[Peace-presence] Alternative Transportation Events and News
Bob Tregilus
lakeport104 at yahoo.com
Thu Dec 6 13:17:12 MST 2007
TRANSPORTATION EVENTS of INTEREST ~
(No Gas or War Required!)
Soular Block Party, Saturday, December 22, 2007, 10 - 4 pm.
The Great Basin Community Food Cooperative
http://www.greatbasinfood.coop, Reno Bike Project
http://www.renobikeproject.com, and the Alternative Transportation
Club, EAA will be holding a block party at 271 Wonder Street. The party
will feature solar cooking demonstrations and alternative
transportation. If you would like to bring your Electric Vehicle to the
event please call Bob at 775/826-4514.
~
Sierra Club - Great Basin Group meeting, Thursday, January 10
GB Group general meeting. “Who Killed the Electric Car?” This movie,
narrated by Martin Sheen, will be an eye-opener for anyone who hasn’t
seen it. From the jacket: “Running solely on electricity, General
Motors’ fleet of EV-1 electric vehicles were so efficient they were on
the brink of altering the future of driving in America—perhaps even the
world. Those lucky enough to drive one gave it glowing reviews. So why
were they all destroyed?” Running time is 1.5 hr, so we will start
announcements at 7:00 and the movie at 7:15. Location: Bartley Ranch
(South on Lakeside Dr., just before Windy Hill). Time: 7:00 Social,
7:15 Announcements, 7:30 – 8:30 Program. Info: Larry (786-8564) or
visit their website http://tinyurl.com/365hvn.
-
~ NEXT ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION CLUB MEETING ~
Saturday, January 26, 2008, 1:30-3:30 p.m. @ the National Auto Museum,
10 South Lake St., Reno
Speakers & Displays! Phoenix Motorcars "no compromise" All Electric
long-range SUV featuring Altairnano's NanoSafe™ rapid-charge Li-ion
batteries.
The 2008 Phoenix Electric SUV will be displayed alongside a 1912 Baker
Electric Coupe.
* Enjoy a Day at the Museum! * Electric Bike Raffle! * * Tickets $5.00
in advance - $7.00 at the door * 775 826-4514 *
---
Hi Everyone!
Below is your ATC eNews for both November and December.
Of special interest is the January 26th event at the National Auto
Museum featuring Altairnano <http://www.altairnano.com> and Phoenix
Motorcars <http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com> is a go! (See "Next
Meeting" item below for details.)
ATC officers and a representative from Altairnano will be meeting at
the Northwest Reno Library on Thursday, December 13 at 5:30 PM, to
begin organizing this event. If you wish to help please feel free to
attend. (Note: we will meet in one of the small meeting rooms on the
South wall of the library.)
Also, don't miss the events section of the newsletter! A "Soular" Block
Party at the Reno Food Cooperative and showing a of _Who Killed the
Electric Car_ at the Sierra Club meeting are coming up soon! The ATC
will have an EV display at the Soular Block Party. (Details below.)
Also, new in this edition of the ATC eNewsletter is a classified
section. A couple of vehicles and conversion candidates are for sale
locally.
Finally, ATC treasurer, Peter Fletcher, got his 1993 Solectria Force
running: Congratulations Peter! To see a short video of the Solectria
follow this link: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTwPbOhL4sc>.
See everyone at the next meeting on January 26th at the National Auto
Museum! Until then, I hope you have an electrifying Holiday Season and
a prosperous New Year!
Be well,
Bob Tregilus
ATC Chair
###############################################
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION CLUB &
ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN NEVADA
ATC eNews, Volume 1, Number 7, December 5, 2007
Published _hopefully_ once a month.
Website: http://ElectricNevada.org
###############################################
### CONTENTS -
* Next Meeting - National Auto Museum!
* Meeting Review
* Events Calendar
* Listservs - Get Involved & Informed via Email
* Watt's Up? PHEV Pirus!
* Featured Alternative Transportation websites
Austin Area Electric Auto Association
Electric Yaris
* EVs In the News
Lithium Batteries Take to the Road
California to Rule On Fate of EVs
Electric-Car Maker Touts 10-Minute Fill-up
What is this carbon offset game and how do I play?
Plug-In Motorcycle
Cabinet to endorse electric car dream today
Brown Goes Green
* EV video clips
DrivingTheFuture.com
Larry Hagman goes electric at his Ojai Ranch
* Energy News (audio reports)
False Promise of Big Coal
Scientists Make Advances in Extracting Hydrogen!
* Classifieds ***NEW***
* Article Contributions and Legal Stuff
###############################################
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////
### NEXT MEETING -
Saturday, January 26, 2008, 1:30-3:30 pm. @ the National Auto Museum,
10 South Lake St., Reno
Speakers & Displays! Phoenix Motorcars "no compromise" All Electric
long-range SUV featuring Altairnano's NanoSafe™ rapid-charge Li-ion
batteries.
The 2008 Phoenix Electric SUV will be displayed alongside a 1914
Detroit Electric 46 Gentleman's Roadster.
* Enjoy a Day at the Museum! * Electric Bike Raffle! *
* Tickets $5.00 in advance - $7.00 at the door * Call 775 826-4514 for
info *
If you want to help organize this event please contact Bob at 775
826-4514.
Official event fliers and handbills are posted at our website
<http://ElectricNevada.org>. Please download a few and post at your
office or favorite store!
////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
###############################################
### MEETING REVIEW -
October's meeting went well. About thirty of us met at the Regional
Transportation Commission (RTC) offices where we learned about the many
alternative public transportation options offered by the RTC. ATC
members also received a special sneak-preview of the RTC RIDESHARE car
pooling program <http://www.rtcwashoe.greenride.com>. The RTC RIDESHARE
program is a free, web-based service that uses advanced technology to
make carpool matching easy, fast, convenient, and accurate. You simply
enter your traveling preferences and receive the best potential carpool
matches back in a matter of seconds.
For more about the RTC's many services please visit
http://www.rtcwashoe.com/ or call RTC Trip Reduction Specialist, Carol
Perry, at 775-335-1920.
---
### EVENTS CALENDAR -
Soular Block Party, Saturday, December 22, 2007, 10 - 4 pm.
The Great Basin Community Food Cooperative
<http://www.greatbasinfood.coop>, Reno Bike Project
<http://www.renobikeproject.com/>, and the Alternative Transportation
Club, EAA will be holding a block party at 271 Wonder Street. The party
will feature solar cooking demonstrations and alternative
transportation. See the ATC website for details
<http://ElectricNevada.org>.
-
Sierra Club - Great Basin Group meeting, January 10 (Thursday)
GB Group general meeting. “Who Killed the Electric Car?” This movie,
narrated by Martin Sheen, will be an eye-opener for anyone who hasn’t
seen it. From the jacket: “Running solely on electricity, General
Motors’ fleet of EV-1 electric vehicles were so efficient they were on
the brink of altering the future of driving in America—perhaps even the
world. Those lucky enough to drive one gave it glowing reviews. So why
were they all destroyed?” Running time is 1.5 hr, so we will start
announcements at 7:00 and the movie at 7:15. Location: Bartley Ranch
(South on Lakeside Dr., just before Windy Hill). Time: 7:00 Social,
7:15 Announcements, 7:30 – 8:30 Program. Info: Larry (786-8564) or
visit their website <http://tinyurl.com/365hvn>.
---
### LISTSERVS - GET INVOLVED AND INFORMED VIA EMAIL -
Alternative Transportation Club (ATC) general listserv -
<http://tinyurl.com/3xs4jk>.
Alternative Transportation Club (ATC) organizing listserv -
<http://tinyurl.com/32kgbm>.
Electric Vehicle Discussion List, founded in 1991 -
<http://www.evdl.org/>. (Editor's note: Be sure to select the "digest"
option instead of individual emails as this is a very busy list and
will fill up your inbox quickly.)
DIY Electric Car Forums -
<http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/>.
---
### WATT'S UP? -
by Bob Tregilus, ATC Chair & J "EVJerry" Asher, Electric Auto
Association - Chapters Relations East
In the evening of November 6, J "EVJerry" Asher, Electric Auto
Association - Chapters Relations East, made a brief appearance at the
Northwest Reno Library in PHEV#76 (the CALCars <http://www.calcars.org>
converted Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). EVJerry was on a "show &
tell" demonstration run across the Southwest: taking PHEV#76 from its
inception at the Maker Faire at Austin, TX through Oklahoma, New
Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and finally into San Francisco, CA. Enroute
EVJerry dropped in on various EAA chapters to gauge interest in plug-in
hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) conversions, which based on turned out,
as evident by Reno EAA showing, is quite strong.
PHEV#76 is owned by Darren Overby <http://diy-mpg.com>, a San Francisco
EAA Member, and is one of the first PHEVs to feature a "bolt-in"
conversion kit. The CALCars conversion in Austin was coordinated by Jim
Philippi, a Houston EAA Member, who earlier in 2007 had his Prius
converted to a CALCars PHEV at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA.
The conversion is very well engineered. A vented battery compartment
manufactured by Plug-in Supply <http://Plug-inSupply.com> replaces the
Prius' stock storage box that lies immediately above the spare tire. A
hydraulic piston assembly lifts the battery compartment out of the away
when access to the tire is required. The conversion is a bolt in
operation and comes with the necessary wiring harnesses, charger, and
adapters. The complete installation adds about 300 pounds to the
vehicle.
For everyday commuting use, about half of the PHEV Prius' first 20
miles of driving are powered by electricity obtained from any standard
120vac outlet. Depending on local mileage the PHEV#76 can easily exceed
100 mpg. This can result in commuting costs of 2-4 cents per mile
instead of a standard gasoline car's 8-20 cents per mile. And, of
course, your carbon footprint diminishes proportionally as well. Not to
mention you are using a domestic source of energy for your
transportation needs instead of an imported one.
The trick to a successful conversion lies in fooling, or spoofing, the
on-board Prius CAN (computer area network) into thinking its actual
1.4Kw NiMH batteries are full so the vehicle will travel solely on
electricity from the added lead-silicon gel battery pack instead of
using the gasoline engine. This is achieved by use of a CAN Bus
<http://hybridinterfaces.ca>, a computer portal array where all the
computer programs interface. Thus, the CAN Bus controls the added
battery pack. The CAN View screen provides a wealth of visual
information to the Prius PHEV's on-board MFD display panel.
Therefore, you need three things for PHEV Prius conversions:
1) An added battery pack, whether lead acid, NiMH or Li-ion, along with
a box to support the pack. Note: Choice largely depends on the range
you want and your budget.
2) An assembly that switches power from your added pack into your stock
pack.
3) CAN Bus and CAN View -- devices to control the overall system and
show you how its operating as you drive.
The goal here enables Prius owners to enroll EAA members, possibly with
local electrician and computer engineers into converting their cars
into PHEVs for under $6,000 with lead acid batteries. Minimum time
requires two plus person-weekends of time. Local EAA chapters, such as
the Alternative Transportation Club, EAA are possible pools of
technical talent for these Do It Yourself (DIY) projects. After all,
the ATC's goal is to educate the community about alternative forms of
transportation as well as to facilitate the public's ready adoption of
these practical alternatives in keeping all of America green and
cleaner.
The Advanced Do It Yourself/EAA-PHEV
<http://eaa-phev.org/wiki/PriusPlus> project is modeled after the
open-source "free" software movement. See footnote* below.
In the near future, the ATC will host a teleconference call with J.
"EVJerry," and hopefully, with other CalCars PHEVolunteers,
particularly Jim Philippi and Darren Overby in order that they all can
describe the CalCars PHEV conversion program in more detail and suggest
ways the ATC can join in. The conversation will include methods for
members to perform pure BEV conversions as well.
In related news: The ATC voted at the October meeting to endorse the
Plug-in Partners National Campaign <http://pluginpartners.org>. Several
excellent videos on the campaign and the benefits of PHEVs are located
as this link <http://tinyurl.com/3cqoox>.
Finally - be sure to mark your calendars! On Saturday, January 26, 2008
the ATC will be hosting Altairnano and Phoenix Motorcars at the
National Auto Museum in Reno! The Phoenix "no compromise" SUV
<http://phoenixmotorcars.com> will be on display next to 1914 Detroit
Electric 46 Gentleman's Roadster. And Reno's own Altairnano
<http://altairnano.com> will be displaying and telling us about their
Nanosafe™ Li-ion batteries and the technology that powers the Phoenix.
There will be an electric bike raffle as well! Visit our website for
more details <http://ElectricNevada.org>.
*Footnote: The following is an explanation of the free software
movement from its originator, The GNU Project <http://gnu.org>:
“Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the
concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech”, not as in
“free beer”. Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run,
copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More
precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the
software:
* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
* The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your
needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for
this.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
(freedom 2).
* The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to
the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to
the source code is a precondition for this.
The free software model has enjoyed worldwide success and offers do it
yourselfers an alternative to the restrictions imposed on us by
corporate licenses and limitations. For example this eNewsletter is
authored on a computer running Kubuntu <http://www.kubuntu.org> - not
Microsoft Windows! - using Writer word processor by OpenOffice
<http://www.openoffice.org>.
---
### FEATURED ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION WEBSITE -
AUSTIN AREA ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION
http://www.austinev.org
We are a group of people who gather to discuss electric vehicles, their
construction, the technologies that make them work, and how we can
further their continued re-introduction into central Texas.
[Editor's note: This site is where the world class Electric Vehicle
Photo Album <http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/>, & Tradin's Post
<http://www.austinev.org/evtradinpost/> are hosted! It's a wonderful
resource for gathering information on what kind of EVs are available
and what others have modified, converted, or created.]
-
ELECTRIC YARIS
http://www.electricyaris.com
This is a beautiful website documenting a top-notch home conversion of
a Toyota Yaris. This site is a must see and the Yaris is currently for
sale!
---
### EVs IN THE NEWS -
LITHIUM BATTERIES TAKE TO THE ROAD
"Lithium-ion cells are poised to take an increasing share of the auto
battery market, just as electric drive seems set to begin a long, slow
climb to become, at last, a serious power-train option. But what’s
rarely understood is how much that second revolution depends on the
first."
Full story here:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/sep07/5490
-
CALIFORNIA TO RULE ON FATE OF EVS
"Phoenix, a start-up in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., bets that rapid
charging will eventually make battery EVs more popular with consumers
by eliminating the threat of being stranded with a dead battery. But
Phoenix is also counting on a more immediate payoff: the company may be
eligible to cash in on California's ambitious and controversial
zero-emissions vehicle mandate. The ZEV directive requires car
manufacturers to market ultraclean and emissions-free vehicles or buy
credits earned by others making such vehicles—credits that could
translate into tens of thousands of dollars in extra income per vehicle
for Phoenix."
Full story here:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/nov07/5657
-
ELECTRIC-CAR MAKER TOUTS 10-MINUTE FILL-UP
"Thanks to an uncommonly stable lithium chemistry and high-surface-area
nanopatterned electrodes, Altair Nanotechnologies’ lithium-ion
batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) charge up fast. Very fast. One of
the Reno, Nev.–based battery developer’s 35-kilowatt-hour packs,
capable of propelling an EV pickup truck for 160 kilometers, can fully
charge in just 10 minutes—a feat that would be downright dangerous with
most lithium batteries. What remains to be seen is whether such rapid
charging will prove practical on the street. Although some EV
developers, battery experts, and utilities see a breakthrough that will
take battery-powered EVs mainstream, others see a technological dead
end."
Full story here:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/nov07/5685
-
WHAT IS THIS CARBON OFFSET GAME AND HOW DO I PLAY?
"You’ve probably heard these guilt-inducing buzzwords by now: carbon
footprint and carbon offset. “What is this miraculous means by which I
can reduce my personal assault on Planet Earth?” you might be thinking.
“Can I actually offset all the carbon dioxide emissions I’m responsible
for?” you’re saying to yourself. Well, it’s actually pretty easy and
affordable. Take me to your carbon offset leader!"
Full story here:
http://tinyurl.com/2vyd64
-
PLUG-IN MOTORCYCLE
"Those who lean toward two wheels rather than four will be interested
in this: A stylish, cutting-edge electric motorcycle that will be
brought to market by its Oregon manufacturer in early 2008."
Full story here:
http://tinyurl.com/3yffbc
-
CABINET TO VOTE TO ENDORSE ELECTRIC CAR DREAM TODAY
"Israel - The cabinet will officially announce its support for an
electric car at its weekly meeting today. The idea is to back Shai
Agassi's initiative to revolutionize transport by building an entire
electrically powered system for cars, starting with solar energy,
non-polluting electric vehicles and infrastructure to charge the cars -
all without dependence on oil."
Full story here:
http://tinyurl.com/3ydr58
-
BROWN GOES GREEN
"It will be a green holiday this season for United Parcel Service
(UPS), who rolled out a small parcel delivery service this week in
Northern California using 42 electric cars and trucks from ZAP."
Full story here:
http://www.zapworld.com/node/200
---
### EV VIDEO CLIPS -
DRIVINGTHEFUTURE.COM
Interesting video clips discussing NiMH batteries and the Toyota
RAV4-EV.
Watch videos here:
http://drivingthefuture.com/
-
DALLAS' J.R., AKA LARRY HAGMAN, GOES ELECTRIC AT HIS OJAI RANCH
Watch video here:
http://tinyurl.com/2afxcz
---
### ENERGY NEWS -
False Promise of Big Coal
"On this edition of Earthbeat, we hear about the Appalachian elementary
school that is just downhill of a massive pond of 'slurry' left behind
from Mountain Top Removal mining. "Host Daphne Wysham speaks to Coal
River Mountain Watch's Judy Bonds, Bobby Mitchell, Lorelei Scarboo as
well as Alan Johnson for Christians for the Mountains.
"Mary Anne Hitt is the director of Appalachian Voices and a native to
the area. She spoke passionately about the effects of coal mining on
both the land, and the culture, of Appalachia. Following up on her talk
at the IFG/IPS Teach-In was Jeff Goodell. He's a contributor to the New
York Times magazine, and the author of Big Coal: The Dirty Secret
Behind America's Energy Future."
Listen to the story here:
http://tinyurl.com/2wmrhl
-
SCIENTISTS MAKE ADVANCES IN EXTRACTING HYDROGEN
Talk of the Nation, November 16, 2007 · Researchers have developed a
more efficient way to extract hydrogen from biological materials using
a bacterial fuel cell. Bruce Logan, one of the scientists working on
the project, discusses the efforts and whether the new method might
change the debate over biofuels.
Guest: Bruce Logan, director of the Hydrogen Energy Center and
professor of environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University
Listen to the story here:
http://tinyurl.com/2vlrpf
---
### CLASSIFIEDS -
I have a 70s vintage GE 36 volt Elec-Trak lawn tractor I would like to
sell. It is in need of a fair bit of restoration and a set of batteries
I have the complete factory service manual also. This site has some
good info: http://tinyurl.com/2qe456
For more information contact Bill Brinsmead - 775 784-1502
-
I will have a 95 dodge avenger for sale to club member it still has a
great 4 cylinder gas engine which could be sold for $ And the car
converted. Body is Good needs clutch repair sometime soon but I still
would put 5,000 miles on it before I repaired Clutch. It's deep forest
Green. Great Style and Looks 1995 4 cylinder 5 spd. Price $850 great
deal Great Stereo beautiful car. High miles but strong car rebuilt
engine 40,000 ago.
Call Randell for more information - 760 709-1706
-
Can you tell me what shops in this area can convert a car to electric?
I have a car with a cracked engine block, beyond repair, so it maybe an
ideal candidate for conversion.
Call Marty at 775-841-1553
-
I was wondering if [anyone has] a source where I can get a cheap or
free motor for an Electric Dirtbike project I am embarking on? I am
stripping away all the ICE components and installing an Electric Motor,
(Between 15 & 20hp), a controller and the batteries. I have researched
many online and it seems relatively easy for someone that has a little
mechanical knowledge.
Call Mark at 775 690-7313
---
###############################################
ARTICLE CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEGAL STUFF -
CONTRIBUTIONS -
Your article contributions, letters to the editor, and classified
listings are welcome! Please submit original articles to Bob Tregilus:
lakeport104 at yahoo.com. In the interest of accuracy you are requested to
provide citations for any facts stated in your article(s). This is a
"plain text" eNewsletter and as such no photographs can be published.
All contributions maybe edited for length and clarity. They may be
messed up by mistake as well. Warning: dyslexic editor at work!
LEGAL -
Content of this eNewsletter is licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 License. You may share, copy, distribute, adapt, and
transmit this work so long as you retain the original attributions. Any
adaptations or changes to the original content of this eNewsletter must
be annotated with the new author's name and email contact.
<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/>.
COMMENTS -
Please call 775 826-4514 or email your comments to Bob Tregilus at
<lakeport104 at yahoo.com>.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE -
If you are receiving this eNewsletter in error, or wish to be removed
from this list, simply hit reply and ask!
###############################################
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