July 2005
Felix Kramer is leading this effort. A CalCars news and discussion group on Yahoo can be found at:
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA) will meet on the third Saturday
of each month during 2005. Meetings will be held at the Clark County Library on 1401 E. Flamingo Road from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM. Members will be displaying their own electric cars and answering questions before and after the
meeting.
Month Date Activity
July 04 4th of July Parade Boulder City
July 16 Monthly Meeting
August 06 EV Workshop
August 20 Monthly Meeting
September 03 EV Workshop
September 17 Monthly Meeting
October 01 EV Workshop
October 15 Monthly Meeting
November 05 EV Workshop
November 19 Monthly Meeting
December 03 EV Workshop
December 10 Christmas Parade
December 17 Monthly Meeting
LVEVA Board of Directors:
Richard Furniss, President
Bill Yule, Vice President
Bill Kuehl, Secretary/Treasurer
Al Sawyer
Jan Himber
Al D'Inzillo
Adam Howard
Newsletter Editors and Contributors:
Bill Kuehl
Richard Furniss
Al Sawyer, P.E.
Jan Himber
Adam Howard
Stan Hanel
WATTS HAPPENING
is published monthly by the
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association,
a chapter of the Electric Auto Association
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association web site
http://www.lveva.org
Electric Auto Association web site
http://www.eaaev.org
Address Correspondence to:
LVEVA
2515 Hightree Street
No. Las Vegas, NV 89030
Call for Information:
Richard Furniss (702) 453-6196
Bill Kuehl (702) 636-0304
Jan Himber (702) 642-4000
Contents:
1. CalCars and Plug-In Hybrids (PHEV)—The Next EV Evolution
2. United States Senate Energy Bill and Impact on Nevada (Harry Reid)
3. LVEVA Participates in 4th of July "Damboree" Parade in Boulder City
4. Junk Yard Junkie (Part 1)---Nevada PIC A PART
5. LVEVA Ongoing Projects and EV Workshop
6. EV Parts and EV's For Sale
CalCars and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV): The Next EV Evolution
By Stan Hanel
As the price of gas is rising across America again this summer, Hybrid Gasoline-Electric Automobiles that combine a gasoline engine with supplementary electric motor generators have boosted the fortunes of Japanese
automakers, who saw an economic need and created a new market.
Contrast that to the lost market share of the "Big 3" automakers in the US who are laying off workers and moving jobs overseas even though these companies had a
fifteen year jump on the same technology (THINK EV-1)!
The new gas-electric cars have sold well because consumers can fuel and service them in the same ways they have already been accustomed to without any infrastructure change
in fueling stations, car dealerships, repair shops and auto parts stores. The Hybrid Gas-Electric Automobile has been a very natural evolutionary step away from fossil fuels towards an "all-electric" vehicle. Toyota hopes to
eventually replace its hybrid gas engines altogether with more efficient fuel cell motors over the next ten years as they are developed.
For many electric car enthusiasts, this is still not enough. Why not add more
batteries to a hybrid, charge it off an external "plug-in" charger at night, run it in "electric only" mode until the gasoline engine is needed and minimize the use of the gasoline engine even more?! Like hot-rodders of years past
and present, these back yard experimenters are "tricking out" their vehicles to maximize fuel efficiency without the loss of power, exceeding 100 miles per gallon on gas tank fill-ups (although this savings is offset by the cost of
the charging current purchased from the electrical grid during "non-peak" hours). These new types of hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles have alternately been called "Gas-Optional" Hybrid Electric Vehicles (GO-HEV) or "Plug-In"
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV).
Plugging in a hybrid overnight to a 110 VAC or 220 VAC electrical outlet would allow users to consume dramatically less gas by running on battery power alone for long stretches.
Additionally, car owners wouldn't have to plug a PHEV in unless they wanted to, unlike purely electric cars that do require frequent, long term charging overnight. PHEV technology is available now, although it may mean voiding the
warranty on a conventional hybrid Toyota Prius. The California Cars Initiative (CalCars) in Palo Alto, CA is one non-profit company leading the way on PHEV conversions at:
Felix has promoted several promising technologies in this area, including conversion "kits" for 2004-2006
Prius models from EDrive Systems at: www.EDriveSystems.com
For more information, visit: United States Senate Energy Bill and its Impact on Nevada
"Edrive" is a joint technology venture between the principals EnergyCS Inc. and Clean-Tech LLC. The Edrive technology is patent pending. "Edrive" is a trademark of
Edrive Systems LLC according to the web sight.
EnergyCS and Clean-Tech LLC convert the Toyota Prius, replacing its 1.3-kilowatt-hour Nickel Metal Hydride Battery with an advanced 9-kWh Valence Saphion ™ Lithium-Ion
Battery Pack. The kit also includes a proprietary Battery Monitoring and Control System developed by EnergyCS. Edrive Sytems LLC claims a gasoline tank range of 180 miles per gallon by traveling more than 30 miles on battery power
alone. The company is hoping to market conversion kits to Toyota Prius owners that would add about 170 pounds to the car or less than the equivalent weight of a constant extra passenger. Because of the exotic Lithium-Ion Battery
Pack and Monitoring System, conversion prices are currently about $10,000 to $15,000 in addition to voiding the warranty on the Toyota factory 8-year replacement warranty of its NiMh battery pack.
www.energycs.com
www.energycs.com/Edrive-FAQ.html
Of the "Big 3" US automakers, DaimlerChrysler has continued a longtime relationship with the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA who is crafting a fleet of up to 40
PHEV delivery vans. The vans will be sold to several utilities, government agencies and the carmaker itself to start undergoing tests this year.
Although extra cost, battery weight and added electronics are barriers to
adoption of the PHEV, there is support at the Federal US government level. A bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy made Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles a key component of its energy strategy in December 2004.
The next EV Evolution is just beginning!
(Source: Harry Reid email lists at:
Senator Harry Reid wrote his Nevada constituents on 7/12/05 about a recent bipartisan
Energy bill and its effect on the state of Nevada. With the goal of energy independence in mind, the following legislation was approved:
---Renewable Energy Production Incentives: Established a National Standard requiring utilities to produce 10 perscent of their electricity from wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass by 2020. Senator Reid felt this would
complement the state of Nevada's even more aggressive goal of 15% renewable energy sources by 2015. He felt that Nevada would be a natural leader in this area with its "unlimited renewable resources" throughout the state.
---The Senate passed a three-year extension of the renewable production tax credit for wind, biomass and geothermal as well as a new investment tax credit for solar energy.
---Establishment of a biofuels standard that
requires 8 billion gallons of ethanol be used in gasoline by 2012
---Consumer Protection: Senate passed an amendment prohibiting electricity market manipulation after the Enron collapse, relieving Nevada Power rate payers of
$330 million in fees under fraudulent contract agreements.
---Global Warming Resolution stating that the United States must address global warming and pass a mandatory program to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
LVEVA Participates in 4th of July "Damboree" Parade in Boulder City
By Adam Howard
Editor's Note: The LVEVA once again participate in the annual 4th of July "Damboree" Parade in Boulder City on Monday July 4,
2005. LVEVA member John Bullis and his wife, Leti, generously offered to open their house for LVEVA members to participate in the EVent. EV's were staged and charged from their house early Saturday morning, then decorated and
prepared to run when the parade began. John and Leti hosted a "Pastry and Juice" breakfast before the parade and get-together after the parade was over. Adam Howard sent his account of the event:
"I arrived around 7:30 AM.
Jan Himber, Al Sawyer, and Mike Himber were there about five minutes after I arrived. John and Leti served a breakfast of bagels with various condiments. It took me about five minutes to get my Ebike1 ready for the parade. Jan
wrapped the controller in a black trash bag to protect it from water spray, very neatly I should say.
John Bullis brought out his Electric Bicycle that he had purchased from Sharper Image. I took a test drive on his bike.
It is very well built with a 24-volt system. Accorkding to John, it has a lithium-ion battery pack. I found it to be pretty powerful and it took me around without having to pedal. The bike does make a noise while operating,
possibly a low frequency controller pulse resonating through the motor.
John rode his bike in the parade and I followed with Ebike1. Bill Yule drove his Electric Hyundai (Converted automobile) and Bill Kuehl drove his Hybrid
Toyota Prius. John and I rode in circles, impressing the crowd and we wisely avoided the section where people were washing the parade with garden hoses.
After returning back to the house, we ate Sloppy Joe hamburgers and
brownies, among other things thanks to the good LVEVA volunteer cooks. John and Leti have always served great food appropriate for the climate.
During a previous LVEVA meeting, host John Bullis mentioned that he had not
been successful getting his new Cushman EV motor to turn in the desired direction. With the help of Al Sawyer, Jan Himber and myself, we took the motor apart. By redirecting the leads, we got the motor rotating in the desired
direction. I look forward to hearing how John does with his Cushman EV once this more powerful motor is installed.
For all who attended this year's successful Damboree parade, "a good time was had by all"!
Confessions of a Junk Yard Junkie (Part One)—Nevada PIC A PART
by Stan Hanel
In today's earlier article about the newly emerging crop of Hybrid Vehicles from automotive manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Ford, and GMC,
many EV hobbyists are "licking their chops" at seeing these new transportation platforms and envision them as just a starting point for even more pure Electric-powered designs, such as the "Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle" (PHEV).
The first Toyota Prius hybrids were available in the U.S. in 2001 and, since then, with competition from other automotive manufacturers, have been introducing innovative EV-friendly parts and technologies like electric
power steering, electric air conditioning, electrically-assisted braking and safety systems, electronically-controlled Infinitely Variable Transmissions, bigger Nickel Metal-hydride battery packs, bigger Electric Traction Motors,
including dual Electric motor systems for 4-wheel drive, UltraCapacitor-buffered electrical subsystems for short term Electric Power and Transient Current control, DC-to-DC Converters, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) dashboards and
distributed electronic processing systems based on CAN bus and other technologies.
Where can a poor, garage-workshop EV hobbyist partake of this treasure trove of technology at "bargain basement prices"?---Why, the
neighborhood Automotive Salvage Yard, of course!
My thanks go to LVEVA President Richard Furniss who first brought up this piece of inspiration at a recent LVEVA meeting. I am now on a quest to chronicle the best Automotive
Salvage and Recycling Yards in Southern Nevada, beginning my obsessive journey to become the ultimate Junk Yard Junkie! (If my wife doesn't divorce me, first…!)
My first stop---Nevada PIC A PART located at 5090 North Lamb
Blvd in Las Vegas. Coincidentally, my wife's 1989 Honda Accord SE had been in a recent parking lot accident. A "hit and run" driver who backed into her rear left tail light drove off and disappeared before she came out of the
supermarket to discover the damage. A call to our local Honda dealer quoted $120 for a replacement rear signal light sub-assembly.
Fortunately, this Honda part lived up to the company's reputation as being easily accessible
and changeable-four screws and disconnect the cable harness plugs. I could easily replace the damaged plastic housing and components myself.
Nevada PIC A PART is one of the oldest salvage yards in Southern Nevada, having
served the community for over 30 years. Their selection is immense, over 3,000 vehicles divided into a "car" section" and a "truck section". BYOT! Bring Your Own Tools! Admission price to the yard is $1 cash at the gate where you
sign in and get your hand stamped for all day re-entry, if you need to run back to your house to retrieve other tools or check for parts compatibility.
All purchases are "cash and carry", but many items have a 10-day
warranty so they can be brought back for a refund if they don't fit or work. Dolly carts are provided at the gate to help wheel out heavier items and wheel in customer tool boxes that are inspected at the gate before entry. I
carried in the appropriate wrenches, gloves (very important) and a few other hand tools in my right hand that would help me find the piece I needed. It was really exciting to see people from all walks of life coming out the gates
of the yard after their treasure hunts, one man with a steering column slung over his shoulder and another man with a whole compact model hatchback slung under his arm--talk about a universal equalizer!
All through my
encounters with the Nevada PIC A PART staff, I met helpful, friendly people. Once past the entrance booth, the same people manning the four reception windows where treasure hunters paid for their items also can perform inventory
searches on the part that a buyer is looking for by manufacturer, year, and model. They also told me that customers can search their database online through their database at their web site:
After checking their computer
inventory system, the employee at the window can then direct you to the exact row where you will find a selection of items and give you an estimate of pricing. The employee that helped me was very friendly and knowledgeable,
telling me I could find four of the parts I was searching for in the Honda section and that the price would be either $15 or $25, depending on the relative length of the left rear light assembly. This was a major savings over the
original quote from the Honda dealer of $120.
At first, I just wandered around the yard to gauge the size of it and find the Honda section. It was huge! Import compact cars were found at the far north side of the grounds. I
was impressed by the cleanliness and organization of the place. Each vehicle was supported by a brace of wheel rims consisting of one horizontal rim laying on the ground and one vertical rim on top of it to support the car body. On
the smaller cars, one set of rims supported the back end of the vehicle and two sets of rims supported the front in a triangular, "tripod" arrangement. I walked down the rows of cars---Toyotas in the far northwest corner (reserve
that section in my memory for further Hybrid Toyota Prius model treasure hunting!!) and then walked east down the column to find the Honda rows.
There they were, four rows deep of Hondas, arranged by model and year. The
model year was usually written with a marker on the back window or body where it was easily noticeable several vehicles away. I found several models of the '89 Honda Accord SE and LX that had rear left tail light assemblies that
were identical to the one I had at home. I finally settled on one that was undamaged but had a little residual paint around its weather stripping. I checked the inner wiring harness and found I was getting some free bulbs in the
process, although some of the connections were corroded. No problem! I could transplant the newer harness from the original rear light sub-assembly that was still intact by just removing three more screws.
After dismantling
the part in about ten minutes, I headed triumphantly to the checkout counter with my salvage "booty". I was even more delighted to find that the part would only cost me $15, instead of $25! What a day! After payment, I walked up to
two polite gentlemen with biker "do rags" who handled exit security. They labeled the part with an orange marker and the date, telling me I could bring it back within 10 days with the receipt to receive a refund if it didn't fit or
wqrk.
I award Nevada PIC A PART five stars for organization, cleanliness, good customer service, a friendly staff and a great overall experience for this novice treasure hunter! In my future parts searches, this will be the
first place I start to look!
Henderson yard: 110 W. Rolly Street, Henderson, Nevada
LVEVA Ongoing EV Projects & Workshops
by Richard Furniss, LVEVA President
Editor's Note: As mentioned
in the lead article, LVEVA President's Message, a decision was made during the February 19, 2005 monthly meeting of the LVEVA, to schedule regular EV workshops on the first Saturday of every month and add these workshops to the
club calendar.
Monthly workshops will be held in addition to the regular general meetings at various locations in town to give members "hands on" EV building experience. The first several workshops have been scheduled at
Richard Furniss' house: The July 2nd meeting for the Boulder City 4thof July "Damboree" Parade will be at the house of LVEVA member John Bullis.
March 5, 2005 Making battery interconnect cables for EV's using Crimp and
Solder methods. April 2, 2005 Welding steel and aluminum using gas, stick, MIG and TIG welding techniques.
May 7, 2005 EV Electric Air Condition System Implementation
June 4, 2005 Postponed
July 4, 2005 Boulder City 4th of July "Damboree" Parade and LVEVA Summer Picnic
Aug 6, 2006 EV Charging Systems
Each workshop will run from 10 AM to 3 PM (with an hour break for lunch) on the first Saturday of each
month. For more information, contact Richard at telephone number: (702) 453-6196 or email him at http://lasvegasev.com
Other ongoing club projects are listed on the LVEVA web site at:
http://lveva.org/Calendar/calendar.html
EV Parts For Sale
US145 Batteries Available at Factory-Direct Prices---currently $62.10
This "Factory-Direct Price" is available to LVEVA club members if they use
a trailer to pick up these batteries while purchasing directly at:
US Battery
1675 Sampson Avenue
Corona, CA 92879
Contact: Christy Delario
Telephone: (951) 371-8090
For more detailed information, contact
LVEVA Vice-President Bill Yule at Telephone No: (702)566-0794
One 8 inch Advanced DC used motor-- asking price $800
One 9 inch Advanced DC used Motor--asking price $1200
Rudman PFC20 CHARGER used 4 times--asking price $1500
Contact William Kuehl, Email: bill2k2000@yahoo.com
4504 W. Alexander Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89032
Tel: 702-636-0304
For Sale: Chrome "Electric" Emblems for EV's
Mike Chancey - Posted 06/25/00
My URL:http://formmail.to/emblem/order
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Checked: 07/13/03
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/signs.htmlhttp://www.austinev.org/evalbum/signs.html
Chrome "Electric" car emblems, just like the OEM factory lettering. Okay, so you own a beautiful electric vehicle, but does the
world know? Show them with these profession quality "ELECTRIC" emblems. Fabricated from weather resistant thermoplastic, these signs feature a bright chrome like finish on the letter faces with a subtle matte black
background. They mount easily with the self adhesive HighTack backing. Simply peel off the protective cover, and press the sign into place. Each sign is approximately 1.25" in height and 7" in length. Only $6.00Each or
four for $20.00, plus $1.75 shipping and handling per order. Discounts for larger orders available. Send check or money order to: Mike Chancey, 1700 East 80th Street, Kansas City, MO 64131, or order online at:
http://formmail.to/emblem/order
EV's For Sale:
For Sale: 1995 GMC Sonoma Pickup Conversion $6,500.00
This pickup was originally converted for Nevada Power Co. from a new purchase. William Kuehl,
LVEVA President, was initially contacted by the Principal of Clark High School for his knowledge of electric vehicle conversions and was asked to help the 12th grade students build an EV project. The students did the conversion
from information given to them by William Kuehl.
After the project was completed, Nevada Power used the pickup in service until June 2002 when it was auctioned off. William Kuehl bought the truck and towed it home. The
mileage was 1,867. He installed twenty new T-145 U.S. Batteries. These batteries have been run for two years now and there are now 8,811 miles on the pickup truck odometer
.
The truck's 120-volt system drives an 9-inch
Advanced DC motor through a newly upgraded Curtis controller rated at 750 amps. There is an onboard Zivan NG-3 220 volt charger. Tires have been changed to Pirelli P225/60 R 16 with chrome alloy rims.
With new batteries this
EV has a range of 53 miles per charge. The currrent two-year (plus) old batteries have a range of about 20 miles. With this upgraded controller the vehicle can be driven in second gear for most of my "in-town" driving.
There is a volt meter for the battery pack voltage and an ampmeter to tell how much current the motor is using. Also a 12-volt guage to show the voltage in the 12-volt accessory battery.
When new, this vehicle was worth $18,000.00
Asking Price $6,500 or Best Offer
Contact:
William Kuehl
Email: bill2k2000@yahoo.com
Address: 4504 W. Alexander Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89032
Telephone: 702-636-0304
