EV Digest 3448
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) (no subject)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) EVLN(Tucsonans daunted by high prices look @ hybrids)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) EVLN(driverless electric cart)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) EVLN(someone stole her electric scooter)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) EVLN(Jesus hit-and-runs electric scooter rider, spills oil)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) EVLN(Lexington puts brakes on electric scooters)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) EVLN(Escape hybrid mileage test in Manhattan traffic)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) EVLN(SANTA BARBARA switching from electric buses to diesel)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) EVLN(EVr grin @ the Revenge of the Killer Prices)
by Bruce EVangel Parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) Re: Welder as charger
by Bob Siebert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) average DC from 220 after bridge?
by elaine chiu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) Re: Organic 'radical' Battery, NiMH capacity, fast recharge...
by "Peter Eckhoff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: Welder as charger
by [EMAIL PROTECTED]
14) Re: Solar powered car (long)
by [EMAIL PROTECTED]
15) Re: average DC from 220 after bridge?
by Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
16) Instrument recommendations wanted
by Jude Anthony <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
17) Re: Controller isoaltion (Re: ACPropulsion combo on eBay)
by "Joe Smalley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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EVLN(The new GEMS look like old nEVs)
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http://www.theautochannel.com/N/news/2004/04/02/187638.html Global
Electric Motorcars and DaimlerChryslerIntroduce the All-New Line of
GEMs for 2005
Electric Marc
Global Electric Motorcars, LLC, A DaimlerChrysler Company, released
their 2005 vehicleline, two weeks ahead of schedule, because their
2004 Model Year cars sold-out earlier than expected.
The 2005 vehicle line consists of four redesigned vehicles.
Improvements to the vehicles include new front suspension, wider
track-width, customer friendly electrical panel, improved
Regenerative Braking System (RBS) and top speed regulation, improved
steering, and a new digital driver information display. In addition
to the current options and accessories, Global Electric Motorcars
will introduce several new options throughout the year for its 2005
line of vehicles. The 2005 GEM vehicles will arrive on dealer lots
towards the beginning of April.
"This marks a significant milestone in the seven year history of our
company. We are excited about the growing demand for GEMs and are
proud of the new features and improvements to the 2005 model year
vehicles." Richard J. Kasper, President & COO of Global Electric
Motorcars, LLC.
GEMs are produced by Global Electric Motorcars, LLC, a
DaimlerChrysler Company, in Fargo, North Dakota. Currently there are
nearly 28,000 GEMs on the road across the country.
GEM is the leading street legal electric vehicle in the country.
They provide clean, quiet, convenient and low-cost transportation in
locations such as master planned communities, college and university
campuses, military bases, airports, state and national parks, city
centers and industrial and commercial campuses.
GEMs have a top speed of 25 mph, can be driven on roadways posted up
to 35 mph, and meet all federal safety standards for Low Speed
Vehicles. They are classified as zero emission vehicles.
Copyright � 1996-2004 The Auto Channel
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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=business&story_id=040104d3_altfuels
Thursday, April 1, 2004 Alt-fuel cars on display downtown tomorrow
ROMANO CEDILLOS Tucson Citizen
Tucsonans daunted by high gas prices may want to test-drive a
vehicle at tomorrow's event spotlighting alternative-fuel
technologies.
The Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition is presenting its 2nd
National Alternative Fuels Vehicles Day Odyssey at El Presidio Park,
near Church Avenue and Alameda Street.
The free event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free lunch will
be served to the first 200 attendees.
The 60-city event is meant to raise awareness of alternative-fuel
and advanced-technology vehicles, build consumer interest, and spur
demand, said Scott Ward, a national spokesman for the event.
On display will be the Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas and electric
vehicle; the Dedicated Honda Civic, a compressed natural gas
vehicle; and alternative fuels cars and trucks operated by local
companies such as Raytheon and Tucson Electric Power Co.
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http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5172083.html News Hardware
Invasion of the robots By Michael Kanellos Special to ZDNet March
10, 2004, 10:30 AM PT
The robots are coming. And when they get here, they will take out
the trash.
Mobile, intelligent robots that can perform tasks usually reserved
for humans are starting to creep into mainstream society and could
become a multibillion-dollar market in a few years.
iRobot says it has sold hundreds of thousands of units of the
Roomba, a self-guided, self-propelled vacuum cleaner that sells for
around $200, in just one year.
Other inventors are eyeing the health care market. Joe Engelberger,
widely known as the father of robotics, is trying to get funding to
build robots that will dress, cook for and generally take care of
senior citizens. Home health care robots are being tested in Japan,
while U.S. hospitals are already using machines to deliver charts,
carry medicines or even assist in surgery.
"Nursing homes or live-in help is expensive, and you have
personality conflicts," Engelberger said. "The technology is
available. It takes very good engineering, but it does not take
invention."
Another potentially large market exists in creating machines that
can operate in hazardous or extreme environments. Workhorse
Technologies, founded by Carnegie Mellon University professor
William "Red" Whittaker, is working on robots that can map mine
shafts. He came up with the idea after Pennsylvania's Quecreek mine
accident in 2002, in which nine miners were trapped for four days as
the result of faulty maps.
Whittaker has also created robots that can drive harvesters, clear
out sewer lines and clean up nuclear waste.
"When you are in those commodity enterprises and you can introduce
efficiency, it does not matter whether it is carrying stuff out of a
surface mine for less dollars per ton per mile or whether it is a
greater productivity out of the machine in harvest," Whittaker said.
"Any small differences mean a lot, and these technologies can mean
larger differences."
Carnegie Mellon's technological prowess in this area will be tested
this weekend in the DARPA Grand Challenge, when driverless, robotic
cars will race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for a $1 million prize.
The university's Red Team Racing is the favorite. Other contestants
include academics from the California Institute of Technology, a
team of brothers from upstate New York and a group of students from
Palos Verdes High School near Los Angeles.
Evolving automatons The surge in robot activity is at least partly
the result of steady improvements in performance and steadily
dropping costs for processors, sensors, navigation software and the
other technologies required to put a mobile robot together.
On the performance side, for instance, Seegrid, co-founded by
Carnegie Mellon professor Hans Moravec, has developed software that
allows a mobile device to create a dense 3D map of a hallway or room
after a single pass. Global positioning systems, too, can pinpoint a
robot or any other object anywhere on the globe within 10
centimeters, and on-board processors, which crunch sensor data and
coordinate a robot's movements, also continue to increase in
performance.
And parts are getting much cheaper. Although robot researchers had
to develop their own components in the past, today's business is
attracting chip suppliers and software developers such as Intel,
Microsoft and Texas Instruments, as well as a number of start-ups.
Likewise, robot makers are working with other industries to lower
manufacturing costs. The basis of the Roomba came out of robotic
cleaning machines developed for Johnson Wax, and iRobot worked with
Hasbro for three and a half years to learn low-cost manufacturing of
toys.
Just as important as performance and costs, from a sales
perspective, is customer satisfaction. Robot developers have
adjusted their products to meet practical customer needs rather than
simply using the machines to showcase a company's technological
abilities or as entertainment devices.
"The industry has disappointed for 40 years," said Colin Angle, CEO
of iRobot. "Ever since Rosie from 'The Jetsons,' robots have been
the next big thing, but the business case was never there. It is
easy to build a robot that is prohibitively expensive."
iRobot's PackBot is designed with practicality in mind. It's a
40-pound battlefield robot designed to perform reconnaissance
missions, help wounded soldiers, find chemical leaks and deliver
equipment, all over rough, unpredictable terrain.
"One took a 25-foot fall and righted itself," during an operation
recently in Afghanistan, Angle said. "It is an incredibly mobile
800MHz Linux machine."
PackBots aren't cheap: They cost between $50,000 and $100,000
apiece. But their main customer--the U.S. government--seems happy.
Besides deploying PackBots in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army has
given iRobot $25 million to develop automated battlefield vehicles.
Another recent success is the Predator, an unmanned plane used to
attack al-Qaida in Yemen and other locations. The Department of
Homeland Security is expected to issue several large research grants
to this project in coming years.
"The sky is the limit, but it depends on the robotics entrepreneurs
taking a much more customer-oriented approach," said Kishore Rao, a
senior associate at investment firm Trident Capital. The company put
some of its capital behind iRobot but acknowledges that the number
of VC-backed robot firms "can be counted on one hand."
Bio of the 'bot
The idea of automatons that can perform various tasks has been
around since ancient Egypt. The word "robot," however, is of
relatively recent vintage, coined by Czech playwright Karel Capek in
the 1921 play "R.U.R."
The first commercial robots appeared in the early 1960s as the world
was consumed with the Atomic Age science of the Cold War. Unimation,
founded by Engelberger, created robotic manufacturing arms, while
Barrett Electronics came out with a driverless electric cart for
grocery warehouses that was navigated by signal-emitting wires in
the floor.
It wasn't an easy sell. "I had to go to 46 different companies,
including GM and IBM, before I got some money from a railroad
company," Engelberger recalled. Although GM passed the first time,
it eventually became the first company to install a Unimation
machine.
Although robotic start-ups have spun out of CalTech and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the largest
concentrations is in Pittsburgh. Since Westinghouse funded the
development of the robotics program at Carnegie Mellon 25 years ago,
roughly 30 robotics companies have set up shop in the region,
according to Bill Thomasmeyer, president of the Robotics Foundry,
which is trying to establish a robot economy in Western
Pennsylvania.
Among the regional residents is Bombardier Transportation, which
makes the people movers in airports. "They are looking to expand to
downtown transportation," Thomasmeyer said, an effort that will
involve technologies to avoid inevitable obstacles.
Robots still are not a force in the global economy. In all, North
American robotics manufacturers ship about $1 billion worth of
products a year, according to Robotic Industries Association
spokesman Jeff Burnstein. Other statistics show that the
international market approaches $5 billion.
The vast majority of the revenue derives from limited-function
devices used in packing or manufacturing plants, but versatile
robots have entered the market in the last few years.
The da Vinci Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical, for example,
is a set of precision robotic hands for doctors. The system, which
costs a little more than $1 million, can drill through bone or make
incisions.
Surgery is made far less intrusive because the machine can
accurately control its movements and "see" in 3D through graphical
images. That, in turn, makes recuperation quicker, less painful and
cheaper, according to the company. Around 192 da Vinci systems are
in use at hospitals to date.
The market for personal and mobile robots could grow to $5.4 billion
this year and become larger than the industrial, nonmobile robot
market, according to Dan Kara, president of Robotics Trends, which
holds conferences and promotes the industry. By 2010, that figure
will approach $17 billion, Kara said.
While some say such projections are overly optimistic, Kara can
point to anecdotal evidence that robot fever is catching. About
68,000 attended Robodex in Japan last year, he said, and the sales
numbers of Roomba and da Vinci are tough to argue with.
Similarities to PC industry
"If we were sitting here 10 years ago, I think no one would have
really had a clear sense of what is the content of an intelligent
robot," said Whittaker, who believes that the economics of the robot
market could function a lot like those of the PC industry in 20 or
so years.
For the business to reach a full-fledged boom, however, some key
problems must be solved. Communication and coordination remains a
challenge, and such issues are being tackled by several scientists
working on systems patterned after the swarming of insects.
Grippers also need work. Mobile robots like the PackBot or like
those from Workhorse are good at taking pictures or delivering
items, but picking things up is another matter.
Still, robot capabilities are growing rapidly. A 1,500-gram human
brain can churn at about 100 trillion instructions a second,
according to a paper recently published by Carnegie Mellon's
Moravec--nearly three times the power of the Earth Simulator, the
world's most powerful computer. Under Moore's Law, processing
performance could increase to the point where machines can work
almost as well as the human brain.
"Better yet, sufficiently useful robots don't need full human-scale
brainpower," Moravec wrote in his paper. "Commercial and research
experience convinces me that mental power like that of a small
guppy, about 1,000 MIPS, will suffice to guide mobile utility robots
reliably through unfamiliar surroundings, suiting them for jobs in
hundreds of thousands of industrial locations and eventually
hundreds of millions of homes."
The human brain aside, anthropomorphism will grab a piece of the
market. Sony, Honda and some other Japanese companies are marketing
robot companions, and a $99 "RoboSapien" will be coming soon from
tech-toy company Wow Wee.
Mimicking human behavior in most robots remains complex, however,
and the demand remains low. "You can get a robot to speak with you,
but you can't get it to talk Spinoza with you," Engelberger said.
Another absent human characteristic is more obvious: legs. While
some experimental robots have legs that mimic how geckos or crabs
walk, wheels can work as well in almost every environment and are a
lot easier to engineer.
"Legs, in my mind, are for Hollywood," Angle said.
Copyright �2004 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2004/04/03/news/lake_county/8dbef9558592a34b86256e6b00042109.txt
East Lake news briefs
East Lake County edition.
MERRILLVILLE
Out-of-state woman reports theft
A North Carolina woman told police that someone stole a
mini-motorcycle, an electric scooter and a tool box valued at $800
from a trailer parked at a Merrillville motel earlier this week.
The trailer was parked at Motel 6, 8290 Louisiana St., and the
incident was reported to police Thursday morning.
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2471376
March 27, 2004, 8:54PM
Man charged in fatal crash with scooter
By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A Houston man was charged Saturday in the death of a woman killed in
a hit-and-run accident while riding an electric scooter in north
Houston, police said.
Jesus Marquez Chavarria, 25, of the 600 block of Cresline, is
charged with failure to stop and render assistance, said Houston
Police Investigator Ariel Cuellar.
The accident occurred at about 10 p.m. Friday as Donna Reding
Rumbaugh, 44, was riding an electric scooter in the 6300 block of
Airline, police said. Rumbaugh died when the scooter was hit from
behind.
The car's oil pan was damaged in the collision, and police found an
oil trail to a tire service center, Cuellar said. The suspect then
got another vehicle to tow his damaged car to his house.
Police received an anonymous call Saturday, informing them the
damaged vehicle was at Chavarria's home, Cuellar said.
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http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/legislature/8246085.htm
Posted on Mon, Mar. 22, 2004 FUN VS. SAFETY Lexington officials
putting brakes on powered scooter misuse By Valarie Honeycutt
Spears HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
You might be getting more than you thought for the money you spent
on that bright new powered scooter for your 12-year-old: A court
date might just come with it.
The electric- and gasoline-powered scooters are hot items. And as
spring approaches, Lexington police are getting more complaints
about unlicensed drivers riding them on sidewalks and in
neighborhoods.
"We're getting complaints of kids on the vehicles running in and out
of traffic and running stop signs," said Lexington police Maj.
Robert Stack. "People are looking at the electric scooters as toys,
and they aren't. Somebody's going to get hurt."
Stack has asked Fayette County Attorney Margaret Kannensohn to
clarify the local laws and prosecution policy.
Here's the bottom line, according to Kannensohn and Stack: People
who don't have a driver's license can't operate electric or gas
scooters on public roads. That includes mopeds, go-carts and golf
carts. City ordinances prohibit riding any motorized vehicles,
including scooters, on sidewalks.
Kannensohn has also determined that when police find a child without
a driver's license on an electric- and gasoline-powered scooter or
other prohibited vehicle, the child's parents will be cited and
summoned into Fayette District Court under the same law that
prohibits an unlicensed driver from operating a motor vehicle. The
penalties include up to 90 days in jail and/or a $250 fine.
Under state law, parents are also liable for acts that a child
commits on the scooter.
Kannensohn said police and prosecutors are simply trying to protect
children and motorists.
"We're not trying to punish, but to educate," she said.
Stack said the laws do not affect disabled people who operate
motorized wheelchairs or carts on sidewalks. But if a scooter has a
motor on it, an unlicensed driver can't legally drive it outside of
his own yard or driveway, he said.
Kannensohn said some children as young as 8 have been spotted in
traffic on the scooters.
And Stack said the police department has received trespassing
complaints when parents load up a child and a scooter and take them
to a parking lot or rural area.
Electric scooters have a top speed of about 15 mph and can cover 16
miles before needing a recharge. At 35 pounds, the lightweight
models can be loaded easily into recreational vehicles or used for
short errands. The least expensive model costs less than $100. A
heavy-duty electric scooter, with shocks and other accessories,
costs about $400.
Gasoline-powered scooters can cost as much as $800. Some resemble
motorcycles, and others look like old-fashioned scooters with
motors.
Scooters that can go fast enough might also require insurance and
registration, said Stack.
Lexington is not the only place to contend with complaints or to
take action. Police in Baton Rouge, La., are confiscating scooters
from unlicensed drivers. In Las Vegas, sellers of scooters are
required to give buyers a written copy of the local laws that
regulate their use.
But in Kentucky, motorized scooters could soon be legal on Edgewood
sidewalks. The Edgewood City Council is considering an ordinance
that would allow residents to use electric scooters on sidewalks.
City Administrator Roger Rolfes said last week that the ordinance is
likely to pass, and that a provision requiring riders to wear
helmets will probably be removed from the proposal.
The proposed Edgewood law would prohibit speeds above 20 mph and
would require riders to yield to pedestrians.
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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040405/dem013_1.html
http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news_in.php?id=2165&cha=2
Manhattan on a Tank of Gas: Ford Escape Hybrid Takes on
Nightmarish Traffic Jams With Clean Efficiency Monday
April 5, 8:49 am ET *
Ford to drive all-new, fuel-efficient Escape Hybrid through a
"commuter's nightmare" to see how many miles of Manhattan
traffic it can cover
on a single tank of gas. * Clean-operating Ford Escape Hybrid
produces near zero smog-forming emissions.
NEW YORK, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "It's a commuter's
nightmare." That's the way Mary Ann Wright describes the extreme
driving test that begins today for the all-new Ford Escape Hybrid.
Starting in midtown Manhattan during the morning rush-hour, the
Escape Hybrid will be driven up, down and across the island over
some of America's most congested streets and avenues. Chief engineer
for the Ford Escape Hybrid, Wright won't stop the test until the
small SUV's gas tank is completely dry. That may take 36 hours or
more of non-stop driving.
"We've designed 'Manhattan on a Tank of Gas' to see how many miles
an Escape Hybrid can be driven on a single tank of gas in some of
the worst conditions for fuel efficiency most drivers would ever
face," says Wright.
Ford Escape Hybrid is the world's cleanest and most fuel-efficient
sport utility. Available at the end of this summer, it combines the
fuel economy and emissions benefits of a "full" hybrid with the
go-anywhere capability, toughness and spaciousness of the Ford
Escape, America's favorite small SUV. Escape Hybrid is the first
hybrid electric vehicle that can comfortably accommodate five adults
and their gear. "No-compromise utility separates Escape Hybrid from
other 'green' vehicles," Wright says.
"Escape Hybrid can provide an economical solution to a problem
commuters face every day - bumper-to-bumper gridlock that can bleed
a normal car's fuel tank dry," she says. "At the same time, Ford
Escape Hybrid is a practical and livable environmental solution to
help address air quality problems in our cities, as well as the
global warming issue."
Making the epic Manhattan drive particularly impressive is the fact
that the Escape Hybrid's gas tank holds just 15 gallons of fuel.
"Other vehicles might start out with more fuel but they will go
through it a lot more quickly," Wright says.
An SUV that Excels in the City
The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid is expected to be rated at between 35-40
mpg on the EPA city cycle -- an improvement of at least 75 percent
over the EPA city fuel economy rating of 20 mpg for the conventional
V-6-powered Ford Escape, the best-selling small SUV in America.
Escape Hybrid's fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine combines with an
electric drive system to deliver acceleration performance similar to
that of the V-6 Escape.
While a conventionally powered vehicle burns fuel and creates
emissions while idling at a red light or bogged down in stopped
traffic, the Escape Hybrid's engine shuts down at rest to conserve
fuel. When the light turns green or traffic moves forward, Escape
Hybrid's 70-kilowatt traction motor generator can launch the vehicle
on clean electric power. When needed, the generator can smoothly
start the gasoline engine in less than 400 milliseconds, without the
increased emissions produced in starting up a conventional engine.
Escape Hybrid also conserves energy in stop-and-go driving by
reclaiming energy during braking to charge its hybrid storage
battery to be used later during acceleration.
"Near Zero" Tailpipe Emissions
Escape Hybrid is an extremely clean vehicle to operate, producing 97
percent less hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions than
vehicles that meet today's nationwide Tier I emissions standard.
That's clean enough to qualify the 2005 Escape Hybrid for the
stringent Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle
(AT-PZEV) standards.
Escape Hybrid achieves the AT-PZEV standards by combining an
efficient powertrain with an exhaust catalyst system that is very
effective at lowering smog-forming emissions.
Indeed, the Ford Escape Hybrid is as environmentally friendly as a
vehicle that runs solely on electric power. That's because a
battery-electric vehicle needs to be plugged in to be recharged, and
that electricity must be generated by a power plant, creating some
smog-forming emissions. The Escape Hybrid, on the other hand, never
needs to be plugged in. Its battery is continually recharged by an
ingenious system that reclaims energy when the brakes are applied.
The Escape Hybrid also produces as little as half the amount of
carbon dioxide (CO2) -- a harmless gas in terms of ground-level air
quality but a primary "greenhouse gas" when it drifts into the
Earth's upper atmosphere. An accumulation of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere is widely believed to be producing a global warming
effect. CO2 and water vapor are produced in the clean combustion of
any type of carbon-based fuel, so the only effective way to reduce a
vehicle's CO2 emissions is to reduce the amount of fuel consumed.
Fuel-efficient hybrid-electric vehicles can substantially reduce CO2
emissions.
Ford Motor Company and other automakers are working on long-term
research projects to someday make practical hydrogen-powered
vehicles that will not produce any greenhouse emissions. In addition
to the Escape Hybrid, PZEV Focus and Focus Diesel being produced
today, Ford has developed a Focus hydrogen internal combustion
engine (H2ICE), a hydrogen hybrid research vehicle (H2RV) and a
Focus Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) that is operating in demonstration
fleets in the U.S. and Canada. Ford is the only automaker with such
a full-range of production vehicles and research efforts intended to
move society to a hydrogen-powered future.
Source: Ford Motor Company --30-- CONTACT: Mitchell C. Johnson (313)
598-7024 cell Ed Lewis (313) 333-6512 cell Jon Harmon (313) 492-0732
cell �2000 Hispanic PR Wire. All rights reserved.
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EVLN(SANTA BARBARA switching from electric buses to diesel)
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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/8359833.htm
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - The Metropolitan Transit District could
lose millions of federal dollars because the agency is switching
from electric buses to diesel power.
The district was awarded a $9.2 million federal grant when it
proposed to buy 39 electric buses several years ago. Over time, the
number of buses was steadily trimmed, most recently to 25. Late last
year, the district decided to scrap electric bus purchases.
Now, the agency wants to use $2.6 million of the $8.1 million left
to buy 11 diesel buses.
"MTD isn't going to get a lot of points for buying diesel buses,"
said Jim Kemp, executive director of the Santa Barbara County
Association of Governments, which awards the money.
"We are hopeful," "MTD spokesman David Damiano said. "It will
definitely be a benefit to the district and our passengers."
The agency also is proposing to use some of the federal money for
operating costs, including expanded service from the Santa Ynez
Valley to the South Coast.
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EVLN(EVr grin @ the Revenge of the Killer Prices)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.thesentinel.com/280178346546010.php April 05, 2004
[image] John Kocher of Silver Spring has retrofitted this sports car
to run wholly on electricity. A small percentage of its power comes
from solar cells. Revenge of the Killer Gas Prices By Sarah Lesher
Special to the Sentinel
"Gas prices teeter on edge of records," shouts the American
Automobile Association's most recent newsletter.
Like the Raptors of Jurassic Park, fossil fuels are rising up
against humans and they are shredding our wallets. Consumers have
few options other than paying the gas pump price.
GM is running as hard as it can from the electric vehicles it has
already designed and produced. The cars recharged for just pennies
and were available on lease.
This change in direction at GM followed backpedaling by California
on zero emissions standards.
"Despite the popularity of the GM EV-1 and [despite long ] waiting
lists for the high-tech vehicle, General Motors terminated their
customer's leases and sent the cars to the jaws of a crusher," says
the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington D.C. on their
web page.
In response to the lack of domestic producers, some conscientious
consumers are going out and buying electric Toyotas .
But John Kocher of Silver Spring, a computer specialist at the
National Institutes of Health, went out and bought himself a 1985
Pontiac Fiero that had been already converted to run off batteries
in 1991. After conversion, the car spent most of its time in a
dealer showroom.
Kocher added batteries and a converter, and had it inspected and
registered. He now plans to use his electric Fiero for commuting. It
costs only $0.35 for the electricity to recharge it during peak
hours, less during off-peak hours. But it takes 8 to 10 hours for a
full recharge, which may be why electric cars are still unpopular.
California was the source of both Kocher's car and the zero emission
pollution standards that drove the development of commercially
manufactured electric cars. The original 1990 zero emission
standards had mandated that 10 percent of vehicles sold in
California be emission-free by 2003. But under pressure from
manufacturers, the standards were changed to allow gasoline-electric
hybrids like Toyota Prius and Ford Focus, plus low-emission gasoline
vehicles like the Toyota Camry, to count towards the goal.
One problem with battery-powered electric vehicles cited by
California: in spite of extensive research, no significant
improvements in battery technology have evolved that would reduce
their costs and size, and increase the time between charges.
Photo by Normand Bernache
The Montgomery County Sentinel, published weekly by Montgomery
Sentinel Publishing, Inc., is a community newspaper covering
Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded in 1855.
The Prince George's Sentinel, published weekly by Berlyn Inc., is a
community newspaper covering Prince George's County, Maryland.
� Berlyn, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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Victor, et al:
Another "charger" I have wondered about is a dc motor controller such
as those made by Minarik. They seem fairly controllable and come in
models for motors up to 3 hp. That might work for delivering 2.5 kva.
/Bob
On Wednesday, April 7, 2004, at 04:01 PM, Victor Tikhonov wrote:
Lawrence Rhodes wrote:
We have an old Lincoln stick welder. Could I use this as a charger?
Lawrence Rhodes...........
I did at one time. BIG bad boy. A 100A bridge diodes on heat
sinks were connected (I had only AC welder). If you have AC/DC model,
you got diodes.
The original secondary winding was removed (aluminum square wire)
and I added my own made of just regular hook up wire. It produced 80V
which connected in series with 240V mains made 300VAC output total
nesessary for 420VDC to finish string of 28 optimas.
Beware - the hook up wire gets hot and insulation of internal turns
melts if you draw 20A or so because of lack of cooling even with
fan running. You need to space turns apart.
20A on the open air makes wire (ga14) a bit warm, but it was OK.
You can adjust the current by the crank, but beware, there is
no voltage regulation. This boy is just as bad as its smaller
brother in that respect.
--
Victor
'91 ACRX - something different
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I forgot the rule, is it about 2/3rd's or 145 VDC after I send 220 VAC
through a rectifier bridge? (higher voltage bad boy coming)
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I just finished reading one of the papers:
http://www2.electrochem.org/cgi-bin/abs?mtg=012&abs=0186&type=pdf In the
paper, it says that the specific capacity declines to 92% in 1000 (one
thousand) cycles while the graph it references shows a decline to 92% in 100
(one hundred) cycles. Either some one did not do a very good job proof
reading their paper or the decline reaches 92% and stays there for another
900 cycles.
Still, I'm encouraged by the progress that is being made.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andy Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 13:09 PM
Subject: Organic 'radical' Battery, NiMH capacity, fast recharge...
Hi Folks
I am learning about EV's very quickly, thanks for being so open.
Here's an article I picked up about a new kind of 'organic' battery being
developed by NEC. Looks interesting
HYPERLINK
"http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/299678"http://neas
ia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/299678
There'll probably be a heated discussion on at Slashdot.
HYPERLINK
"http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/06/1443207&mode=thread&tid
=126"http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/06/1443207&mode=thread
&tid=126
Picture
http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/FR/TNKS/TNKSHM/newpro/-
Old article about discovery of compound
HYPERLINK
"http://www.labs.nec.co.jp/Eng/Topics/data/r011108/"http://www.labs.nec.co.j
p/Eng/Topics/data/r011108/
Academic Article
HYPERLINK
"http://www2.electrochem.org/cgi-bin/abs?mtg=012&abs=0186&type=pdf"http://ww
w2.electrochem.org/cgi-bin/abs?mtg=012&abs=0186&type=pdf
This is starting to look like it's not an April Fool!
Best Wishes
Andy Harris
Bradsoft
01274 588440
www.bradsoft.co.uk
PO Box 1000
Shipley
W. Yorks
BD17 7YQ
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Those folks with the stick welders remember they are constant current.Open
circuit voltage can be as hi as 103 but when you put a load on volts drop. Mig
welders or wire welders are constant voltage.When you put a load on the CV
welder the 65 or less ocv drops a small amount but the current can be very high.I
use welding equiptment to charge batteries on the CE,CEs pit cart and the
electrac(nicads).Some welders have pulse features that can be handy.I repair
welders to keep the wheels on CE.You would be surprised of the tech transfer to
CE. Dennis Kilowatt Berube Current Eliminator
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Roy LeMeur wrote:
..
> Your relatively short commute and the ability to charge at work helps alot.
> Would be substantially different with a 40 mile commute and no at-work
> charging.
..
If that was my commute, I'd look into these alternatives, in this order:
1. get a different job
2. carpool, or take train
3. get a CNG vehicle
4. get a hybrid
In my opinion, EVs fill a niche (wonderfully).
One-way commute distance
up to:
1 mile - walk
5 miles - bicycle
20 miles (mostly surface streets) - first-gen EV (lead sled)
40 miles (with freeway) - advanced production EV (high efficiency, advanced
battery chemistry))
40+ miles - alternative transportation
I think a large number of urban dwellers fall under the 20 mile commute, but
fail to realize it. My wife and I drove the EV to the grocery store. On
the way out, we were approached by an older man. He seemed very interested
in everything about the electric car, but when I told him the range, it
seemed like his brain instantly switched off the possibility. He said, "Oh
no, no. People won't buy that." Yesterday, I was talking to a co-worker.
When I told him the range of my EV, he said, "but what if you want to go to
Vegas?". There's a very successful meme that has made it into the public
consciousness, that you need to be able to drop everything, and go to Vegas.
How unrealistic! As if you couldn't have another car for trips like that.
It's this meme that EV proponents need to conquer. And the best way I can
see doing that is by getting them on the road. I drive the same route every
day with the Electrica. There are alot of gas stations on the way, with
prices reaching $2.50. I'm bound to have someone behind me eventually, who
says, "look, there's that little electric car again." And then, "Wow, gas
prices are through the roof." That day, there might be a new synaptic
connection made in his brain, and we may end up with a new member in the
EVList.
Richard
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elaine chiu wrote:
I forgot the rule, is it about 2/3rd's or 145 VDC after I send 220 VAC
through a rectifier bridge? (higher voltage bad boy coming)
Careful, DC output (peaks) is higher than AC nominal input!
For a full bridge expect to see DC output (peaks) to be
~1.4 times (sqrt of 2) of AC input. If you rectify 220VAC
(which is 308V peak) you get 308V"DC" output.
Now, you of course still get 220V DC average (after all
a bridge ain't a step up transformer :-) but this is
relevant for the loads which are spec'd for average
voltage, like a light bulb: 12VDC light bulb will
work just fine off of 12VAC which has 16.8V peaks
60 times a second (120 times if rectified).
But 12V battery as a load is NOT OK: at 16.8V peaks
the current spikes will be so high that ckt breaker
is likely to trip. If you don't have one, the bridge
will give up.
Expect horrible power factor from your setup.
--
Victor
'91 ACRX - something different
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I'm planning the instrument panel in my Civic wagon. It already has a
tach and a speedo, both of which I intend to keep. The Emeter will go
on the driver's side window post, like a tuner's turbo gauge. There's a
small rectangular space for the existing fuel-and-temp gauge, which need
to be replaced, and 8 lights, of which three will be available: the
check engine, oil, and battery lights.
I intend to build a circuit to shut off the DC/DC when voltage gets low,
and the battery light will tell me when this circuit engages. I'll
probably use the check-engine light to tell me when the charger is
disconnected and the car is powered (I'll salvage the hazard lens from
some other car's instruments, making me NEDRA compliant!).
That leaves the oil light and the fuel/temp gauge ready to be replaced.
What neat things should I put there?
You can see a picture of the instrument panel (if you're interested) at
my website. I made a quick-and-dirty gallery:
http://judebert.com/wasted_youth/EV/gallery.html
I'm also interested in neat ways to fill up those switch banks...
Judebert
I'm turning into an environmental anachronist. I want to recycle
everything, but drop it off in styrofoam containers.
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The chassis is connected to the green wire safety ground at the AC outlet.
NOT the battery pack negative terminal.
Joe Smalley
Rural Kitsap County WA
Fiesta 48 volts
NEDRA 48 volt street conversion record holder
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Victor Tikhonov" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 1:29 PM
Subject: Re: Controller isoaltion (Re: ACPropulsion combo on eBay)
> Victor Tikhonov wrote:
>
> I know PFCs have neg output directly connected to the mains
> bridge but don't remember if they have negative output grounded
> to the case as well. Rich can comment on this.
>
> So suddenly it becomes dangerous to touch motor terminal
> only because one adds unrelated [to the drive system] component.
> This, of course applies to any system, AC or DC.
>
> --
> Victor
> '91 ACRX - something different
>
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