panels.
"The Solar Pod came to us as a separate device to try out,"
said Stormo. "It is a stand-alone energy collector that
produces a normal outlet voltage so that you could run any
normal electronic device."
As a portable source of normal electricity, the pods are
especially useful for recharging the electric vehicles,
according to Johnston.
"If the security measures of the base call for vehicles to
be parked a certain distance from a building, the pod can
simply be picked up by forklift and moved," said Johnston.
"The other options left available for providing those
vehicles with power are far less efficient."
According to Stormo, these pods have been used in abundant
success in places such as Central Africa, where it is not
feasible to run line, to give some of the people there the
ability to run simple electronic devices. Items like
computers, microwaves, or a simple light could not be used
regularly without the use of batteries prior to the use of
the pods.
Both the streetlights and the Solar Pod collect energy by
collecting the sun's energy onto a photovoltaic panel.
Photovoltaics are solar cells that produce electricity
directly from sunlight. They are usually made of silicon -
the same material that makes up the common beach sand of
Florida's coast. The cells are wafer-thin circles or
rectangles, about three to four inches across.
According to solarenergy.com, solar cells operate according
to what is called the photovoltaic effect, ("photo"-light,
"voltaic"-electricity). In the photovoltaic effect,
"bullets" of sunlight-photons-striking the surface of
semi-conductor material such as silicon, liberate electrons
from the material's atoms. Certain chemicals added to the
material's composition help establish a path for the freed
electrons. This creates an electrical current. Through the
photovoltaic effect, a typical four-inch silicon solar cell
produces about one watt of direct current electricity.
Though solar energy seems promising according to Stormo,
environmental also has future plans for another experimental
energy producing pilot program involving the conversion of
wastewater from the water treatment plant nearby into energy
producing hydrogen.
Though this new program may be far off, the current solar
energy program being conducted by the base environmental
division is promising to shine a new light on electricity
sources in the future of MCLB Barstow.
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EVLN(China producing prototypes of solar & EVs)
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http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/12/10/beijing.pollution/
China's drive for clean air
>From Jaime FlorCruz CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Tuesday,
December 10, 2002 Posted: 8:51 PM HKT (1251 GMT)
The World Bank estimates that air pollution causes nearly
170,000 deaths in China every year
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The Chinese government wants to
clear the air -- literally.
Worried by growing pollution, China wants to clean its up
act -- even if it means taking aim at the growing number of
privately-owned cars crowding Beijing's roads.
Running against that is China's on-going economic boom that
is fuelling a desire among the country's rapidly expanding
middle class to travel on four wheels.
In a recent nationwide survey, 26 million urban households
said they wanted to buy a car.
Beijing alone has 500,000 private cars, which often result
to horrendous traffic jams and choking air pollution.
The capital has embarked on a rigorous clean up effort in
time for the 2008 Olympics.
Two years ago, Beijing shifted to the use of unleaded
gasoline, and imposed strict exhaust emission standards.
Despite all its efforts, the Chinese capital is often
enveloped by suffocating gray smog from coal, industry ash,
and leaded fuel.
Yuan Ying, Senior Engineer at Beijing's Institute of
Environmental Standards, says that while many Chinese are
reaping the short-term benefits of the country's breakneck
development, it is the next generation that will pay a heavy
price.
"Small children walk right through the areas which have the
highest lead concentration," he says. "They are the most
sensitive group suffering from car pollution." Last-gasp
solutions
Unchecked the World Bank forecasts that air pollution causes
nearly 170,000 deaths nationwide every year.
But a growing number of individuals and institutions are
finding last-gasp solutions.
"The government has taken measures to control pollution from
car exhausts. For example, by strictly controlling exhaust
fumes from every single car, the total amount of pollution
can be reduced or kept at a low standard," Yuan says.
As part of a long-term solution, China said will allocate
$106 million over the next few years to develop electric
cars to help clean up the air.
In fact, Chinese researchers are already producing
prototypes of solar and electric cars to replace gas-fueled
vehicles.
"A significant advantage of electric car is its zero
pollution," says Chen Shiquan, Director of Electric Vehicle
Research Division at Tsinghua University.
"Electric energy can be easily provided. From the angle of
protecting the environment and saving energy, electric cars
will have great development potential."
These measures have become more urgent.
Apart from public health concerns, the pressure is on for
Beijing to clean up the city's foul air with the Olympics
just six years away.
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EVLN(Now that EVs have fallen out of favour)
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http://beta.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1176209
CASE HISTORY
Hooked on lithium
>From The Economist
[...]
If lithium-ion batteries are so light and powerful, why not
use them in electric cars? The main problem, says Dr
McLarnon, who is working in this area, is cost. A set of
lithium-ion batteries capable of powering an electric car
now costs around $10,000. Lead-acid batteries may be five
times heavier, four times bulkier and far less
efficient?the General Motors EV-1, for example, is powered
by 533kg of lead-acid batteries that take eight hours to
recharge?but they are also a lot cheaper.
But now that all-electric cars have fallen out of favour,
since most of their alleged benefits can also be achieved by
hybrid (petrol/electric) vehicles, lithium-ion is back in
the running. Hybrid vehicles need a much smaller power pack,
bringing the cost of a suitable lithium-ion battery down to
below $1,000. Even so, says Dr McLarnon, there is still work
to be done. The batteries may wear out after a few years of
use, and they must be optimised to deliver, and absorb,
sudden bursts of power, rather than large amounts of energy
at a roughly constant rate, which is what
consumer-electronics devices require. Dr McLarnon is
optimistic that this can be achieved.
The development of the lithium-ion battery is an object
lesson in how pure and applied research, driven by
commercial interests, can generate the incremental
improvements in a technology that are necessary for
transforming it into a useful product. In this case,
intercalation compounds were an offshoot of pure research
into superconductivity. They were then picked up by Dr
Goodenough and other researchers working on battery
technology; and the final pieces of the puzzle were supplied
by Sony. (Dr Goodenough, who did his original research at
Oxford, says battery firms in the West rejected his
approaches.)
There was no single ?eureka? moment, but a series of gradual
improvements?with the baton passed between a number of
different groups. ?These things zigzag back and forth,? says
Dr Goodenough. ?That's how innovation works.? The baton has
now been passed to new researchers, seeking further
improvements and applications, from video-phones to cars.
Lithium-ion batteries, it seems, still have a long way to
go.
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EVLN(ENSS engineering students bitten by the EV bug)
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http://www.eastnorthumberland.com/news/news2002/newsDecember2002/electriccar12042002.html
December 4, 2002 Local businesses can assist ENSS electric
car design team by GEORGE WAND Special to The Independent
At the Applefest 2002 car show, East Northumberland
Secondary School (ENSS) students proudly displayed two
electric cars to the public.
The aspiring young engineering students explained to me how
they used their time during the last two years to design and
construct these vehicles, and what they had accomplished so
far.
It all started after a few students went to the races and
were "bitten by the car bug". They approached the school and
formed the ENSS Blue Tech Dragons, in preparation for
building their own car as a school project.
The same way Porsche had started on his way to automotive
fame, they decided to build an electric car.
The ENSS teachers of the "Design", "Manufacturing" and
"Automotive" programs coordinated the task of bringing the
students' ideas to reality. Body-shop techniques, welding,
machine shop skills, fiberglass production, electrical
installation and other disciplines brought to life the
formulas, equations and drawings, which precede any
industrial undertaking. It was the time when everything
previously learned in math and science would finally make
sense.
As I inspected the single-seater cars, I learned that by
building the first car the students had gained so much
information and knowledge about designing and constructing a
car, that they felt only the next one would be good enough.
I could hear the enthusiasm, feel the passion and see the
sparkle in her eyes, as team captain Kimberlea Puffer
explained the why and how they had tried this and that, and
ended up using whatever worked best for the intended
purpose.
After many tests, trials and tribulations it was time to
find out how well their ideas had been transformed into a
"product", namely a 24 volt, battery driven, streamlined
single-seater, zero-pollution automobile.
What better way to try out a new type of car than in a
race?
The schools that prepare students this way for life in the
industry, also have organized events to evaluate the
students' efforts. Competitions, sometimes in far--away
places, test the endurance and speed of these vehicles, but
the overall design, the workmanship and the support material
are important in counting toward the overall result.
Our students and teachers can be extremely proud of the
results they have achieved in such a short time: At one
event ENSS finished second overall by driving the fastest
lap and having the best body design. Another event resulted
in a second place, and the well-prepared technical report
helped in keeping that result against tough competition.
The tech report is actually a binder full of descriptions of
each part of the car, ideas, sketches and formulas, and the
resulting drawings, graphs and photographs of the
construction process.
Many area companies have provided parts to build the
vehicles, such as batteries, electric motors and electronic
switching devices; everything else was made or made to work
for the intended purpose.
At present the teachers have depleted their small budgets
for material costs, the students have exhausted their
savings accounts for event travel costs, and the program
will not be able to try the cars against any competitors for
the time being.
Therefore, I would like to challenge our automotive-related
businesses to make a generous contribution, to allow ENSS to
participate at the next round of competition. With this
donation you will advertise your commitment to excellence to
a wide audience.
� Copyright 1998--2002, Conolly Publishing Ltd. Brighton,
Ontario K0K 1H0 Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Hi All;
Start with a Happy New Year to EVerybody out there, especially to the
Good Folks I have Met in the last year. Here's hoping for a better EV year,
that SOMEBODY will sell affordable EV's to the Rest of the World. So we
arent alone out there.
Comments on the EV fire in Mark's car. I can't say what happened, but it
looks like loose connections, or SOMETHING shorted out the power traction
cables. Oh. Not enuf to blow out breakers, but enought to heat things up
slowly. He is lucky that the whole rig didn't end up a smoking hulk! It's
message to us all is; Be careful when ya run yur hipower cables! Make sure
they are separated from each other, as Bob Batson sez; run them down each
side of the car, til they hafta come together.Make sure the terminals are
tight. He had in the Rabbit, cheapy auto store clamp the cable under a two
7/16 bolts type. THEY wern't the problem, but coulda been. He had rather
chintzy battery charging cables that could have overheated? Just be careful
with those light non traction cables or wires. Better to go overkill than
barely enough.This Rabbit was started off on the right foot, paw, with nice
Conduit run down the centre of the car, but several inches short, going into
the rear battery box! He shoulda finished the job. IMHO. There was the sharp
edges of the car floor where it had been sawn out to fit the battery box in.
It wasn't "Up to Code" ya might say. there was a chance it could chafe
through. It did, somehow, got things cooking. I have seen two other EV fires
over the years. Both at Electric Fuel Propulsion of Detroit. Those happened
when the car was stored in a "Secured" garage, and before a show or
presentation. No obvious cause. They were of rather suspicious orgion.
SOMEbody didn't wanna see the car do it's thing at showtime. Sorta
embarrasing , hauling the burnt up carcus away, by daylite.
I don't, feel that EV's are any more fire prone than any other vehicle.
It is often the Rolling Science Project aspect of that duz them in. You KNOW
the Blue Meany or White Zombie arent gunna burn up charging. Also wonder why
the celeb in FLA that the GEM burned down the house coulda been faulty HOUSE
wiring?Howcum the circuit breaker didn't trip? The Ground fault? No
followups to that story??
Anyhow, a few thoughts for exasctly what they cost<g>!
Seeya
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Furniss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 1:58 PM
Subject: Re: VW fire (long rambling)
> This type of event happened here in Las Vegas about two years ago, your
were
> very lucky Mark, the event here was much larger. The car here in Las Vegas
> caught fire during charging, the house breaker didn't trip, after much
> discussion here on the list I feel very strongly that the problem was in
the
> wires from the charger to the battery pack was under sized and acted like
a
> heating element, they got hot enough to catch other burnable stuff near
the
> wires on fire with out blowing the fuse in the charger.
>
> I'm no expert, this is just what I got out of the discussion I had
here
> on the list, It takes a "short" to blow the fuse quickly enough to stop
the
> problem before it gets big, so some of the solutions to the problem (in my
> opinion, I'm sure others will correct if I'm wrong) is to use the proper
> size wire to the charger and from the charger to the battery's, take in to
> account the number of feet, amps, and HEAT, then build in some safety by
> over sizing the wire from there, also as Sheer pointed out poorly crimped
> terminals have high resistance which = heat, the next thing is, try to
keep
> the wires from the charger to the battery's together as long as possible
so
> that if they get hot a short will developed and blow the fuse.
>
> I hope others learn from other peoples misfortune, I was drawing 500
> amps through 0/2 wire and didn't give much though about 20 to 30 amps from
> the charger until the fire.
>
> From: "Jon "Sheer" Pullen"
>
> > Observations, which I admit are guesses. (I also don't have nearly the
> > experience at post-mortems that some of the more experienced EVers do)
> >
> > 1) The fire happened during charging. Likely the initial event was
either
> > caused by a poor connection at the charging terminals igniting hydrogen
> gas
> > from the batteries, or underrated wire coming from the charger to the
> > batteries heating up until it started burning. After that, there might
> have
> > been a arcing event precipitated by charred or missing insulation - you
> > didn't say if any of the fuses were blown or not.
> >
>
> > Maybe we should try and hack a solenoid-operated fire extinguisher
> connected
> > to a smoke detector ;-) Of course, this wouldn't extinguish a arc, which
> is
> > the most likely source of damage.
> >
> > S.
> >
> > p.s. These EV fires are getting discouraging. While I was kidding about
> the
> > fire extinguisher, maybe we do need some kind of a arc-breaking system -
2
> > or 3 contactors spread throughout the pack, bridged by 30A fuses for
> > charging? I don't know..
> >
> www.lasvegasev.com
> Richard Furniss
> Las Vegas, NV
> 1986 Mazda EX-7 192v
> 1981 Lectra Centauri 108v
> 3 Wheel Trail Master 12v
> Board Member, www.lveva.org
> Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association
>
>
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