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| Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
We filled Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square with electric cars – both commercial vehicles and electric conversions. A large crowd turned out and the weather was perfect. Overall it was a really good event. I was impressed that the general public’s awareness of electric vehicles has gone up over the last 10 years.
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| From left to right - Toyota Corolla, Porsche 911, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, truck conversion. Photograph by Bill Bates. |
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| Pride in ownership. |
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| There was a steady stream of visitors all day long. Photograph by Bill Bates. | | | |
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I spent the entire day answering questions about my car, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
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| Discussing the finer points of AC vs DC motors, and the price of lithium. |
One of the highlights for me was chatting with a member of the
Oregon State University solar racing team, fresh off their first place finish at the 2013 Formula Sun Grand Prix.
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| Oregon State University solar race car. | | |
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John Wayland, electric drag racing pioneer and owner of the
fastest street legal electric drag car in the world, introduced himself and shared some wild adventures of when he owned a Porsche 911 SC. He says that the Zombie’s times are going to drop into the 9 second range for the ¼ mile.
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| White Zombie is a 1972 Datsun that has been modified to go fast. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org | | | | |
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Twin 9 inch motors and low mass are part of the White Zombie go fast equation.
Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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| This electric VW bus conversion is beautiful. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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| I love that the motor mount and motor face are exposed. Truly a work of art. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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| Electric bug and electric bicycle. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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| Everyone loves the Tesla Model S. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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| Some electric vehicles with only two wheels. Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
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The TH!NK city (red and black) are cute cars. Too bad they are not currently in production.
Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org |
Hi Joey,
ReplyDeletenice pictures, and your golden Porsche Targa looks very cool; Will you shoot more on board videos for your fans ? please ? :-)
Christophe
Thanks. Yes, I will work on getting another video up soon.
DeleteHey Joey,
ReplyDeleteGood for you! That's sure a nice place to show off the 911, in the company of White Zombie, no less. Very fitting...
Must have been a very rewarding day for you, getting to show off the [almost] finished project. I'm glad to hear that everyone was very positive and asked lots of questions about the build, etc.
BTW: That green micro-bus reminded me of Jehu Garcia's project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FG_J1yu2qs
And yes, I vote for more video, if you have the time!
I've seen the Zombie run down the drag strip in person, and it is a special sight to behold. The launch off the line is incredible.
DeleteThe show was a blast. I have another show lined up this Saturday. Getting covers over the cells has moved to the top of the list. I don't want anyone getting a jolt, touching something they shouldn't.
I promise a video, I just don't know how quickly I can get it out.
Hi Joey
ReplyDeleteI have read your blog, and must say that you've really done a nice job on the 911.
Converting a car myself would be really exciting, but unfortunately the rules in Denmark re. EV conversions are very strict. For instance the EMC tests necessary for a conversion will cost 10-15.000$ alone. So for now it's just a thought, and I concentrate on restoring an already registered 3-wheeled EV.
The diagrams in your 'Technical Documentation' section look good. What program/tool did you use to create them?
Best regards, Peter
Peter, Thanks for your comments. It is a shame that laws can be so strict that they inhibit the individual. I understand having the rules for commercial products. Too bad there isn't an exemption for the individual. Do you have any info online about your 3-wheeled EV?
DeleteI used Microsoft Visio to make the circuit drawings. There is free software on http://www.expresspcb.com/ that you could use also. That reminds me, I haven't updated the technical section in quite some time. A lot of it is probably out of date.
Thanks, Joey
DeleteI already use Visio for work, though not for electrics. I will dig into this and also try out ExpressSCH. I know myself good enough to know that any doocumentation must be made beforehand, or it will never be done... :-)
The mini-el is a danish one-person battery vehicle from the eighties. It had really awful electronics, a weak motor driven through a variable resistor and other quirks. I like it for the historics in it, and have a garage project going with my kids to rebuild one. We are completely replacing the electronics with an Arduino and replacing the motor with a proper one and with a Sevcon controller. Also - if economy permits - I'd like to get to know the LiFePo cells a little better to prepare for a proper ICE conversion.
I haven't got any info of my own (documentation again...), but http://www.ellert.info/index.htm is the 'official' user's website. It's in danish, but you'll probably manage. ;-)
Really great post. I always enjoy seeing the creativity that other converters are bringing to the game. So much fun.
ReplyDelete