[SkaredShtles]

such is the life of the chronically hypomanic... i figure as long as jbp is around, with his spreadsheet of fuel economy values on his Astro van down to 8 decimal places, i'm comparatively normal.

You'd be wrong, Junior.

 

[Toshi]

electric cars and Israel. what a weird combination.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24567958/

TEL AVIV, Israel - Israelis got a first demonstration Sunday of the electric car that developers hope will revolutionize transportation in the country and serve as a pilot for the rest of the world.

The silver car doing circles in a Tel Aviv parking lot looked like a regular sedan — except it had no exhaust pipe and there was an electric socket where the mouth of the gas tank should have been.

The Silicon Valley startup Project Better Place hopes the fully electric prototype will be on Israel's streets in large numbers beginning at the end of 2010.

Backers of the project say the car will drastically reduce dependence on oil, cut emissions and put Israel at the forefront of international efforts to develop more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Israel's government endorsed the project in January, and a Danish energy company also has joined as a partner.

But experts say technical pitfalls, such as a limited battery range, remain before the car will be marketable, and other car manufacturers are gambling on gas-electric hybrids as the green cars of the immediate future.

If the company's plan proceeds on schedule, Israel will be the first country to have electric cars on its highways in large numbers.

On the dashboard of the Renault sedan presented Sunday, the gas gauge was replaced by a screen showing how much battery power remained. In a test drive, the car accelerated quickly — the company says it can go from zero to 60 mph in eight seconds — and the engine remained nearly inaudible even at high speed.

The project is a joint venture between automotive giant Renault-Nissan, which is building the car, and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Project Better Place, which came up with the business model and is supposed to operate a recharging grid to be built across Israel beginning in 2009.

Several hundred cars are scheduled to hit Israel's streets in a pilot run next year, the company says, with larger numbers to arrive in late 2010.

The initiative is being led by Shai Agassi, an Israeli-American entrepreneur and high-tech wunderkind who raised $200 million to get the project off the ground. He also got Israel's government to endorse it earlier this year and promise tax incentives to promote the new vehicles when they go on the market.

At the time, experts said there are still plenty of technical pitfalls that need to be surmounted before the car becomes available to the general public.

Critics have pointed at the car battery's limited range — 125 miles — as a potentially major deterrent to consumers.

For long drives, motorists will be able to replace the battery at about 150 swap stations expected to be built around the country. The battery swap is expected to take the same amount of time as filling a tank of gas. For shorter journeys, drivers will be able to recharge the batteries at home or at the office.

Drivers will pay a monthly subscription for the batteries, with different plans like those of cell phone users. The company says the rates will come to less than the average monthly expenditure on gasoline.

Following Israel's lead, the Danish energy company DONG Energy AS adopted the Better Place model in March with a plan to have thousands of cars running on electricity generated by wind turbines by 2011.

If plans remain on schedule, Israeli consumers will be able to purchase an electric car by the end of 2010 for around the price of a regular sedan.

 

[Toshi]

jimmydean, this would have been a sweet project for cummins/biodiesel/svo conversion... especially since it probably starts out at 8 mpg or the like

1968 M715 in firefighting trim.

(still really cool!)

 

[jimmydean]

Not sure if I posted this or not (I don't recall that I did). Xtreme 4x4 (cheesy show on Spike) built an awesome "Green Samurai" rig. Granted, it was a Suzuki, but they used a VW TDI engine from a junkyard and a greasecar conversion kit. It was the first time I saw the greasecar setup and it's bad ass.

It doesn't get as good mileage as biodiesel, but it's also a lot less work once installed.

 

[talusslope]

I have not seen any true scooters yet, so here is!

Or a hovercraft for that madder!!

 

[chuffer]

tip credit for this one goes to my undergrad riding buddy Thad, aka Thadorama.

remember the early post about my hypothetical soft-hybrid retrofit kit, and the later post about the still-hypothetical full-hybrid kit being developed at some european lab? well, here's one that you can buy today.



i had some questions about this product after reading the page, and they replied within a few hours.

my questions:



their replies:



who wants to be the guinea pig for this one?

wow. that looks cool. actually it *looks* awful, but the concept is cool. I am going to have to research this type of product some more. I wonder how much, if any, it changes the ride characteristics. A lot more sprung and unsprung weight in the back. I also worry about safety...

I have been looking at ideas for upping the efficiency on my low mileage mint mkII jetta. So far the best answer seems to be lightening up my right foot, not using cruise control and deleting AC, PS and idle control valve.

 

[Toshi]

Zenn Electric. from france to your doorstep.

Zenn Electric.



specs at a glance: $16k USD. weighs 1360 lbs. 3-phase brushless AC motor, 7.6 hp. 7 kWh of AGM SLA batteries. 30-50 mile range. as a neighborhood electric vehicle is limited to 25 mph, but Washington state is opening this up to a blistering 35 mph.

(click through for the article)

 

[jimmydean]

Over the weekend the local news channel was talking about the Smart car and "How safe can it be?". I knew it was safe because it was designed by Mercedes and it's been in Europe for years.

They showed a cool video of it hitting a concrete barricade at 50mph. The car was toast, but the driver was fine. The cabin is very well protected, but there is nothing left of the car. I was impressed.

The down side is they said a lot of major insurance companies either won't cover it or only offer limited coverage.

 

[Toshi]

Over the weekend the local news channel was talking about the Smart car and "How safe can it be?". I knew it was safe because it was designed by Mercedes and it's been in Europe for years.

They showed a cool video of it hitting a concrete barricade at 50mph. The car was toast, but the driver was fine. The cabin is very well protected, but there is nothing left of the car. I was impressed.

The down side is they said a lot of major insurance companies either won't cover it or only offer limited coverage.

i wonder what the insurance companies' rationale is.

was it this video? 70 mph to an offset barrier looks pretty horrific in any car, but the smart seems to have done ok.

 

[jimmydean]

i wonder what the insurance companies' rationale is.

was it this video? 70 mph to an offset barrier looks pretty horrific in any car, but the smart seems to have done ok.

That was it! The news said it was 50mph, I was impressed. They just showed the clip of the impact from different angles while talking to the local dealer. They talked to a fer owners and people at the dealership, it was amusing.

 

[Toshi]

anyone with experience using car sharing programs? Flexcar? Zipcar?(yes, they're now a single entity)

They offer great rates for UW students and staff with a bus pass: $35/yr plus $7.70/hr in 30 min increments. This includes the car, gas, parking, and insurance!

www.flexcar.com

 

[jimmydean]

There is a flex car program on CL. A bunch of people got together and run an older Mercedes on bio. Interesting concept.

Ad: http://eugene.craigslist.org/car/675402277.html
Site: http://www.biocarshare.org

 

[Toshi]

There is a flex car program on CL. A bunch of people got together and run an older Mercedes on bio. Interesting concept.

Ad: http://eugene.craigslist.org/car/675402277.html
Site: http://www.biocarshare.org

interesting. apparently economics of scale and not running a biodiesel-hungry full size Mercedes help:

Zipcar for UW U-Pass holders: $25/yr + $25 one time fee, $9.50/hr on up (180 mi/24hr free, $0.20/mi afterwards), daily rates from $69 on up
vs.
Biocarshare co-op: $400 one time buy-in, $20/mo, $0.30/mi.

here's the map of Zipcars in the downtown Seattle area...

another piece of info to hold in the balance: Seattle's city govt will essentially bribe me with $200 to use at REI if i sell my car and commit to not buying another one for at least a year.

http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/olc_signup.htm#2

(if my RX-8 is going to sell, it's going to sell today. made a second chance offer to the sole bidder on my auction at $250 below my previous reserve, and we've been talking...)

 

[jimmydean]

another piece of info to hold in the balance: Seattle's city govt will essentially bribe me with $200 to use at REI if i sell my car and commit to not buying another one for at least a year.

http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/olc_signup.htm#2

(if my RX-8 is going to sell, it's going to sell today. made a second chance offer to the sole bidder on my auction at $250 below my previous reserve, and we've been talking...)

That's good news on 2 fronts right there. I was looking at a commuter bike at REI last night. The "Buzz" with disc brakes and street tires for $600.

My wife looked at Flex Car, but it seems like more trouble than it was worth. If we lived downtown, it would be a different story. If she ends up quiting her merch job (drives from store to store every day) then we would look into something like that.

A used Civic is only $2000 and would get better mileage though.

 

[SPINTECK]

if 45K is all it takes for vehicle and energy for 10 years or more, it might be worth it. There is a huge pool of knowledge and california people here, anyone have real knowledge on electric cars and solar panels??


http://www.sierraclub.org/wecandoit/...ctric_cars.asp

Running on Empty: Cars that Never Need Gas

There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.

We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of two guys whose vehicles run on empty.

Darrell Dickey's story | Stephen Weitz's story | Alex Beamer's story



Darrell Dickey with his RAV4 EV and daughter Kyra.

Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life

Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.

"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."

In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.

Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."

By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."

Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"

But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"

Dickey says the Rav4EV is the best car he's ever owned. "My wife commutes in it 40 miles a day, five days a week. We drive it for our weekend outings and it does errands that are too far or too bulky for the bicycle. It has never been tuned up, and I've spent about $50 total on it for maintenance. My wife has not been to a gasoline station in seven years and 70,000 commute miles—not once!"



Stephen Weitz's truck touts its own benefits.

Stephen Weitz: This Truck Runs on Sunshine

Stephen Weitz, who holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry, says four things prompted him to buy an electric truck and charge it with solar energy: 1) global warming and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS); 2) Albert Einstein; 3) nitrogen "overdose"; and 4) open habitat and species destruction.

"NAS began warning of the dangers of rising carbon dioxide levels on global temperatures due to the greenhouse effect years ago," says Weitz, who lives in Oakland, California. "And Einstein won the Nobel Prize for describing the 'photovoltaic effect,' inaugurating the age of quantum physics and making photovoltaic solar panels a theoretical possibility."

Regarding nitrogen overdose, scientists have been documenting that harmless nitrogen (air is 80 percent nitrogen) is converted into potent fertilizer by internal combustion engines. This fertilizer is then deposited on soils, harming native plant ecosystems and endangered species.

"Some call it drive-by ICE (internal combustion engine) extinction," Weitz says. "Using 'green fuels' like ethanol and biodiesel would continue the problem, and hydrogen fuel cells are no solution because they cost too much, they're less efficient than battery-powered vehicles, and hydrogen is made by stripping fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide and exacerbates global warming."

Weitz wanted a source of energy for his electric vehicle that didn't originate from combustion. "By putting solar panels on the roof of my house, I could make use of an endless energy supply to charge my electric vehicle and operate and heat the house. Your house and your vehicle are the two biggest contributors to global warming, so making both carbon neutral strikes at the heart of the problem."

Rooftop mounting of solar panels also eliminates the need to convert undeveloped habitat into solar generation facilities. "We need to save open space for ecosystems, and we have so many empty roofs across the nation," he says. He points out as well that terrorist attacks and earthquakes are less destructive when power generation is distributed diffusely, rather than in concentrated spots like nuclear power plants or nuclear waste disposal sites.

For his PV system, Weitz contacted NorCal Solar (www.norcalsolar.org), which lists state-approved contractors. He obtained multiple bids, arranged two site visits, and got a "significant" rebate from the state for installing the system. He has Time of Use metering, and in the summer he gets a greater dollars-per-kilowatt credit for his solar-generated electricity than he spends at night to charge his electric truck. "PG&E (the local utility) is happy because their peak power needs are highest when my solar panels are putting out the watts, and lowest at night when I'm charging. The PG&E bill for operating my house and electric vehicle is almost zero."

There are two types of EV's, he explains: highway capable battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs). "Buy only what you need," he advises." If you drive mostly around town and take long trips once a year, get an NEV and rent a car for the long trip. If you must do lots of freeway driving, buy a BEV—just realize it will cost more and use more energy."

Weitz searched the Web for his electric vehicle, and recommends eBay, www.evnut.com, and www.eaaev.org. "I was lucky and found one of the rare vehicles in the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" that hadn't been crushed by the auto industry—a factory-built Chevy S10 pickup. I had it shipped from Arizona and an electrician installed a 220-volt charger in my garage."

Millions of Americans, Weitz says, want the option to drive on cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity. Many have banded together in the nonprofit Plug In America (www.pluginamerica.org) to demand that automakers give consumers a choice.

 

[Toshi]

Westy and jimmydean both have looked into full-size EV conversions. i've converted a bicycle myself. do you have any specific questions?

about the article, i question the math: the dude bought his solar panels 5 years ago, pays $70/month on them, and they're going to be paid off next year? that'd imply that they cost $4200-financing, and i can't see how an array that size would power not only his house but his RAV4 EV.



other news: my electric bike is continuing to work great, and i'm using ~20 Wh/mi now that i'm riding the electricity more and pedaling less. taller gearing will help. i'm now at 112 miles on the clock or so.

i also sold my RX-8 tonight. i'll give the issue some thought, of course, but i'm really a fan of the Zipcar idea at the moment, especially since i'm also searching for an apartment in which to live next year. with this freedom/necessity, i could choose to live close to Zipcars... i'm pretty sure i can save money with a Zipcar. not only would it provide incentive to minimize trips, but i'd also not have to pay for traditional auto insurance (~$1650/yr for me in the RX-8), parking (~$120/mo for garage parking in many seattle apartment complexes), or depreciation and maintenance.

finally, here's a compelling argument against standard gasoline car ownership: it costs a lot. how much? here's AAA's breakdown for 2007:

 

[jimmydean]

Congrats on the sale. Did he meet your reserve, or did a good old fashioned snipe happen?

The main reason I gave up on the EV moto was the cost of good batteries. To power the moto worth a damn was going to be around $3500. I hope that over the next year the cost of batteries will come down enough to justify it.

Do you have a meter on your bike? How much of the charge are you using on the commute and what is your charge time?

 

[Toshi]

he actually didn't meet reserve, but then again my starting bid and reserve were only separated by $500. it was basically a formality so that the initial bid wouldn't immediately make the buy it now disappear. i made him a second chance offer (buy it now for 24 hrs just for him) at $250 below my initial reserve, and he bit.

i indeed have a kick-ass meter on my bike, the Cycle Analyst (CA in my shorthand above). it basically does everything.

http://ebikes.ca/drainbrain.shtml

like i wrote above i've been using 15-20 Wh/mi generally. my 48V 12Ah pack has a theoretical capacity of 576 Wh, and the most i've used at any one time has been 6.992 Ah (336 Wh) on a ride just shy of 21 miles. if my pack were SLA then its actual capacity would be more like 400 Wh, but since it's fancy-pants LiFePO4 it should be close to its rated capacity.

the charger is a 48V 2A unit, so 1 hr of charging takes care of 5-6 miles riding.

 

[DaveW]

To hell with an Ebike!!
I want one of These!!!!!

 

[Toshi]

To hell with an Ebike!!
I want one of These!!!!!

sweet.

 

[Dartman]

sweet.

 

[N8 v2.0]

donno if this has been posted yet:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/Get50MpgInYourOwnCar.aspx?page=1

In 2006, at the Honda Insight Marathon in Tonkawa, Okla., using driving tactics both mundane and exotic, Gerdes and his teammates went 2,254 miles on a single 13.7-gallon tank of gas. That's an average of 165 miles per gallon for a vehicle with an EPA rating of 60 city/66 highway. During one of Gerdes' runs on the 40-mile course, mpg peaked at 200.

 

[Stray_cat]

Breaking News: Man dis-proves Darwins' theory of Natural Selcetion with personal Jet Glider.

That was pretty sweet.

 

[Toshi]

Today I found the limits of the torque arm and the stock REI/Novara rear rack on my Transfer, unfortunately:

Note the piece of the rear rack still attached to the pannier's mounting points. I was coming home from a gig so was heavily laden. Apparently hitting 36.4 mph on a bumpy downhill road with ~23 lbs of trumpet case on top and ~22 lbs of pannier (18 lb battery, dress shoes, pit black concert dress, rain shell, a few tools) causes forces greater than the material strength of the rear rack, which is nominally rated at 25 kg.

torque arm photo uninlined: http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/536/img0037wi7.jpg

The second photo is significant because it shows that my single-40 oz torque arm failed somewhere down this bumpy road. I'm extremely thankful that I escaped unharmed: the rack failed, pulling its Powerpole connector apart, which in turn caused voltage to drop precipitously (but not immediately as I was cooking along at near-regen speeds). This voltage drop in turn caused me to immediately stop and pull over before any front-wheel shenanigans could ensue.

Yikes. Time to rethink my design a bit:

Torque arm: I'll hunt down locking nuts, and am planning on ordering an enclosed, steel torque arm from the Aussie getadirtbike from here on endless-sphere.

Broken rear rack/pannier/battery location: Mounting 18 lbs of lithium off the side of a rack puts great forces on it, as I demonstrated today. I have two choices as I see it: mount the battery on top, as I did before, or replace the rear rack with a sturdier unit.

I'd really rather not mount the battery on top because I like having that space open for cargo, and also am quite the fan of the Ortlieb pannier's waterproofing and quick-release system. So what options do I have for sturdier racks? Tubus comes immediately to mind. Here's their steel Cargo rack, rated for 40 kg!

In non-traumatic news I'm just shy of 166 miles now, having used about 19 cents of electricity thus far.

 

[Toshi]

here's a good guide to velomobiles, the weirdest branch of the bicycle family tree imo

http://www.bentrideronline.com/Buyer's Guide/velomobileguide.htm

[...]

A velomobile is a fully enclosed recumbent (usually a trike) that is designed for use in all weather. Despite their sleek looks, they are not racing machines. They are quite fast on level ground and some velomobiles have won in European HPV races but most designs put a premium on practicality. [...]

The most obvious drawback to owning a velomobile is cost. Even the cheapest of velomobiles currently available (the Alleweder) costs 3500€ complete or 2500€ in kit form. The other drawback is weight. A velomobile can be a very fast commuter in flat areas like The Netherlands but if you live in a mountainous area, the 15-20 kg weight penalty that most velomobiles suffer over a conventional recumbent bicycle or trike can be a deal breaker. Adding electric assist can remedy this problem but then cost becomes an issue again.

click through the link to see examples including pricing of quite a few velomobiles. here's a photo as a teaser:

(go-one^3. stupid-expensive, as in $10k base. no wonder they've only sold 8 in north america since 2006...)

 

[buildyourown]

Bruce Gordon for the rack. They are a bit spendy, but since you'll be pushing it, it would be worth it.

 

[Toshi]

Bruce Gordon for the rack. They are a bit spendy, but since you'll be pushing it, it would be worth it.

PM replied

that Bruce Gordon rack looks awfully similar on paper to the Tubus Cargo, chromoly and a similar design. as REI has an unbeatable return policy, and has the Cargo for ~$100 including (free to store) shipping after applying one of their ubiquitous 15% off coupons i sprung for it. if it fails then i may need to rethink the battery location instead of calling in even bigger guns...

 

[jimmydean]

I would think that a chromo rack would support a well-displaced battery pack. If it doesn't, then a home-built pack would be in order with better weight distribution. Maybe divided into 3 parts with a frame mount (top tube/seat tub location) plus left/right saddle bags. The overall weight can't be that bad, unless I am truly underestimating the weight of the batteries.

 

[Toshi]

I would think that a chromo rack would support a well-displaced battery pack. If it doesn't, then a home-built pack would be in order with better weight distribution. Maybe divided into 3 parts with a frame mount (top tube/seat tub location) plus left/right saddle bags. The overall weight can't be that bad, unless I am truly underestimating the weight of the batteries.

the battery weighs 18 lbs. it's built in one rigid unit now, about 12 x 6 x 5", and i really don't want to break it open and split it.

 

[jimmydean]

18# just doesn't seem that much to me. I would say the chromo rack should suffice, otherwise I will engineer one for you.

 

[Red Rabbit]

r84

r144

Hackaday perma Link

 

[jimmydean]

I have been considering this conversion if the gasser motor in my FZ1 ever dies. But since it currently has 80K+ miles on it and still hauls ass, I don't know if that will be any time soon.

Maybe the batteries will be cheaper by then.

 

[Red Rabbit]

Is it a repost? If it is I will delete it.

 

[Toshi]

Is it a repost? If it is I will delete it.

no worries. this thread's way to big to look for reposts at this point.

e-bike news for the curious: shamelessly warrantied the broken rack after deciding that failure with a ~20 lb pannier on a 25 kg rated rack at 15 days out was warranty worthy. they spotted $25 replacement value towards that Tubus Cargo, so i ended up with that rack for the princely sum of $77 (15% off, $25 credit, no tax since i'm oregon).

score. it required a fair bit of grinding on both the rack and the dropout area for clearance but now is in place and looks mighty fine.

i also swapped out the 38-21t gearing for 48-16t. chainring swaps and playing with chain length are old hat to anyone who's worked on a bike, but i'd never swapped a cog on a Nexus hub before. turns out it's quite the pain in the ass, and indeed i'm posting here as a break from working on it. apparently i don't have some or other lockring lined up and it's not shifting after a brief interlude when it was. 48-16t sure is tall, however...

:huh:

time to go look up the Nexus manual now that my "line dots up and twist" method has utterly failed me.

 

[Toshi]

i defeated the scourge that is the Nexus lockring after probably an hour of scratching my head and trying over and over. now that i have a better idea i'm sure i could do it in five minutes, but it's really a cumbersome procedure: you need to secure the axle from spinning (12" crescent on the other side propped against the floor); you need to have everything lined up just so (inner yellow dots on the cassette arm with the axle's yellow dots, AND the outer yellow dot lined with the inner dots -- not in manual); you need to apply copious inwards pressure to the lockring and cassette arm (8" crescent held in right hand); and you need to apply a strong twisting force to the lockring (large flathead screwdriver in left hand). ugh.

anyway, here is some fresh meat for the thread, namely the innards of the Crystalyte x5 (e.g. 5303, 5304) hubmotors. this size is the next one up from my 4-series, and they'll take many a kW day in and day out without complaining. no one has blown one up yet to my knowledge.

the issue i see with them is that once you're in the multi-kW power range you'd ideally have a motorcycle as a platform for its strength, suspension, brakes, and DOT legality and all of a sudden 2 kW isn't enough.

on with the pics:

 

[Changleen]

Tony Stark would be disappointed with that weave.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Do they have chimpanzees doing the splicing? That is the crappiest job of splicing I've ever seen.

 

[Toshi]

it's true, the quality isn't great. but this particular model runs $485 + ~$40 shipping. that's for a complete wheel built up. recall again that some nutters are running this at 84V and 55A: 4.6kW at the battery!

 

[Toshi]

Aptera for $30k, this for $20k, or a BugE for $5k + your time... many options in between "real cars" and e-bikes out there.

Green Vehicles TRIAC. http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/05/20/transportation-tuesday-the-80mph-triac-goes-on-sale/ and http://www.greenvehicles.com/ (spec sheet)

$20,000 and commercially available. battery-electric. "20 kW AC PMSM water-cooled" motor, 30 kW AC optional. 144V 160Ah lithium of some unspecified variety. on board 240/120V charger. regenerative braking. manual 5-speed gearbox -- this is interesting. electric windows, locks, an analog speedo, ampmeter, and voltmeter.

claimed top speed of 80 mph, and 100 mph range (at what speed?!).

i just hope it performs better than the discredited and horrible Zap Xebra... with a 20 kW AC motor and 23 kWh on tap (my e-bike has 576 Wh for comparison) it has a fighting chance of meeting its design goals, at least.

 

[Toshi]

take note, Westy and jimmydean:

1997 GMC Sonoma EV conversion on eBay (pdf of auction page here for after the auction's expiration)

1997 GMC SONOMA ELECTRIC VEHICLE

RUST FREE WITH NEW PAINT, 5 SPEED MANUAL WITH ABS AND DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG

CONVERTED IN 2007, THIS VEHICLE FEATURES 20 WET CELL 6 VOLT BATTERIES IN FRAME MOUNTED BATTERY BOXES, MULTIPLE SAFETY SYSTEMS INSTALLED, 6000 KM ON CURRENT BATTERY PACK, 2 ONBOARD CHARGERS 110 VOLT 12 AMP AND 220 VOLT 30 AMP. RANGE IS BASED ON SPEED AND TERRAIN. AVERAGE RANGE AT 60 KM/HR ON LEVEL GROUND IS 60-100 KM AT 60 % DOD.

$18.5k starting bid but no one's bit yet.