vw milano taxi studie 2013
the alternative personal transportation thread
thats funny they approved the EV car for 2013. they have been pushing for America to adopt their TDi cars and it obviously hasnt caught on....stupid Americans
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/05/automotive-x-prize-video-edison2-very-light-car-beneath-the-carbon-fiber.html
Edison2 Very Light Car.
4 wheels. 750-1200 lbs depending on 2- or 4-seat configuration and carbon fiber or not. Power via a turboed Yamaha 250cc presumably thumper mill pumping out 27-50 hp depending on configuration. Drag coefficient on par with that of Aptera at 0.15. Pretty damn slick wheel/suspension setup: deformable outboard wheels to act as crumple zones of sorts, and a trailing arm/shock setup entirely contained within the diameter of the wheel.
Edison2 Very Light Car.
4 wheels. 750-1200 lbs depending on 2- or 4-seat configuration and carbon fiber or not. Power via a turboed Yamaha 250cc presumably thumper mill pumping out 27-50 hp depending on configuration. Drag coefficient on par with that of Aptera at 0.15. Pretty damn slick wheel/suspension setup: deformable outboard wheels to act as crumple zones of sorts, and a trailing arm/shock setup entirely contained within the diameter of the wheel.
Press release: FEV LiiOn Vehicle With Wankel Range Extender Makes Global Impression at the Vienna Motor Symposium
Detailed specs/program overview: http://www.fev.com/data/documents/brochures/Electric_Vehicle_Technology_Web.pdf
Quick specs: FEV = FEV Motorentechnik GmbH. Based off of a Fiat 500. 12 kWh of Li-ion, good for 80 km of range, with 12 more kWh optional. 30 kW continuous/60 kW peak power. 120 km/h top speed. The Wankel (!) range extender that they use kicks out 20 kW of power, again reinforcing Westy's point that running-average power needs are in this ballpark. Total range with the range extender of 300 km.
Browsing around the FEV site itself is fascinating in its own right, as they're up to all sorts of powertrain-related mischief: http://www.fev.com/content/public/default.aspx?id=422
They are hardly wedded to the Wankel, either, presenting this graphic illustrating the tradeoff in properties of various ICE engines (and fuel cells) used as a range extender:
Detailed specs/program overview: http://www.fev.com/data/documents/brochures/Electric_Vehicle_Technology_Web.pdf
Quick specs: FEV = FEV Motorentechnik GmbH. Based off of a Fiat 500. 12 kWh of Li-ion, good for 80 km of range, with 12 more kWh optional. 30 kW continuous/60 kW peak power. 120 km/h top speed. The Wankel (!) range extender that they use kicks out 20 kW of power, again reinforcing Westy's point that running-average power needs are in this ballpark. Total range with the range extender of 300 km.
Browsing around the FEV site itself is fascinating in its own right, as they're up to all sorts of powertrain-related mischief: http://www.fev.com/content/public/default.aspx?id=422
They are hardly wedded to the Wankel, either, presenting this graphic illustrating the tradeoff in properties of various ICE engines (and fuel cells) used as a range extender:
Edison2 Very Light Car - Looks pretty good. Wonder about size, mileage and passenger space.
Anyone fancy going to the movies? 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/videos/3630804
Interesting concept, instead of getting agro with the clown behind you talking the whole way thru the movie now you can abuse him/her for not pedaling fast enough if the movie slows down or dim's.
I do wonder about the noise from all those bikes though, wouldn't it interfere with the movies soundtrack?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/videos/3630804
Interesting concept, instead of getting agro with the clown behind you talking the whole way thru the movie now you can abuse him/her for not pedaling fast enough if the movie slows down or dim's.
I do wonder about the noise from all those bikes though, wouldn't it interfere with the movies soundtrack?
Consumer Reports offers perspective on the 29/40 mpg rating achieved by the yet-to-be-actually-released 2011 Ford Fiesta: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/05/how-the-40-mpg-2011-ford-fiesta-compares-to-its-thrifty-competitors.html
Of particular note is that CR's measured fuel economy (measured precisely using an in-line meter on the fuel line) is not always similar to that claimed by the EPA.
Fairly absymal city mpg observed across the board as well as generally higher-than-EPA highway mpg.
Their 21/39 observed economy for an automatic Fit (probably the new-gen one) is roughly on par with what Jessica and I have achieved with our old-gen auto Fit, which is about 25-27 mpg in mixed urban usage and 34-39.5 on the open highway. I still want that Prius or Leaf
Of particular note is that CR's measured fuel economy (measured precisely using an in-line meter on the fuel line) is not always similar to that claimed by the EPA.
Fairly absymal city mpg observed across the board as well as generally higher-than-EPA highway mpg.
Their 21/39 observed economy for an automatic Fit (probably the new-gen one) is roughly on par with what Jessica and I have achieved with our old-gen auto Fit, which is about 25-27 mpg in mixed urban usage and 34-39.5 on the open highway. I still want that Prius or Leaf
i believe CR like i believe politicians.
i cant wait for the Fiesta to arrive stateside....particularly to try their new 6-speed, dry clutch, DSG tranny
i cant wait for the Fiesta to arrive stateside....particularly to try their new 6-speed, dry clutch, DSG tranny
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Cool!
The London double decker buses are going Hybrid.
londons hybrid double decker bus officially unveiled today
The London double decker buses are going Hybrid.
londons hybrid double decker bus officially unveiled today
Friends of mine in Cali just put down a deposit on a Leaf. Kind of jealous. I'm so flying out there to check out the car when they get it. According to them 18000 out the door after tax credits, and parking meters are free for clean cars.
is California adding more to the federal tax credit on the car? cause the federal credit is $7500 off a $33k car.
the charger is another $2200 but will only cost them $200 after another federal tax credit
edit: just saw California has a additional $5000 credit on top of the $7500 from the federal level.
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1) Toyota and Tesla jump in bed.
Toyota will invest $50M in Tesla (same as Mercedes did a year back), Tesla will buy much of NUMMI, and together they will build not only the Model S, a future $30k Tesla, but also a sub-$30k EV Tesla-Toyota collaborative effort based off an existing Toyota platform there. Prius with a big ol' Li-ion pack, anyone?
2) Details on VW's forthcoming EV released
2013 launch. 150 km claimed range from 26.5 kWh of Li-ion.
Toyota will invest $50M in Tesla (same as Mercedes did a year back), Tesla will buy much of NUMMI, and together they will build not only the Model S, a future $30k Tesla, but also a sub-$30k EV Tesla-Toyota collaborative effort based off an existing Toyota platform there. Prius with a big ol' Li-ion pack, anyone?
2) Details on VW's forthcoming EV released
2013 launch. 150 km claimed range from 26.5 kWh of Li-ion.
They are talking about bringing in a load of those Nissan Leaf's to Wellington later this year to have as hire/loan cars during the Rugby world cup. Will be interesting to see them in the flesh, only seen Mitsubishi's electric icar so far down here in Wellington.
Review of the Honda CR-Z hybrid from Car Magazine UK:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/Honda-CR-Z-hybrid-2010-CAR-review/?content-block=1
I love the look of the car and the review sound pretty good to me. I don't know why Honda can't apply more of this to more of the range. Give us a cool Hybrid wagon please.
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/Honda-CR-Z-hybrid-2010-CAR-review/?content-block=1
I love the look of the car and the review sound pretty good to me. I don't know why Honda can't apply more of this to more of the range. Give us a cool Hybrid wagon please.
Elon is still worrying about his divorce and how he can lose his government funding.
1,013 miles on a single 16 gallon tank of diesel. lets see a hybrid do that
original article:
http://www.bimmerfile.com/2010/05/24/bmw-320d-goes-1000-miles-on-a-tank/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Bimmerfile+(BimmerFile+/+BMW+News,+Reviews+and+Podcast)&utm_content=Google+Reader
http://jalopnik.com/5546598/bmw-gets-1013-miles-on-single-tank-of-diesel
original article:
http://www.bimmerfile.com/2010/05/24/bmw-320d-goes-1000-miles-on-a-tank/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Bimmerfile+(BimmerFile+/+BMW+News,+Reviews+and+Podcast)&utm_content=Google+Reader
Yeah - it's awesome we can't get cars like that here. WTF?
we are slowly getting them. the Ford Fiesta is a good example of that... but these diesels are fantastic. 1000+ miles and he wasnt even hypermiling
68 mpg on diesel is about what, 60 mpg in regular unleaded money? 55 mpg? Yeah, I think I could do that in a hybrid.
ABG: Nissan Leaf battery details further unveiled
Battery porn:
The taller part of the battery pack in the background of the image will go under the rear seats. The flatter part will go under the floor and front seats.
Note the scheduled charging to take advantage of off-peak rates and scheduled A/C and heat timing that'll be used to cool or heat the car while it's still on the charger, minimizing its use (and maximizing comfort) once off the charger and on the road.
Fast = Level 3, high voltage DC, 30 minutes to 80% charge, think municipal charging station
Not as fast = Level 2, 220/240V AC, 8 hours to go from 0-100% charge, installed in every Leaf owner's garage
Other interesting bits from the article are that Nissan's Smyrna, TN plant, for which ground was figuratively broken yesterday, will have the capacity to build 200,000 battery packs per year. The nearby Leaf assembly plant only can build 150,000 Leafs per year at full capacity. This implies that Nissan will be selling excess battery packs to other manufacturers or will be building some non-Leaf BEVs or hybrids. Excellent.
Battery porn:
The taller part of the battery pack in the background of the image will go under the rear seats. The flatter part will go under the floor and front seats.
Note the scheduled charging to take advantage of off-peak rates and scheduled A/C and heat timing that'll be used to cool or heat the car while it's still on the charger, minimizing its use (and maximizing comfort) once off the charger and on the road.
The 70-80% remaining capacity estimate after 10 years depends on how much fast vs. not-as-fast (see below) charging one does, with fast charging causing more depletion down the road. The good news it that utility companies may well be interested in buying back those batteries at the end of their useful automotive-application range, regardless of whether they hold 70 or 80%.
Fast = Level 3, high voltage DC, 30 minutes to 80% charge, think municipal charging station
Not as fast = Level 2, 220/240V AC, 8 hours to go from 0-100% charge, installed in every Leaf owner's garage
Other interesting bits from the article are that Nissan's Smyrna, TN plant, for which ground was figuratively broken yesterday, will have the capacity to build 200,000 battery packs per year. The nearby Leaf assembly plant only can build 150,000 Leafs per year at full capacity. This implies that Nissan will be selling excess battery packs to other manufacturers or will be building some non-Leaf BEVs or hybrids. Excellent.
I am really digging the Leaf.
Toshi the magic of diesels is that, unlike small gas engines or hybrids, they don't become completely gutless when loaded down. I'd like to see a comparison test with four adults, luggage and a trip from Denver to Vail between a TDI, prius and gas econobox. For anything beyond the single passenger urban commute a diesel is the most sensible option imo.
Sanjay's anecdotal evidence (emphasis mine) shows that a Prius can do ok in these circumstances: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2036828&postcount=24
I'm not a huge partisan of either technology--I'd love either a Prius or a TDI (with reliable electric/electronic bits, please) but would like a BEV even more. I just think that some criticisms of hybrids are unfair, at least in case of Toyota/HSD. I'm not a fan at all of Honda's hybrid/IMA setup in terms of mileage that I saw while driving a Civic Hybrid or in the experience of the Civic Hybrid or new-gen Insight.Hell yeah I drive a Prius (for road trips, and when it's raining and can't ride the motorcycle). I did infact make it to Durango and back which was around 2000 miles and only had to fill up 3 times, the first being in Flagstaff, AZ where gas is way cheaper. It's kind of hard to seem from this picture, but it has been getting 47.2 mpg over the last 2322 miles and it has almost 68,000 mikes on it. You'd be surprised how much stuff this thing can hold. I did a road trip from OC-Mammoth-Northstar-Idaho-Snowmass-OC with 3 people and 3 bikes and a lot of gear, and we have the smaller 1st generation Prius. With the electric motor the thing is super torquie and would go up the road to Big Bear easily.
Is that a check engine light on in the pic 
I think hybrids are great. I'm waiting on the technology to arrive in a package that fits my needs (prius too small for 4 + a german shepherd) and isn't an SUV. My wife doesn't drive much anyway so her 98 E320 wagon with 135k is ideal. A (used) Tesla sportwagon would be my ideal next car for her.
I think hybrids are great. I'm waiting on the technology to arrive in a package that fits my needs (prius too small for 4 + a german shepherd) and isn't an SUV. My wife doesn't drive much anyway so her 98 E320 wagon with 135k is ideal. A (used) Tesla sportwagon would be my ideal next car for her.
Even though I love my F350 in all it's goodness, it isn't practical now that I sold off the quad and dirt bike. Since looking at the TDi conversion for Toyota, I am now in the hunt for the perfect donor.Is that a check engine light on in the pic
I think hybrids are great. I'm waiting on the technology to arrive in a package that fits my needs (prius too small for 4 + a german shepherd) and isn't an SUV. My wife doesn't drive much anyway so her 98 E320 wagon with 135k is ideal. A (used) Tesla sportwagon would be my ideal next car for her.
I would like to try and squeeze 40mpg or better out of a 2wd Toyota truck with a TDi. While I will miss the cab space, I won't be doing long family getaways in it or anything.
Detroit News: House, Senate bills to boost electric vehicle infrastructure, research
My only questions are "What are these 15 deployment communities, and how soon can I move there?" Lacking a resolution number or a bill title I can't readily find it on thomas.loc.gov, and I doubt it would actually have the communities pre-specified in the bill's text, instead making it some sort of competition.
A followup to the above:
Electric Car Bills on the Hill: 10 Things You Should Know
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3442
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-5442
Electric Car Bills on the Hill: 10 Things You Should Know
So the communities have indeed not been picked yet, and links to the bills' fulltext can be found here:the linked article said:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3442
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-5442
Is the Ipod the real alternative transportation? Ad Age claims it is so:
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=144155
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=144155
Looks like a pretty good review of the BMW mini 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10138911.stm
Wonder how they fixed the cold weather battery range problem??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10138911.stm
Wonder how they fixed the cold weather battery range problem??
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-epas-ten-most-efficient-vehicles-since-1984/
The EPAs Ten Most-Efficient Vehicles Since 1984
By Edward Niedermeyer on June 9, 2010
1. 2000 Honda Insight 5MT CVT (49/61/53)
2. 2010 Toyota Prius (51/48/50)
3. 1986 Chevrolet Sprint ER 5MT (44/53/48)
4. 1990-1994 Geo Metro XFI 5MT (43/52/47)
5. 1986-87 Honda Civic Coupe HF 5MT (42/51/46)
6. 1994-95 Honda Civic Hatchback VX 5MT (39/50/43)
7. 2006-2010 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT (40/45/42)
8. 2010 Honda Insight CVT (40/43/41)
9. 2001-2003 Toyota Prius CVT (42/41/40)
10. 1989 Chevrolet Sprint/Suzuki Swift 5MT (38/45/41)
Keep in mind that this list [via our pals at Autosavant] is for EPA ratings, adjusted to the new post-2008 methodology (city/hwy/combined). Luckily, the EPA also accepts real-world mileage submissions from citizen-motorists to help illustrate the whole your mileage may vary thing.
1. 2004-2006 Honda Insight 5MT (70.4/52)
2. 2010 Honda Insight CVT (49.7/41)
3. 1990-1994 Geo Metro XFI 5MT (49.4/46)
4. 2010 Toyota Prius CVT (48.6/50)
5. 1999 Chevrolet Metro 3 Cylinder 5MT (48.4/37)
6. 2002-2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon TDI 5MT (48.2/39)
7. 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid 5MT (47.8/41)
8. 1994-95 Honda Civic Hatchback VX 5MT (47.6/43)
9. 2000-2003 Volkswagen Golf TDI 5MT (47.0/38)
10. 1998-2003 Volkswagen New Beetle TDI 5MT (46.2/38)
Looks like a pretty good review of the BMW mini
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10138911.stm
Wonder how they fixed the cold weather battery range problem??
PopSci.com: The Inside Story of the MotoCzysz E1pc, the World's Most Advanced Electric Motorcycle
100 hp. 250 ft-lbs. of torque. 12.5 kWh battery pack (a Nissan Leaf's pack is 24 kWh for comparison, in clearly a much larger vehicle!). Sounds good to me.On the eve of its first race--at one of the toughest and most dangerous motorcycle racetracks in the world--we take an exclusive inside look at one man's quest to engineer the ultimate electric race bike
By Wes Siler
Posted 06.09.2010 at 2:11 pm
The 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc Amadeus Photography
This is the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc, a race bike built by a tiny Oregonian company focused on pushing the limits of electric performance to the absolute max. It packs 10 times the battery capacity of a Toyota Prius and 2.5 times the torque of a Ducati 1198 into a package that looks like something out of a 24th-century Thunderdome.
Tomorrow it will race in the Isle of Man TT, the toughest motorcycle race in the world. The technology at work is so advanced, so unprecedented, that we may be looking not just at the future of motorcycles, but of all electric vehicles.
This years all-new 2010 E1pc is too--out front, that is, not broken down. During practice this week, it reached a top speed of 140 MPHbesting its closest electric competitors 102 MPH. The E1pc also clocked a 94.6 MPH lap, tantalizingly close to the 100 MPH goal. Yes, it completed that lap. But thats not the amazing thing; the E1pc ran that time while using, on average, less than 40 percent of its throttle and crossed the finish line, according to Czysz, with plenty in reserve.
On the 2010 E1pc the batteries are huge, visually dominating the bike and occupying the space traditionally reserved for an internal combustion engine. There are 10 individual lithium polymer cells that each weigh 19.5 Lbs and were hand-assembled by a company that typically builds batteries for NASA. The level of integration here hints at the kind of work thats gone into the rest of the bike. There are no wires connecting the batteries to the bike or any exposed terminals. Instead, posts on the batteries lock into receivers on the bikes frame, at once making the electrical connection and supporting the batteries weight. The proprietary internal arrangement is secret, so we cant show you a picture of it, but it allows the batteries to be swapped out in just a couple of seconds.
That ability is crucial. The electric motor is powerful enough to chew through the 12.5 kWh of on-board power in just 40 miles under race conditions (in comparison, the 2010 Toyota Prius's battery pack holds just 1.3 kWh and can travel only a single mile in full-electric mode). Quick-swap batteries allow the team to run road tests without waiting four hours between charges and, more importantly, removable batteries bring huge safety benefits. The E1pc is running close to the maximum allowable 500 volts, enough power to turn a wrench into molten metal in a flash of white light or split a mechanics hand in half (its already done the former). The ability to remove that power source from the bike before working on it renders the machine safe from accidental electric shocks. This level of safety and convenience have clear applications in mainstream electric consumer vehicles--dont expect Czyszs patents to stay on one-off race bikes.
But the custom-engineered, oil-cooled electric motor that sucks up those batteries juice may be the single most important individual component driving the E1pcs exceptional performance; while most electric bikes repurpose electric motors built for forklifts or high-power drills, Czyszs motor is the first to be developed from the ground up to win races.
The DC internal permanent magnet motor, which Czysz calls D1g1tal Dr1ve, is small enough to hide within the swingarm beneath the rear shock. The oil-cooled motor makes more power and torque than all three air-cooled motors in last years E1pc combined, while being smaller than one of them individually. And crucially, it develops its 100 HP and 250 Lb-Ft of torque continuously. Air-cooled electric motors, on the other hand, quote peak figures which theyre only able to reach for a very brief period of time due to the rapid buildup of immense heat. Sometimes, they can only reach peak power for a fraction of a second. The MotoCzysz can always make that 100 HP--as long as the batteries hold out, that is. The oil-cooling is key here, allowing the motor to exponentially shrink in size and weight for its output level; air-cooled motors are huge, so their large metal components can soak up the heat.
hopefully it wont fail like last year's bike.
Michael Czysz's ideas are revolutionary for motorcycles. i wish them luck and hope to see their MotoGP bike in a race
Michael Czysz's ideas are revolutionary for motorcycles. i wish them luck and hope to see their MotoGP bike in a race
I'm having unfaithful non-hybrid thoughts about our next vehicle.
Currently we have a 2008 Honda Fit slushbox base model bought as a CPO (and thus under warranty until 2012 or so) and my 2008 Kawi Versys. We can't really afford anything different than this setup until I finish residency this time of the year in 2013. We can survive with just one car now because my commute is 0.3 miles on foot but once I start fellowship in July 2013 I grudgingly concede that we'll need two truly year-round vehicles.
Idle vehicle thought spewage:
Present-early 2013: keep the same vehicles barring calamity–we do live in the NY metro area, after all, and my old scooter did manage to sprout legs and walk off on its own last year.
Early 2013: add a second gasoline vehicle… a SUV, even. Why? Before you all stone me, it'd be to have something with AWD for trips to the hills, assuming I ever get my free time and ass back in gear and log some skiing/biking days. It also sure wouldn't be a Yukon… What am I thinking of/what inspired this mishmash of thoughts?
The 2011 Nissan Juke, that's what. http://nissanusa.com/juke
It's so ugly that it's almost attractive, like a weird undersea fish. It's tiny for a SUV, with a length only 5 inches longer than our 1st-gen Fit, yet has decent packaging, with just shy of 100 cu ft. of interior room, on par with a Prius. It has torque-vectoring AWD, albeit only when mated with a non-interactive CVT gearbox. It has all the interior amenities expected by my generation: Bluetooth hookup to cell phones, iPod interface, aftermarket subwoofer, fancy color display on dash, option for built-in navi, keyless entry with a start button.
Best of all, it has some eco-cred: it's mill is a 1.6 liter 4-banger with direct injection and turbocharging. Think Ford's EcoBoost but only from Nissan-Renault, and in a mini, avant-garde SUV package.
I dig it.
In any case, back to the timeline: we could potentially add a Juke (possibly also CPO by that point) to the stable in early 2013 prior to (presumably/with any luck) moving out West. The Fit would stay until after the move. Then, once in new-city digs we'd consider whether a Nissan Leaf would make any sense (to replace the Fit)--ie, do we have a garage?, installation fees/tax incentives vs. our tax burden as a fellow vs. attending, whether we are planning on moving cities or houses once I finish fellowship a year later).
Currently we have a 2008 Honda Fit slushbox base model bought as a CPO (and thus under warranty until 2012 or so) and my 2008 Kawi Versys. We can't really afford anything different than this setup until I finish residency this time of the year in 2013. We can survive with just one car now because my commute is 0.3 miles on foot but once I start fellowship in July 2013 I grudgingly concede that we'll need two truly year-round vehicles.
Idle vehicle thought spewage:
Present-early 2013: keep the same vehicles barring calamity–we do live in the NY metro area, after all, and my old scooter did manage to sprout legs and walk off on its own last year.
Early 2013: add a second gasoline vehicle… a SUV, even. Why? Before you all stone me, it'd be to have something with AWD for trips to the hills, assuming I ever get my free time and ass back in gear and log some skiing/biking days. It also sure wouldn't be a Yukon… What am I thinking of/what inspired this mishmash of thoughts?
The 2011 Nissan Juke, that's what. http://nissanusa.com/juke
It's so ugly that it's almost attractive, like a weird undersea fish. It's tiny for a SUV, with a length only 5 inches longer than our 1st-gen Fit, yet has decent packaging, with just shy of 100 cu ft. of interior room, on par with a Prius. It has torque-vectoring AWD, albeit only when mated with a non-interactive CVT gearbox. It has all the interior amenities expected by my generation: Bluetooth hookup to cell phones, iPod interface, aftermarket subwoofer, fancy color display on dash, option for built-in navi, keyless entry with a start button.
Best of all, it has some eco-cred: it's mill is a 1.6 liter 4-banger with direct injection and turbocharging. Think Ford's EcoBoost but only from Nissan-Renault, and in a mini, avant-garde SUV package.
I dig it.
In any case, back to the timeline: we could potentially add a Juke (possibly also CPO by that point) to the stable in early 2013 prior to (presumably/with any luck) moving out West. The Fit would stay until after the move. Then, once in new-city digs we'd consider whether a Nissan Leaf would make any sense (to replace the Fit)--ie, do we have a garage?, installation fees/tax incentives vs. our tax burden as a fellow vs. attending, whether we are planning on moving cities or houses once I finish fellowship a year later).
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looks like they finally got their maiden win
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/11/mark-miller-wins-tt-zero-on-awesome-motoczysz-e1pc-w-video/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DWWtYGbDrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DWWtYGbDrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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Here is what i build.
And the reason for it being what it is was so that i could do MORE MTB'ing AND have transport.http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=101279&d=1276316485
No more uplifts needed to my favoured tracks (access on gravel road as mostly is the case), getting more runs in than ever, no 'car drop offs', no car at all needed for riding to tracks...
and then I turn the motor off for riding the track...bingo...and then turn the motor on again to ride home.
It is the 'lightest' a motorized vehicle/MTB can be build.
And at 28kg/62lbs i can still ride most tricky MTB tracks just like i use to on my MTB without motor = same fun.
And 28kg still allows you to lift the bike easily over obstacles (fallen trees, gates...)...i would not want it any heavier.
After riding 150km/100 miles a day (on the road) with pedal assist, i get off the bike and feel like i have hardly ridden...
I ride with pedal assist most the time...i dont mind pedaling, its just that in my opinion 'uphill pedaling sucks' and spoils the whole biking 'thing' especially when riding a lot of hills and i believe that also puts a lot of people off from taking up biking.
'Electric' is simply out of the question because of limited range.
If the range was there he weight would be wrong for MTB'ing.
If it was just for short trips then 'maby'.
I want to have a decent ride. I put 3 litre of petrol in my bike and get over 150km/100miles out of it and if i want to carry on i just fill in another 3 litre in any petrol station in 5 minutes and i am off again.
I like biking (anything 2 wheels, use to ride motorcycles...), 'CAGES suck' (cages are for hamsters) unless you REALLY need them.
And "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing".
My Bike-Moto has a 35ccm 4 stroke engine (emission according to EU standard... ) in it and a 8 speed Shimano hub (Planetary Gearbox) in the back wheel that shifts the gears for pedaling and for the motor, has freewheeling for both engine and pedaling... it can be 'motored with no pedal movement', 'pedaled with no motor crank movement', 'pedal assisted when motoring' and is 'totally free wheeling when not pedaling or motoring'.
It has 5 inches of suspension front and back and hydro brakes.
My Mark 1 model did over 15000km/10000miles (2 years) with the same motor setup before the engine started using oil (otherwise still running good) and that motor got a really hard time riding.
And by the way, it uses the least amount of petrol (in a real world life situation) of all the petrol driven motor vehicles on earth.
Have fun riding...
And the reason for it being what it is was so that i could do MORE MTB'ing AND have transport.http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=101279&d=1276316485
No more uplifts needed to my favoured tracks (access on gravel road as mostly is the case), getting more runs in than ever, no 'car drop offs', no car at all needed for riding to tracks...
and then I turn the motor off for riding the track...bingo...and then turn the motor on again to ride home.
It is the 'lightest' a motorized vehicle/MTB can be build.
And at 28kg/62lbs i can still ride most tricky MTB tracks just like i use to on my MTB without motor = same fun.
And 28kg still allows you to lift the bike easily over obstacles (fallen trees, gates...)...i would not want it any heavier.
After riding 150km/100 miles a day (on the road) with pedal assist, i get off the bike and feel like i have hardly ridden...
I ride with pedal assist most the time...i dont mind pedaling, its just that in my opinion 'uphill pedaling sucks' and spoils the whole biking 'thing' especially when riding a lot of hills and i believe that also puts a lot of people off from taking up biking.
'Electric' is simply out of the question because of limited range.
If the range was there he weight would be wrong for MTB'ing.
If it was just for short trips then 'maby'.
I want to have a decent ride. I put 3 litre of petrol in my bike and get over 150km/100miles out of it and if i want to carry on i just fill in another 3 litre in any petrol station in 5 minutes and i am off again.
I like biking (anything 2 wheels, use to ride motorcycles...), 'CAGES suck' (cages are for hamsters) unless you REALLY need them.
And "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing".
My Bike-Moto has a 35ccm 4 stroke engine (emission according to EU standard... ) in it and a 8 speed Shimano hub (Planetary Gearbox) in the back wheel that shifts the gears for pedaling and for the motor, has freewheeling for both engine and pedaling... it can be 'motored with no pedal movement', 'pedaled with no motor crank movement', 'pedal assisted when motoring' and is 'totally free wheeling when not pedaling or motoring'.
It has 5 inches of suspension front and back and hydro brakes.
My Mark 1 model did over 15000km/10000miles (2 years) with the same motor setup before the engine started using oil (otherwise still running good) and that motor got a really hard time riding.
And by the way, it uses the least amount of petrol (in a real world life situation) of all the petrol driven motor vehicles on earth.
Have fun riding...
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