Electric cars are FAST! Just got a speeding ticket!!!! - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

bennelson · 10-08-2008, 04:19 PM

GRRRRRRRR.

Who says electric cars are slow!?

I just got a speeding ticket in the Electro-Metro!!!!!

25 in a 15 mph zone!

$83.03!
There goes my conversion budget!

That's it! I need my own testing track.....

Grrrr.....

basjoos · 10-08-2008, 04:58 PM

25 in a 15? I wonder if they are pulling over bicyclists for speeding on that street.. or riders on horseback?

rmay635703 · 10-08-2008, 05:37 PM

Well thats worse than me in an odd way, I was going 50mph in a 40mph zone and then entered a 35mph zone the cop pulled along side me with a confused look, I smiled and waved furvently and he smiled and drove off (luckily for me)

bennelson · 10-08-2008, 06:05 PM

Yeah, next time I speed down there, I will have to do it in the Citicar and really freak them out. Probably will think one of the carts escaped the golf course!

MetroMPG · 10-08-2008, 06:53 PM

Woohoo! Wear that ticket with pride, speed demon!

Then again, even the ForkenSwift could get a speeding ticket in a 15 mph zone... eventually...

MetroMPG · 10-08-2008, 06:55 PM

Out of curiosity: have you timed your 0-30 mph acceleration yet? I'd be very curious to compare notes.

bennelson · 10-08-2008, 08:12 PM

Actually, when people ask me how fast my electric car can go, I really do plan to respond with "fast enough to get a speeding ticket!"

I just won't mention what the posted limit was.

I will get a stopwatch and do a zero to 30 for you on Friday. (Won't be available at all in daylight tomorrow.) Which gear do you want me to do that in? (no, you can't pick 1st or 5th!)

I did a bunch or running around today. I dropped Kristin off at carpool this morning, went to my office, library, and bread store, met with another local EVer and showed him my car, then picked up Kristin from carpool.

I could see the voltage plummeting when we we about a half mile from home. I actually pulled over for just a minute to let the batteries rest, which was fine, because we happened to pull over right in front of a field of deer! Entertainment while the batteries breath!

Was back on the road four minutes later, but it did give me a chance to find out what the car's range was.

Ready for this?

It's 20 miles - exactly.

I think one of the radiator position batteries is bad, I will try replacing it this weekend, see if that helps.

I have also heard to baby your batteries for the first while so that they get gently broken in and actually increase your range a bit.

This is only using 6 12V 100ah batteries. If I doubled up the batteries, I would have a 30+ mile range no problem. I would also need to learn about beefing up suspension and brakes!

I did have another "EV First" today as well. When I was coming out of the store, I automatically looked for my car in the lot. My brain wasn't looking for my truck, or my old car, or even the electric car - just my car.

Hows that for a change of thought?

PS: when the officer asked if I knew how fast I was going, I almost answered in AMPs!

I also installed a rubber bushing (piece of old hose!) between the motor end mount and the bolt through the original engine mounting point. This made the big "kalunk!" noise go away that happened every time I pulled away from a dead stop. That's what I was testing when I got the speeding ticket.

bbjsw10 · 10-08-2008, 08:22 PM

25 in a 15!!!

And you call yourself an Ecomodder.

Wish I had your car. 20 miles would get me back and forth to work 2 and a half times. Congrats on your ticket there Micheal Andretti.

MetroMPG · 10-08-2008, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bennelson

I will get a stopwatch and do a zero to 30 for you on Friday. (Won't be available at all in daylight tomorrow.) Which gear do you want me to do that in? (no, you can't pick 1st or 5th!)

You don't have the shifter hooked up yet?

If you do, I'd say start in 2nd, and upshift each time the amps start to fall off the controller limit. If you don't, then just try 3rd. That should give you the most amps for the longest, without overdoing things.

Quote:

It's 20 miles - exactly.

You mean 20 miles until the voltage plummeted? Or 20 until you limped home after?

Still beats the ForkenSwift: 20 km (12 mi) is as far as I can go before the pack is so pooped that I have to choose routes where I won't piss off following drivers because I'm accelerating so slowly.

Quote:

I think one of the radiator position batteries is bad, I will try replacing it this weekend, see if that helps.

Man, you need a pack monitor! Like our DIY LED battery gauge. Even if you just get a bunch of cheap digital multimeters, that would be good too. Not knowing what your batt voltages are doing is playing Russian Roulette! I'd say it's more important than an ammeter, esp. with old/used batts.

bennelson · 10-08-2008, 08:42 PM

I DO have the shifter hooked up. I just thought that the different gears will effect the acceleration differently.

What the heck. I will do all three gears and compare them.

I TOTALLY WISH I HAD A FORKENSWIFT LED GAUGE!!!! (Love that thing!)

And by the way, I WAS eco-driving while I got the ticket. There were a couple of hills involved and I was "driving without brakes". Seriously, I WASNT even touching the go pedal when I got nailed!

It was 20 miles before I saw the voltage start to drop. Pulling over and then driving home after was about another half a mile.