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Old 01-16-2009, 12:54 PM   #901 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
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Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
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Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
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Here are a few more photos from my electric car's "emissions inspection"

Photos Link


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Old 01-16-2009, 04:46 PM   #902 (permalink)
Losing the MISinformation
 
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Eh?

Did you put a link in there somewhere???
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Old 01-16-2009, 05:28 PM   #903 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bennelson View Post
(Link is above )



I am working at a local theater tonight and tomorrow night.

I knew I was going to be taking the electric car, so I plugged in the oil-filled electric radiator heater.

I let it get nice and warm in the car - hopefully heating the batteries too!

It's negative 13 ℉ (-25℃) right now, so I really wanted to see how the car would fare.

The ride in to town was nice and warm - at least it's sunny today.

I dropped off my equipment at the theater, and the theater manager gave me a hand unloading my Metro.

Her: "What a CUTE car!"

Me: "Thanks, it's battery-operated." I say right as I open to hatch to grab gear out of it. A nice view of the batteries can't be missed with the hatch open.

Her: "Cool!!!"

She than laughed at the fact that I had an electric heater in the back seat. After I told her how my car is warm already when I hop it in, I have heat right away, and it stays warm for a bit after unplugging, she wondered if the same idea would work in her truck!

Once I had all my equipment set-up for the evening, I left for the ride back home. The interior of the car was now cold, so it's back to cracking the window open to keep from frosting up.

The highest speed I could get to was 35 mph, which is fine for all but the last quarter mile to my house, where the speed limit goes up to 45, it's uphill, and SUV's are breathing down my neck.

With the pedal to the floor, the car was going 30 mph (uphill) for the last short bit right before my house. The ammeter read 200 amps. This is a 400 amp controller, so either my potentiometer has come out of adjustment, or I just can NOT pull enough amps out of my batteries when they are cold! I am guessing the later.

Once home, I put the car back on the charger, and plugged in the heater.

This is about a 5 mile round-trip, which I will repeat again this evening, when temperatures will be even lower, and the car will sit in the cold even longer.
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Old 01-16-2009, 05:39 PM   #904 (permalink)
Losing the MISinformation
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bennelson View Post
Here's a video made a while back testing acceleration in a couple different gears - no shifting - just put it in gear and go.
Oops, I meant where's the link here...???
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Old 01-16-2009, 06:10 PM   #905 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
Thanked 663 Times in 388 Posts
Ah, THAT link!






In the video, the right-hand of the two gauges is the ammeter. It's a 0-300 amp meter. You can see that the amps max out at the start of a run, and then drop to around 200-250 amps.

This is sorta abusing that batteries, but it sure is fun to figure this stuff out!
In normal driving, I try to keep the amps as low as I can.
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Old 01-17-2009, 08:26 AM   #906 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
Thanked 663 Times in 388 Posts
Best comment EVER.

I just got the best comment ever over on my INSTRUCTABLES about the car:


Jan 16, 2009. 11:30 PMtylosurussays:
"i'm making one. you have definitely encouraged me to try it! i've sat here for like.. the past 3 hours and read this WHOLE ENTIRE blog thing! lol, thanks! "


He must have been referring to just the info on INSTRUCTABLES. It would take MUCH longer than 3 hours to read everything here....
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Old 01-17-2009, 09:32 AM   #907 (permalink)
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Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
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Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
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90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
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Ben, that rocks! Congratulations.
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Old 01-17-2009, 11:05 AM   #908 (permalink)
PaulH
 
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Isn't it nice to know that an action you took putting all that information together is directly causing more electric cars to exist? That's wonderful!
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Old 01-17-2009, 05:28 PM   #909 (permalink)
EV test pilot
 
bennelson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
Thanked 663 Times in 388 Posts
There have been at LEAST two motorcycles that were specifically built after learning about what I did with mine, but somebody actually saying "Hey, I'm gonna do this!" specific to my car is pretty cool.


Today was a meeting of the South-East Wisconsin Chapter of the Electric Automobile Association.

We did this as a joint meeting with the Milwaukee EV building group I have been involved with. The meeting was held at Tom's house in Milwaukee.

I woke up early so I would be able to hitch up the Metro tow bar and make the long haul in to the city, with enough time left to park the car in the garage for display and help set up for the meeting.

Old course, it's been 13 below zero the last couple days, and snowy, AND the roads aren't being salted anymore (there actually is a salt shortage going on!)

One of the worst places for bad roads being the intersection right outside the end of my driveway.

So, there I am, in a 4 cylinder, rear-wheel drive pickup truck, towing a ton of lead I like to call the Electro-Metro - Uphill, from a dead stop, turning onto the unsalted country highway with my mearly so-so non-snowtires.

I wait for traffic to clear, and then slip the clutch to find the magical place between killing the engine, and spining the tires. The truck inches uphill and turns onto the main road, but then slowly slides sideways, with the back end being pushed ever so slightly over by the trailing Metro.

I knew the roads were slick, but this is rediculous. The rear passenger side truck tire is six inches to the right of where it needs to be. Not off the road or anything, just off the semi-clear patch of asphalt.

My two-wheel drive is now one-wheel drive. Unfortunately, that one wheel is the one spinning and not going anywhere.

I am literally 50 feet from home. I imagine my wife snickering at me, but I think she has gone back to bed. I do keep a snow shovel and salt in the back of the truck, but I am really not in a position where either one would help much. It's just plain slick out here.

Now a while back (last time I was bringing the Metro home from Tom's, I think...) I was pulling into my driveway - it had been snowing, AGAIN - and I got stuck. At that time, I thought "Wouldn't it be nice if I could just push the truck out with the Metro!?" But of course, I couldn't. Too much snow, and the vehicles were in the wrong position.

This time, the Metro is completely on the road, and the truck really just needs a little push....

I have noticed that the Metro really does handle much better in the snow than my truck. So. I set the parking brake in the truck, set the parking brake in the car, took off the truck brake and hopped in the Metro.

I clicked on the ignition, put the car in tractor-mode 1st gear, took the parking brake off, and gently pushed the truck right back onto the clear portion of the road.

For the first time in my life, I just drove a truck from the trailer.

Back on the main roads, traction was fine and it was an uneventful 50 minute drive into the city.

Finally at Tom's, I unhitch the Metro and drive it right up into his garage, just behind Rich's Citicar. My car LOVES Tom's heated floor. The Metro immediately displays her love by dripping dirty snow and slush everywhere...

The electric car meeting is lots of fun, and we all meet new and interesting people. Ecomodder Doax is at the event.

Afterwards, I need to move the Metro, so Rich can get his Citicar out. I invite Doax to go for a brief ride (Tim, GET IN!) with me while the Citicar is relocated.

I impress him with the car's smooth acceleration and power as we prowl the 25 mph snow-covered city streets.

Amid the wrong turns, lack of the usual electric radiator heat, and DOUBLE the human beings fogging up the windshield, we manage to return safely to Tom's garage.

Tim now agrees that the car does indeed have a "Futuristic Cougar Sound©".
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Old 01-17-2009, 05:50 PM   #910 (permalink)
Losing the MISinformation
 
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Southern Missouri
Posts: 393

Quad Cam - '00 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX
Last 3: 25.94 mpg (US)
Thanks: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bennelson View Post
I clicked on the ignition, put the car in tractor-mode 1st gear, took the parking brake off, and gently pushed the truck right back onto the clear portion of the road.

For the first time in my life, I just drove a truck from the trailer.
LOL! There's not too many times that ANYTHING has been driven from the trailer!

Get some spare batteries, to put in the back of the S-10, that you can use to "dump charge" the Metro. THEN you'll be able to get some traction...

Quote:
Originally Posted by bennelson View Post
Tim now agrees that the car does indeed have a "Futuristic Cougar Sound©".
Oooh! Copyrighted! Is that going to be the name of the upcoming Movie???

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