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April 2010
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA) will meet on the third Saturday of each month during 2010. Meetings will be held at the Clark County Library on 1401 E. Flamingo Road from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. Members will be displaying their own electric cars and answering questions before and after each meeting.
Calendar
2010
April 10 EV Conversion Workshop
April 17 Monthly Meeting
“Party for the Planet” Exhibit at Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium
April 22 Earth Day Exhibit at UNLV
May 8 EV Conversion Workshop
May 15 Monthly Meeting
June 12 EV Conversion Workshop
June 19 Monthly Meeting
July 2 Boulder City Damboree and 4th of July Parade
July 17 Monthly Meeting
August 21 Monthly Meeting
September 18 Monthly Meeting
October 16 Monthly Meeting
November 20 Monthly Meeting
December 4 Santa’s Electric Light Parade Boulder City
December 18 Monthly Meeting
Contents:
-- LVEVA Educational EV Conversion Workshop Updates
-- LVEVA Members Develop Electric Battery Hoist
-- Lou Gagliano and His 1988 Mitsubishi Truck EV Conversion
-- LVEVA Members to Exhibit Electric Cars at Earth Day Celebrations
-- Grassroots EV Donates $100 for LVEVA Award to Encourage EV Turnout
-- Tesla Motors Update
-- Nissan Leaf Pricing Announced – Available Through Local Dealerships
-- New CAFÉ Mileage Standards No April Fool’s Joke
-- Bonneville Salt Flats Electric Racing Announced for September 2010
-- LVEVA DVD Reference Library
-- EV Repairs and Service
-- EV Conversion and Fabrication Support
-- EVs and EV Parts for Sale
-- Publication Credits and Contact Information
LVEVA Educational EV Conversion Workshop Updates
LVEVA Board of Directors members Bill Kuehl and Jon Hallquist are leading an EV Conversion Workshop that will be held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, from 8 AM to noon. All LVEVA members are invited to participate in this conversion project.
During 2008, Bill Kuehl received a donation of a 1986 Pontiac Fiero for use by the LVEVA in a conversion project. Jon Hallquist, manager of GrassrootsEV.com in Las Vegas, had arranged the acquisition of a Netgain Warp electric motor and also donated a Curtis motor speed controller, throttle potentiometer box, contactor and other EV parts to the effort. Batteries for the battery pack were donated by Grassroots EV and the Free Energy Store.
During the monthly chapter meeting on June 20, 2009 several LVEVA members offered to volunteer their time for the conversion project as part of a Special Interest Group (SIG). It was agreed that this group would meet on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, from 8 AM to noon, to put together the EV conversion. Highlights of Sessions 1 through 3 were shown in the LVEVA August 2009 “Watts Happening” newsletter. Highlights of Sessions 4 and 5 were shown in the September 2009 “Watts Happening” newsletter. Highlights of Sessions 6 and 7 were featured in the October 2009 “Watts Happening” newsletter. Session 8 was chronicled in the the November 2009 “Watts Happening” newsletter and Session 9 was presented in the December 2009 newsletter. Session 10 was presented in the January 2010 newsletter. Session 11 was presented in the February 2010 Newsletter. Session 12 was presented in the March 2010 newsletter. Once the Electric Fiero conversion is completed, all the sessions will be consolidated onto a web page at the LVEVA web site.
Session 13 (February 27, 2010):
(photos by Bill Kuehl and Lou Baker)
Attendees: Bill Kuehl, Jon Hallquist, Lloyd Reece, Elliot Small, Lou Baker, Bob McNamara and visiting friend from Iowa.
From Bill Kuehl:
We worked on the interior seat covers in the 1986 Pontiac Fiero. Lloyd worked on the center console as the plastic covering was warping.
We retrieved an old center console from another 1985 Pontiac Fiero that would fit, buried under stuff in the Quonset Hut in the EV workshop area. We cleaned it up and will replace it later back into the new car.
Bob McNamara worked on cleaning up the battery caps on the used batteries in the battery pack that were dirty.
I had been trying to charge up the batteries in the battery pack and found only four of the twenty batteries in the pack that had been charged up fully when a single charge voltage was applied to the complete pack. I verified their State of Charge (SoC) by checking the cells in each battery with a hydrometer to measure the correct density or “specific gravity” of the electrolyte fluid. The easiest way to correctly determine the state of charge in a wet cell battery is to use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the mixture of distilled water and sulfuric acid in each cell.
A weighted, glass cylindrical float within the hydrometer moves up and down within the glass tube barrel of the hydrometer when fluid is sucked up into the barrel chamber with a vacuum squeeze bulb. A color-coded gradient scale is used to measure the specific gravity of the electroyte. The green zone on the gradient scale of the float shows that the electrolyte chemistry has an acceptable specific gravity for the rechargeable lead-sulfuric acid batteries being used after being fully charged. The white zone shows it is weak. The red zone shows that the specific gravity is very low and the battery cell electrolyte is depleted.
To use a hydrometer to measure battery cell SoC, use the following procedure:
1. Remove vent caps or covers from the battery cells.
2. Squeeze the hydrometer bulb and insert the pickup tube into the cell closest to the battery's positive (+) terminal.
3. Slowly release the bulb to draw in only enough electrolyte to cause the internal cylindrical float to rise. Do not remove the tube from the cell.
4. Read the specific gravity indicated on the float. Be sure the float is drifting free, not in contact with the sides of top of the barrel. Bend down to read the hydrometer at eye level. Disregard the slight curvature of liquid on the float.
5. Record your readings and repeat the procedure for the remaining cells.
6. Flush the internal barrel and float of the hydrometer tube with clean distilled water when finished measuring.
The hydrometer readings on the internal float are marked off with green, white, and red zones to show the relative state of charge (SoC).
When putting the hydrometer in the cell and squeezing the bulb to draw up the fluid, the float starts to rise up inside the glass. You read the measurement scale on the float at the top line of the fluid to get the specific gravity reading of the cell.
The green zone gradient scale ranges in increments starting from 1300 to 1270, which indicates a full charge corresponding to the correct specific gravity of the electrolyte in the cell.
The white zone gradient scale reads from 1270 to 1210, which indicates a declining
state of charge of the cell but still within a useable range of discharge.
The red zone gradient scale reads from 1210 to 1100 which indicates a discharged
cell. The lower the red zone reading the more the cell goes towards being completely dead.
Of the four batteries that were charged fully, three of the batteries were in the back of the Fiero and one was in the front. I wanted to move these four batteries together in series and split the remaining 16 batteries into two subsets of eight batteries each. By configuring them this way, it would leave eight batteries coming from the negative end of the pack and eight batteries coming from the positive end of the pack, leaving the four fully charged batteries in the middle of the pack. Then I could hook up my 48-volt Lester charger to each subset of eight batteries to charge them up at one time with a more consistent current flow.
On Saturday, we also had the opportunity to use a custom motorized battery hoist called the “Battery Picker”. It had been developed by LVEVA members as part of a club project during early 2007. After disconnecting the battery pack power cables, we used the battery picker to relocate the four batteries that were in different places in the pack. We used it to pick up and lower the batteries into place. It worked GREAT!
(Editor’s note: See the following article about the development of the battery picker)
We moved the battery picker around to the back of the car and Lloyd worked the “Up” and “Down” switches. I hooked up the lifting cable to the first battery that had to be moved and Lloyd pushed the “Up” button. The battery was raised up out high over the other batteries, moved over to a nearby rolling table alongside of the car and set down on it.
The second battery was picked up and put down on the table. Then, the rest of the batteries were moved around so that every battery was aligned into the battery pack configuration correctly. All the batteries were moved without any manual lifting by any of the EV Conversion workshop team. Everyone then gathered around the Fiero to re-install all the power cables back onto the batteries. The 48-volt Lester charger was then hooked up to charge eight batteries at a time.
After lunch, Lloyd and I went back to the garage and checked out the space to put in the battery charging regulators for the Fiero that Al Sawyer and Jan Himber were building. Each battery in the pack would have a charging regulator connected to it that would help prevent them from overcharging. These regulators would help balance the battery pack at the top end of the charge, before it first started discharging through the motor speed controller to run the electric motor. Balancing and regulating the charging process would also prolong the life of the battery pack chemistry over a much longer period of time. There would be twenty regulator printed circuit boards that would need to be mounted near the batteries and wired to each battery terminal. The only place with some mounting space was underneath the front hood of the Fiero, over the fan condenser and just in front of the batteries.
We also checked all the battery cells of the eight batteries that were being charged with the 48-volt Lester charger. We used a hydrometer to test the electrolyte fluid to see if each of the battery cells were being fully charged.
We found one battery in front where the float of the hydrometer was still not into the green zone. The float was bobbing halfway in the white zone. That would be the weakest battery in the pack, and would discharge faster than the rest when running the electric motor in the car. Most of the other seven batteries in this subset of eight were approaching the green zone of the hydrometer scale.
I later followed the same procedure to test and charge the other subset of eight batteries.
Some more work still needs to be done to get all the batteries fully charged up, balanced and conditioned for EV driving.
Friday, March 5, 2010:
Today I took the Fiero out for a test drive to exercise the batteries. I got 31 miles of range from the battery pack on its first long, sustained run. I drove conservatively to extend the range as far as possible for the first time, just on the back streets at about 25 to 30 miles per hour. Driving on Craig Road, I accelerated gradually up to 45 mph, but tried to keep current draw to the electric motor at about 100 amps or lower.
I then drove the electric Fiero back home to recharge it overnight. Before connecting the charger, I checked all the cells with a hydrometer at their discharged state - 12 were floating in the red zone and the rest were just on the edge of the white zone.
I connected a Variable AC transformer (“Variac”) in series with a full wave bridge rectifier that I used as a charger for the entire pack. It can supply up to 40 amps of current from a 120 Volt AC source to produce a pulsing DC output that averages about 135 Volts. I only have a 20-amp circuit breaker in my house, so I set the Variac output to just under 20 amps to start charging. As the batteries continued charging, the internal resistance of the battery pack reduces and the required current to continue charging drops to about five amps by the end of the recharge cycle. The duration of the recharge cycle is about 6 to 8 hours.
I began charging the battery pack at 121 Volts with 20 Amps of current at 2:30 PM. I checked it again at 6:30 PM and adjusted the Variac charger to provide 15 amps of current at 132 Volts DC.
Sunday, March 7th:
I drove the Fiero to get the batteries to “wake up” a little more on each extended trip and continue to gradually condition the battery pack chemistry for longer extended road trips. Today, I drove a complete circuit of 40 miles, accelerating on Rancho Road and Craig Blvd up to 45 mph with traffic. On most other roads, I maintained 30 to 35 mph in first gear, trying to keep the motor current consumption at a steady 80 amps while cruising.
When checking each battery’s electrolyte chemistry with the hydrometer before going out on this last trip, I found that they all measured in the green zone. By taking gradual steps to condition each battery in the battery pack, the result was a balanced set of battery cells that would give more range and stronger performance each successive time out. After the 40-mile run, the hydrometer measurements showed that there were seven batteries at the low edge of the white zone, just above the red zone. The remaining 13 other batteries were in the red zone and their electrolyte chemistry depleted. It was time to recharge the battery pack through another cycle and continue conditioning all the cells so they would work together reliably.
Monday, March 8th:
Last night while the batteries were charging, the Variac shut down and did not complete charging up the batteries. It looked like the sweeper brush on the coils had been worn as the contacts seem to have shorted and burned. I did not get a chance to test drive the Fiero today.
I substituted a bigger Variac that I used to charge my 1985 Pontiac Fiero electric dragster and rewired it to charge the 1986 Fiero batteries. They are all charged up now. I checked the electrolyte fluid of each battery with the hydrometer and they were all measuring in the green zone. Hope to give it another run tomorrow on Tuesday.
Tuesday, March 9th:
I got the batteries all charged up last night and checked all the cells this morning with the hydrometer. They were all in the green zone.
I took the Fiero for a test run while also driving down to the DMV to get it registered.
I arrived at the DMV about 11 AM and went to the emissions station. I told the inspector I wanted to get my car checked out, and that it was converted to electric. The man went out to the car and checked to see if it had batteries and no gas engine. He checked the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) number on the car against the title and made out the paperwork form showing that it was electric.
It took about 5 minutes to get this completed, and then I had to go inside to get it registered and retitled with new license plates. There was a long line of about 40 people waiting to get in the door, so I had to wait in line just to get up to the door of the DMV office. After waiting about 45 minutes, I finally I got up to the entrance and showed my papers to one of the employees at the door, who let me enter to go stand in line to get a number in order to get waited on. After another 30 minutes, I finally got a number, so I went and sat down to wait some more. After five minutes, I was called up to the window and showed the man behind the desk my papers.
Fortunately, he knew what to do to get the Fiero registered as an electric. In just five more minutes, I had my new license plates and was out the door. Total cost $96.25.
Total time was about an hour and 30 minutes to get in and out of the DMV office.
I had driven 13 miles to the DMV. Then I drove back to home and got 30 miles of range on the battery pack of the car today. When driving home, I pushed the car’s performance a little harder during acceleration. When taking off from a dead stop, I pushed the pedal to 200 amps in first gear and let the Fiero accelerate up to 30 mph, then shifted to second gear and pushed the pedal to 150 amps to quickly bring the car’s speed up to 45 mph.
Yesterday, when I was driving slower, most of the cars behind me in the right lane passed me by, but I usually caught up to them at the next stop light.
Today, I was driving in the center lane, and about 8 cars had to pass me up so they could get to the next stop light before me.
When I got home, I checked all the battery cells with a hydrometer and none of them were in the red zone yet. Twelve of them were at the white and red line lower boundary. Eight of them were in the low white area. So I still had some range left on the battery pack before the electrolyte in any one battery had become depleted.
I plugged in the Fiero battery pack to the Variac charging system and will see how the Fiero performs tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 10th:
Today I checked the batteries again before going off to Whole Foods Market to do some
shopping. I drove 20 miles while using more amps during acceleration and cruising. I used about 200 amps on takeoff and let the Fiero pick up speed to 30 mph, then shifting to second gear and using 120 amps to get up to 45 mph. It is running well. I have to watch out for dips in the road as I have 60 lbs of compressed air in the tires. It is hard to go over the dips as the Fiero bottoms out on the shocks with the weight of the batteries. I have to slow way down when I see a dip in the road.
I checked the batteries when I got home and they were all in the white area on the hydrometer. Put it on charge at 2:30 PM, checked again at 7:30 PM and they were all charged up in the green zone.
Saturday, March 13:
While test driving the Fiero today, I went over a bump in the road and then had to stop
at a stoplight. After waiting for the light to change, I stepped on the throttle but the motor only moved the car about one mile an hour.
I got through the intersection very slowly and pulled off to the side of the road. I shifted the transmission into neutral and stepped on the throttle again but the motor barely turned. I could not figure out what happened until I opened up the back trunk lid and looked around. I saw that
a bracket that I made up to hold up the end of the throttle cable going into the potentiometer throttle box had come loose and out of its slot. The cable pot box actuator lever was barely being moved. I put the cable end back and bracket back into the slot and every thing worked OK.
Saturday, March 20:
I drove the Fiero to the general meeting of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association at the Clark County Library and exhibited the electric car in the parking lot, before and after the meeting.
Session 14 (March 27, 2010):
Attendees: Lloyd Reece, Jon Hallquist, Bill Kuehl. Dan Klein and friend.
Jon had gotten a Logisystems motor speed controller from Dan Klein that Dan had planned to install into his electric pickup truck. Jon wanted to know if the controller was still working before the warranty ran out. He wanted to use the Fiero to test it and began working to pull out the original Curtis PMC controller out of the Fiero.
Lloyd and I worked on the noisy vibrating vacuum pump under the car to get it to sound better. I had bolted it under the tunnel where the gas tank was by putting a piece of flat plate across the opening, and screwing it to the under side of the body. Then I put the bolts through it into the pump housing, and that made a solid connection to the frame. However, every time that I stepped on the brake pedal, the pump would come on and I could feel the vibration of the pump running as well as hear a rattling noise as it vibrated against the metal.
To fix it, we first disconnected the four bolts holding the metal plate to frame and got some rubber inserts placed between the plate and the frame. Then we disconnected the four bolts holding the pump to the plate and placed rubber inserts in between and bolted that assembly back together.
That helped a little bit with the noise, but we still had some vibration when stepping on the brake.
The relay that was on the metal on the pump was removed and screwed onto the back side of the car body.
I found my old wooden plate that was on my 1985 Fiero that held the pump on. We disconnected the pump from the plate again, and put the wooden plate on the bottom of the pump housing. There was some old thick carpet padding that I had. I cut a piece out of it, folded it
double, then placed the folded piece of carpet between the metal plate and the wooden
plate on the pump housing. I bolted through the metal plate into the wooden plate to hold it all together. We also put some rubber padding in the top of tunnel and over the pump to help deaden the sound.
Now the driver can hardly notice when the pump comes on. When the radio is playing, it doesn’t seem noticeable at all. One of the radio speakers is just a little noisy.
Meanwhile, as Jon was installing the other Logisystems motor speed controller back into the Fiero, he found there was one mounting connection that had to be drilled out to bolt the controller back on.
We helped Jon get the wire connections hooked up correctly as the terminals on the Logisystems
controller were oriented differently. When connecting the battery and motor cables, we were able to attach the positive battery cable and negative motor cable without a problem but the negative cable from the contactor to the controller was too short.
I had another cable that was a little longer, and Lloyd replaced that one. After we checked that all connections were electrically correct and mechanically tightened up, we turned the key switch on. The motor ran!
Then I backed the Fiero out of the garage. Jon wanted to see how the Logisystems motor speed controller performed when it was driven, compared to the original Curtis PMC controller. Both controllers work with the Fiero’s 120-volt battery pack system. However, the Logisystems controller has more powerful internal electronics that could pass higher amounts of current from the battery pack to the motor when the driver presses down on the pedal throttle. The Curtis PMC controller is rated at a maximum current of about 400 Amps, while the Logisystems controller can handle over 800 Amps. The extra current that is available should cause the motor to turn harder with more torque and accelerate faster under the weight of the car. However, faster acceleration can also deplete the battery pack of current capacity more quickly. The Logisystems motor speed controller can provide faster performance but at the cost of reduced range from the battery pack.
Jon went with me as we drove out onto Alexander Road and down to Decatur Blvd. After turning onto Decatur, we came to Craig Road where we stopped. When the light changed, I took off and floored it. We got up to 50 MPH as we started to exceed the posted speed limit! The Logisystems controller worked fine and Jon was happy with the performance. I turned off onto Valley Blvd, back to Alexander and then back to the garage.
Lloyd also wanted to take a test ride in the Fiero to see how it was running, so we went around the block again and then returned to the garage. We got ready to break for lunch but Jon was having trouble with the hood latch on his truck. We fixed that problem so his hood release would work. Then we closed up shop and went to lunch at Carl’s Jr.
Remaining work to be done:
1. Install and connect wiring for DC-to-DC converter that will tap off part of the traction battery pack voltage and current to provide 13.7 Volts DC to the auxiliary battery while the car is running to maintain and recharge the auxiliary battery pack during operation. This works similar to the way an alternator uses the motion of an internal combustion engine to continue maintaining the auxiliary battery of a normal car. Like an ICE car, a slight amount of range is lost when energy is taken from the main battery traction pack to sustain energy for the auxiliary battery. But this configuration also eliminates the need to use an extra charger just for the auxiliary battery pack when the vehicle is plugged in at night.
2. Installation and wiring of an onboard vehicle charger between driver and passenger seats so that it can be secured inside the vehicle but easily accessed by the driver after plugging in to an external outlet.
3. Installation and wiring of 20 battery regulator circuits, mounted on printed circuit boards, to balance chemistry between battery cells and prevent battery pack overcharging. By balancing the batteries in the pack at the high end of each battery’s charge cycle before discharging the entire pack, this practice will prolong the life of the battery pack through many consistent charge/discharge cycles.
4. New coat of red paint applied to the outer body of Pontiac Fiero. Lou Baker has offered to lead the effort to find a paint vendor and has also offered an alternative site for the EV conversion workshop at 3240 Arville Road, near Desert Inn. This facility will also have a lift for working under an electric vehicle conversion project.
The next EV Conversion Workshop session is scheduled for April 10, 2010 from 10 AM to 2 PM. Admission to the EV conversion workshop is free to all LVEVA members.
Annual dues for the Electric Auto Association (EAA), that includes local LVEVA chapter membership, is $45 per year and includes newsletters from both the national organization and local chapter as well as access to all events. Local LVEVA chapter-only membership dues are $20 for adults and $15 for senior citizens. Free LVEVA chapter membership is available to students with valid student I.D. cards.
For more information and directions to the EV conversion workshop, contact
Bill Kuehl at: (702) 636-0304
Lloyd Reece at: (702) 524-3233
Jon Hallquist at GrassrootsEV.com: (702) 277-7544
LVEVA Members Develop Electric Battery Hoist
(Editors Note: This article has been reprinted and updated from the LVEVA October 2007 “Watts Happening” newsletter)
LVEVA Secretary/Treasurer Bill Kuehl recently designed a “homebrew” battery hoist that is inexpensive to build and can be readily assembled from a $70 hand-cranked winch, a three-wheeled engine hoist base, two pulleys, 15 feet of channel iron, 15 feet of angle iron and two used EV batteries. The hoist can also be set up to run on electric power from the two EV golf cart batteries but the most important function of the two batteries is to serve as ballast at the base of the two rear wheels of the hoist, providing a stabilizing counter weight while lifting the “load” EV battery in and out of the vehicle at the end of the winch hook. This design approach is reminiscent of how an electric forklift’s vehicle batteries provide a counterweight to the “load” it carries on its forks.
Bill’s simple, yet elegant design also uses two “A-frame” arms with pulleys attached at the point of each “A” to provide the necessary leverage and reach for the battery hoist winch cable to maneuver a battery over the hood or trunk area of an EV more easily. This leverage, combined with a 12:1 gear ratio inside the hand-cranked winch gear box, make it easy for the hoist user to lift a battery off the ground and suspend it in mid-air with minimal mechanical effort, just using a light “fingertip and wrist” pressure on the winch crank handle. Bill also added a simple “pull out” bolt that can “stop” the winch handle in place mechanically, so that the winch will not unwind backwards when the user releases his hold on the handle. This allows a home EV mechanic to continue to suspend the battery in mid-air with his hands free while using the three wheels on the hoist base to position the hanging battery over the vehicle workspace for installation or to lift out a battery and move it away from the vehicle after electrically disconnecting it from the EV battery pack.
The battery hoist has also been designed so that it can be quickly disassembled and re-assembled in about 20 minutes with just a dozen standard nuts and bolts. This portability allows the smaller, individual sub-assemblies to be transported by car so that the hoist can be easily shared among LVEVA members.
During the fall of 2007, former LVEVA Vice-President Bill Yule was the first EV owner to try Bill’s new device on his electric Hyundai conversion in his home garage. He was able to replace his entire battery pack of 20 flooded lead-acid golf cart batteries with 20 new ones by removing and installing all 40 batteries during one day without any painful, physical effort. This device has been a real benefit to him, as he felt he would have to discontinue his involvement with the LVEVA when physical requirements made it more difficult for him to work on his own vehicle at home.
LVEVA Board of Directors members Al Sawyer and Jan Himber refined the mechanical battery hoist by adding an electric motor from a garage door opener that could be operated electrically without the need for a hand crank. They modified the winch and gear box so that it would operate with a chain drive instead of the original hand crank. “Up” and “Down” pushbuttons allow the motor to position the battery in midair more accurately for placement in a battery pack configuration. An electrical extension cord can be plugged directly into a 110 VAC wall outlet to provide power to the AC motor.
Bill Kuehl has generously offered to donate the design of his battery hoist to the LVEVA, so that other “Do-It-Yourself” builders can construct their own versions. Documentation, including drawings, dimensions, pictures, parts list, and a Bill of Materials (BOM) will be available through an LVEVA web site page currently under construction. A hardcopy version of this documentation will also be available from the LVEVA for a fee of $25 to cover printing, publishing and distribution costs. For more information about acquiring this documentation, please contact Bill Kuehl, Jan Himber or other LVEVA Board of Director members, as shown on the final page of this newsletter.
Lou Gagliano and His 1988 Mitsubishi Truck EV Conversion
Lou Gagliano is a painter who was laid off during the recent construction downturn but then picked up a job part time as a newspaper carrier for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After reading about the potential of renewable energy in the state of Nevada, as well as alternative fuel vehicles, he and his stepdad, Evan, began attending meetings of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association during 2009. He and Evan later purchased a 1988 Mitsubishi pickup truck for $500, and then stripped it of all the gas components with the help of Lou’s nephew, who is a mechanic. He also stripped off the old paint and repainted the body with a grey primer coat, then sanded it to prepare it for a final coating of teal color that will give the truck a “green” eco-friendly look.
The EV conversion is a family affair. His dad, Evan, has worked with Lou on the truck conversion battery layout and wiring. Lou's son had also taken welding classes at the College of Southern Nevada and has been practicing his skills on the project. Lou’s Mom cut and fit the new teal carpet that lines the interior cabin that Lou and his team have already repainted.
Lou Gagliano is hoping to achieve two “green” EV goals at the same time. Not only is he on his way to successfully completing an EV conversion to recycle a 1988 Mitsubishi truck into a non-polluting vehicle, he also plans to use the electric truck on a daily basis to deliver newspapers for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, saving on gasoline and vehicle maintenance costs during the upcoming year.
Lou Gagliano and his family are working swiftly to finish up their 1988 Mitsubishi truck EV conversion, in order to exhibit the truck at some planned LVEVA events this month at the UNLV campus on Earth Day as well as at the Mandalay Bay "Party for the Planet" event at the Shark Reef aquarium on Saturday, April 17th.
When finished, Lou hopes to use his electric truck for delivery jobs as well as possibly starting a family business that will convert gas cars to electric vehicles for other people.
Lou and Evan’s EV conversion efforts have also been featured in The Southwest View and Henderson View supplements of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in an article written by Jack Pulavsky called “Charging Forward”, the first published March 2, 2010 online at:
http://www.viewnews.com/2010/VIEW-Mar-02-Tue-2010/SWest/34467817.html
LVEVA Members to Exhibit Electric Cars at Earth Day Celebrations
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association will be participating in two Earth Day celebrations this year, exhibiting members’ electric cars to highlight a renewable alternative transportation technology that does not emit pollutants or directly consume increasingly scarce fossil fuels.
On April 17th, the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef will host “Project for the Planet” that will celebrate the environment, both on land and sea.
On April 22nd, the University of Nevada Las Vegas will hold an Earth Day celebration on its campus from 9 AM to noon, where local grade school children will be transported by bus and chaperoned by their teachers and parents to view local environmental efforts happening in their community.
Please come join us to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and see some of the solutions that people have developed to continue enriching our planet.
Grassroots EV Donates $100 for LVEVA Award to Encourage EV Turnout
Jon Hallquist, LVEVA Vice President and manager of the Grassroots EV office in Las Vegas, announced that his company is contributing $100 to the LVEVA for a special award to encourage electric vehicle turnout at the monthly chapter meetings at the Clark County Library.
The person who drives an EV to the most monthly LVEVA general meetings for the year between March 2010 and the end of the year in December 2010 will receive the award of $100.
During the March 2010 meeting, Bill Kuehl brought the 1986 Pontiac Fiero EV conversion for display and Dan Trujillo brought an electric bicycle.
The tally will be updated each month to determine a winner.
Tesla Motors Update
From March 2010 Tesla Motors Newsletter
1. “Responding to customer demand, Tesla has negotiated agreements with key suppliers that will increase total Roadster production by 40% and extend sales into 2012. In the coming year, you'll find Roadsters in more countries as we expand to Australia and Asia. Customers in 23 countries have now taken delivery of their Roadster - last month we delivered the first Roadsters to Spain and Ireland.”
2. “We recently announced Tesla Leasing, a new ownership option for U.S. customers. A limited supply of Tesla Roadsters configured with the most desired colors and options is available now. Taking delivery before March 31st could save you up to $7,800 over the course of a 3-year lease.
Contact reservations@teslamotors.com for more information.”
(Editor’s Note: Leasing costs over three years are estimated at $1,600 per month)
3. “Monaco: The Monte Carlo Rally
March 25 – 28, 2010: Two Tesla Roadsters competed against 94 cars in the 4th annual Alternative EV Eco Rally.”
Nissan LEAF Pricing Announced – Available Through Local Dealerships
During January 2010, the Nissan LEAF Zero Emissions Tour visited Las Vegas on its way to the Detroit Auto Show. Many of the LVEVA members had a chance to test drive a Nissan Versa electric mule that housed the same technology that will soon be in the Nissan LEAF production cars by the end of 2010. LVEVA members also had a unique opportunity to give feedback to Nissan project engineers and marketing personnel. After the Zero Emissions Tour ended, the Nissan marketing team stated that any potential Nissan buyers could find out more information about purchasing a Nissan LEAF and even register to purchase the electric car as soon as it is available on the market through the company’s national web site at:
http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/opt-in/en/index.jsp?dcp=tqd.leaf.MCR.nsnenewsletter.HNR
Press Release at 11 am EDT, March 30, 2010
NISSAN DELIVERS AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS FOR PURCHASE, LEASE OF ALL-ELECTRIC NISSAN LEAF
As low as $25,280 ($32,780 MSRP minus up to $7,500 federal tax credit)
Lease world’s first mass-marketed EV for $349 per month
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (March 30, 2010) – Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 Nissan LEAF electric vehicle, which becomes available for purchase or lease at Nissan dealers in select markets in December and nationwide in 2011. Nissan will begin taking consumer reservations for the Nissan LEAF April 20.
Including the $7,500 federal tax credit for which the Nissan LEAF will be fully eligible, the consumer’s after-tax net value of the vehicle will be $25,280. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price *(MSRP) for the 2011 all-electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF is $32,780, which includes three years of roadside assistance. Additionally, there is an array of state and local incentives that may further defray the costs and increase the benefits of owning and charging a Nissan LEAF – such as a $5,000 statewide tax rebate in California; a $5,000 tax credit in Georgia; a $1,500 tax credit in Oregon; and carpool-lane access in some states, including California.
As a result of aggressive pricing and the availability of the $7,500 federal tax credit whose benefit is immediately included, Nissan will be able to offer a monthly lease payment beginning at $349, not including state or local incentives, which could further reduce the net cost of the Nissan LEAF.
“Imagine the possibility of never needing to go to a gas station again. Or of paying less than $3 for 100 miles behind the wheel. Or of creating zero emissions while driving," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, NNA. “Nissan leads the industry by offering the first affordable, zero-emission vehicle for the mass market. Nissan LEAF truly is in a class by itself.”
The vehicle at the SV trim level is well-equipped with a variety of standard features, including an advanced navigation system and Internet/smart phone connectivity to the vehicle, enabling pre-heat/pre-cool and charging control. Nissan LEAF is equipped with energy-efficient LED headlights and makes extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials, such as seat fabric, instrument panel materials, and front- and rear-bumper fascias. Other standard amenities include Bluetooth connectivity; Intelligent-key with push button start; Sirius/XM satellite radio capabilities and roadside assistance. Safety features include vehicle dynamic control (stability control), traction control and six airbags. The SL trim level, available for an additional $940 (MSRP), adds features including rearview monitor, solar panel spoiler, fog lights, and automatic headlights.
Reservations and Purchase
In order to ensure a one-stop-shop customer experience, Nissan is carefully managing the purchase process from the first step, when consumers sign up on NissanUSA.com, until the customer takes the Nissan LEAF home and plugs it into a personal charging dock.
Nissan begins accepting reservations on April 20 first from people who have signed up on NissanUSA.com, and, after a brief introductory period, to all interested consumers.
Consumers will be required to pay a $99 reservation fee, which is fully refundable.
Reserving a Nissan LEAF ensures consumers a place in line when Nissan begins taking firm orders in August, as well as access to special, upcoming Nissan LEAF events.
Rollout to select markets begins in December, with nationwide availability in 2011.
Charging Equipment
In tandem with the purchase process, Nissan will offer personal charging docks, which operate on a 220-volt supply, as well as their installation. Nissan is providing these home-charging stations, which will be built and installed by AeroVironment, as part of a one-stop-shop process that includes a home assessment.
The average cost for the charging dock plus installation will be $2,200.
Charging dock and installation are eligible for a 50 percent federal tax credit up to $2,000.
Using current national electricity averages, Nissan LEAF will cost less than $3 to “fill up.”
Nissan LEAF also will be the sole vehicle available as part of The EV Project, which is led by EV infrastructure provider eTec, a division of ECOtality, and will provide free home-charging stations and installation for up to 4,700 Nissan LEAF owners in those markets.
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.NissanUsa.com.
MSRP excludes applicable tax, title and license fees. Dealer sets actual price. Prices and specs are subject to change without notice.
# # #
Contact:
Alan Buddendeck Scott Stevens Katherine Zachary
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Nissan North America Nissan North America
(Japan): +81-80-4095-6186 Tel: 615-725-5025 Tel: 615-725-1447
(US): +1-615-830-4691 www.nissannews.com Mobile: 313-598-9324
After corresponding with a marketing director at Nissan USA, I found that there are several benefits to the leasing program at $349 per month. Because Nissan USA will continue to own the leased vehicle, early buyers that purchase the first 200,000 eligible electric vehicles under the federal government’s $7,500 tax credit program (ARRA 2009) will not have to apply for the tax credit later on. The tax credit will be paid to Nissan USA directly, allowing the company to discount the lease agreement terms up front by the $7,500 amount during the first year.
Other states like Colorado and California have additional tax credits available for electric cars, possibly allowing certain regions of the country to lease the LEAF for as low as $200 a month.
However, there will be an added expense of installing the charging dock in the home by a licensed electrician or contractor. The estimate for this installation will be around $2,200 with a tax credit covering 50% of the installation. Whether Nissan dealerships will cover this tax credit up front to the consumer as part of the lease terms remains to be seen.
Any local electrical contractors in the southern Nevada region who are interested in becoming certified charging dock installers who are also authorized to make home assessments, can sign up by contacting Aerovironment, the authorized Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) vendor for the Nissan LEAF at: https://avportal.avinc.com/Contractors/ContractorApplication.aspx
Local dealerships and their contact people for the Nissan LEAF rollout are listed below:
Planet Nissan
5850 Centennial Center Blvd., Las Vegas
Contact Person: Patricia Davila
Main Tel: (702) 876-8000
Direct Tel: (702) 839-6132
Desert Nissan
5800 West Sahara, Las Vegas
Main Office Tel: (877) 206-3210
Contact Person: Beth Kittelson
Direct Tel: (702) 262-0568
Alternate Contact Person: Bill Szabo
Direct Tel: (702) 376-5051
United Nissan
3025 East Sahara, Las Vegas
Contact Person: Matt Hansen
Main Office Tel: (702) 207-8000
Direct Tel: (702) 207-8063
Henderson Nissan
295 Auto Mall Drive
Henderson, NV 89014
Contact Person: Jason Da Silva
Main Office Tel: (702) 558-5990
Direct Tel: (702) 558-5800
New CAFÉ Mileage Standards No April Fool’s Joke
On April 1st, the Obama administration’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency announced the final set of requirements for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ). These new rules will increase gasoline fuel efficiency and emissions standards for cars and light trucks sold within the U.S. from 2012 through 2016. The work to negotiate these standards with automakers has been a year-long process, culminating with the final release of the CAFÉ standards month. The finalization of this agreement allows worldwide automakers to develop five-year production plans focused on the U.S. market, allowing auto manufacturers to go forward to compete on a level playing field in their R & D efforts, vendor partnerships, production requirements and marketing focus.
The five-year plan boosts Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016, and combined with the greenhouse gas requirements will create a standard equivalent to 35.5 mpg. From 2012 to 2016, each year will require an incremental increase in these gasoline fuel efficiency and emissions standards. Mileage standards for model year 2011 vehicles are currently established at 27.3 mpg.
President Obama believes these new requirements and the implementation of this five-year plan will ultimately save 1.8 billion barrels of oil, effectively taking 58 million cars off the road for a full year.
These new CAFÉ requirements ramp up mileage standards more quickly than a 2007 energy law, which mandated CAFE standards at 35 mpg by 2020. The 2007 guidelines were enacted before the commodity price of crude oil shot above $100 per barrel in February 2008 and topped $145 per barrel in July 2008. The sharp spike in oil was one of the major factors in the recent deep recession that has hit the U.S. harder than at any time since the 1930s, forcing the bankruptcy of both General Motors and Chrysler during 2009. Crude oil commodity prices have since decreased to $80 per barrel during the steep economic slowdown and conservation efforts by the U.S. government. However, crude oil commodity prices are beginning to trend upward again as the rest of the world economy starts to recover. The U.S. still imports over 60% of its crude oil requirements from overseas sources, despite these conservation efforts and search for alternative transportation fuels over the last two years.
Bonneville Salt Flats Electric Drag Racing Announced for September 2010
From Brent and Kent Singleton, founders of Utah EV Coalition, a sister chapter of LVEVA:
Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:41:40 EST
A personal invitation to the Bonneville Salt Flats Electric Meet, September 15-18, 2010 at: http://www.saltflats.com
Everyone is invited! NEDRA plans it to be an historic event with many nice surprises, so stay tuned, but run what you brung!
We are happy to mentor you and yours…
You can even run a street licensed vehicle on the 130 mph, one-mile course, possibly the best kept secret at Bonneville.
View the USFRA 130 MPH Club Video (3.5 MB) at: http://www.saltflats.com/video/130small.wmv
What's important is that you show up!
Brent and Kent Singleton
Bonneville's Alternative Fuel Event Coordinators
LVEVA DVD Reference Library
The LVEVA maintains a growing library of DVD reference videos that are available to its members that can be borrowed for one month at a time. Bill Kuehl, LVEVA Secretary/Treasurer is also the LVEVA video librarian. He can be contacted to pick up and return these videos at each monthly chapter meeting. The current list of videos that are available for a one month rental are:
1. “Who Killed the Elecric Car” Documentary
2. Plug in Partners National Campaign (2006)
3. EAA Silicon Valley CalCars PHEV Technology Overview (2005)
4. Boulder City Christmas Parade Highlights (2006)
5. Convert Your Pickup to Electric (DIY Video by GrassrootsEV)
Note: This video can be copied to viewer’s hard disk to keep!
6. Tom Gage of AC Propulsion speaks at EAA Silicon Valley (2005)
7. Monster Garage EV conversion (Jesse James)
and John Wayland White Zombie Videos (2006)
8. Electric Avenue by George Gladic Fox Valley EAA Chapter 2006.
9. Bruce Katz of Polyplus Battery Company speaks at EAASV (2005)
EV Repairs and Service
Western Petroleum Station
2051 E. Sahara (corner of Eastern Avenue and Sahara)
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Contact: Jim Johnson
Telephone: (702) 457-2675
Web site: http://storefront.dexonline.com/jims-texaco
Precision EV Components Machining Support
Real Products, LLC
3433 Neeham Road #2
North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Contact: Eric Tschabold
Tel: (702) 644-1165
Email: energyz@cox.net
EV Parts and Kits for Sale:
GrassrootsEV.com
Las Vegas Office
Address: 5225 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89118
“Electric Vehicles and Everything for Them”
Contact: Jon Hallquist
Tel: (702) 277-7544
Email: jon@grassrootsev.com
Web site: http://www.grassrootsev.com
OKA NEV ZEV Parts and Kits for Sale: www.okaauto.com
OKA NEV ZEV KIT cars in stock now for immediate delivery prices start at $5,000 FOB Las Vegas. We also have 4844 ALLTRAX Controllers(48V 400 A DC for Series motor) in stock (more than we need) $550 list, $375.00 NET.
Contact: Miro Kefurt
OKA AUTO USA : www.okaauto.com
Distributor: MIROX Corporation
5015 W. Sahara Ave. #125-130
Las Vegas, Nevada 89146
USA
Tel: (702) 683-8292
E-mail: okaauto@aol.com
The Free Energy Store
300 West Utah, Suite 101
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Tel: (702) 320-0770
Fax: (702) 320-0270
Web site: http://www.freeenergystore.com
Contact: Russ Lord
Email: russ@freeenergystore.com
For Sale: Chrome "Electric" Emblems for EV's
Mike Chancey - Posted 06/25/00
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Checked: 07/13/03
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 $6.00 each 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.
EV Parts for Sale:
Hello to all fellow EV enthusiasts:
I want to thank everyone who attended or purchased parts from our July 8th 2009 emergency close out sale. I still have some choice equipment and parts for sale.
1. Mustang MD100 Chassis Dynamometer (dyno) $12,000
2. Hydrovane 13.5 hp rotary compressor with dryer $5500
3. Atlas Copco 20HP rotary compressor. $7000
4. Porsche RSK714 kit with 50 hp AC induction motor
with programable curtis controller $17,000
5. 48 volt 6.5 KW DC Motor $400
6. 48 volt 7.5 KW DC motor with controller and pot $750
I will help on some of the shipping costs on the big items.
Contact:
Bob McNamara
Las Vegas Electrical
Tel: (515) 897-3596
Please leave a message if I am not in.
EVs For Sale:
For Sale: Electrans 3-wheel Futurista ETV
Net Weight: 1180 lbs.
Loaded Weight: 1765 lbs.
Max Speed: 55 MPH
Range: 110 Miles
Battery Pack: Lithium Iron Phosphate
Turning Radius: 18 ft 4 inches
Working Voltage: 60 Volts DC
Seats: 2
Recharge Time: Only 4 1/2 hours at 110 VAC
Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to license this vehicle through the DMV
Contact: Bob MacNamara
ElecTrans
Tel: (702) 927-8838
Web site: www.futurista.biz
For Sale: Electric 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” --Record-Holding Race Car
This 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” Conversion currently holds four National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) Class Records.
1. Class MC/F (Modified Conversion 97-120 volts)
2. Class MC/E (Modified Conversion 121-144 volts)
3. Class MC/D (Modified Conversion 145-168 volts)
4. Class MC/C (Modified Conversion 169-192 volts)
The 1985 Pontiac Fiero has been converted with:
1. A new Netgain Warp-9 Electric DC Motor coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.
2. A DCP T-REX 1000 Water-cooled Controller with an Input Voltage Range of 96 to 336 Volts
and Motor Current Rating at 1000 Amps.
3. The Battery System is at 192 Volts. The battery pack consists of sixteen 12-volt sealed ODYSSEY PC-680 batteries with the capability of increasing battery pack capacity and voltages to compete in the NEDRA MC/B Class (Modified Conversion 193-240 volts) or to a maximum capacity of 336-volts to compete in the MC/A Class (Modified Conversion 241 volts and higher).
4. Tires are B.F. Goodrich G-Force T/A Drag Radials P215/60 R14 that connect the Electric Motor torque to the road for “no slip” acceleration.
5. Battery Charger is a 120- to 240-volt Variable Transformer with a heavy-duty full bridge rectifier. Additional cables and connectors are installed for Dump Charging from a DC battery pack.
Asking Price: $10,000 or Best Offer.
Contact: William Kuehl
Address: 4504 W. Alexander Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89032
Telephone: 702-636-0304
For Sale: 1995 Geo Metro Conversion Electric Car
[********************************************Insert Jean_Norton_EV6.jpg*********************************]
Body Configuration: 2-door
Color: Red
Battery Pack: 72-Volt System using Nine 8-Volt Lead Acid Golf Cart Batteries
Range: 35 mile range
Top Speed: 70 mph
Onboard 72-Volt Charger
2-year-old conversion from Ogden, Utah
Price: $8,000
Contact: Jean Norton
Tel: (702) 301-0979
LVEVA Board of Directors:
Lloyd Wayne Reece, President
Jon Hallquist, Vice President
Bill Kuehl, Secretary/Treasurer
Al Sawyer, Jan Himber, Jon Hallquist, Dan Trujillo
Newsletter Editors and Contributors:
Richard Furniss, Lloyd Reece, Bill Kuehl, Al Sawyer, P.E.,
Jan Himber, Brent Singleton, Kent Singleton, 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
Electric Auto Association
Membership Renewals
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248
Current EVents contact:
At http://www.eaaev.org/eaaboard.html
Ron Freund
Chairman, CE Publication
Address Correspondence to:
LVEVA
2816 W. El Campo Grande Avenue
No. Las Vegas, NV 89031
Call for Information:
Richard Furniss (702) 453-6196
Jan Himber for Al Sawyer (702) 642-4000
Bill Kuehl (702) 636-0304
Stan Hanel (702) 405-0506
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