Can I use a GENERATOR to power an Electric car directly?

[Frank Lee]

Maybe your best bet is to put the minivan driver's seat into the Metro thus providing the comfort you desire at a low, low price.

[Nerys]

actually I had thought along those lines frank. ie put some nice captains chairs in the metro but it would require raising the roof 6 inches. while this in itself would not be all that difficult the core problem is now my HEAD would be in this raised section and no longer have line of sight out the windshield. this would mean I would also have to raise the WINDSHIELD up 6 inches. that there is well beyond both my financial and fabricating skills.

I was hoping if this cheap hybrid got 70+ mpg in a little car maybe it would get me my 40-45 in a larger car.

alas dcb I don't DO city driving. I do something in-between ie highway as far as stops but inbetween as far as speed.

I only have 7 stops on my 54 mile commute (more than 7 actually but I average getting stopped at 7 of them) with a max speed of 50mph (the speed limit) on all roads except a 4.5 mile stretch at the end that is 55mph for some strange reason (hey NJ is strange)

I also don't have a caravan I have a voyager (modern caravan ie not a k car anymore IIRC) not sure if that makes any difference. its not the old boxy caravans.

I don't expect everyone to do the work for me. I expect to WAIT till someone needs to do close enough work for themselves to give me a solid direction to go in.

I don't have a choice financially. if I had $4-5k to spend I would have a 50mpg voyager inside a month. Just buy a VW TDI and doa transplant. instant (figure of speech) 50mpg minivan. proven already done already (others) alas I don't have $4-5k lying around :-) I don't even have a grand lying around (though I could save up on a solid lead)

I don't expect it to compete with my Geo (that would require a 40mpg boost) but I would be willing to suck up the higher gas cost of 40-45mpg if it meant more comfort and utility (though I get an awful lot of utility out of my geo trailer and all :-)

[Frank Lee]

I'm sure it would be easier to lower/mod the base of a capt seat than it would be to raise a roof.

[Nerys]

well two problems with that frank. I am a tall critter. 6'4"

my head is already TOUCHING the metro roof (I have permanently "molded" the vinyl headliner into a bowl shape the size of my head roughly :-) ie my head pushed up ito the headliner. I have to be careful not to put my seat back too far because on a bump my head would hit the cross beam in the roof if my seat is back too far.

fully half the comfort of a captains chair style seat is the HEIGHT of the seat off the car floor.

if I remove that height I eliminate half the seats comfort (actually mroe like 80% of the comfort for me)

my primary complaints about the metro are 20% back support (it sucks) and 80% leg ergonomics. IE I am too FLAT sitting in the metro. VERY VERY uncomfortable for long drives and I am going to discover just how uncomfortable as I have an 11 hour drive at the end of this week :-(

its why I love my 92 Clubwagon so much. I get to sit 90/90. ie like sitting at a chair at your kitchen table. your knees are at 90' bend and your back is at 90' bend which is the most comfortable position for me.

as I flatten out my legs in a lower car my legs start to turn "sideways" to accommodate the new position since I have to slide back to keep my knees out of the dash. gravity and mass make a mess of my knees comfort wise.

the minivan is not quite that comfortable but its "close" :-)

one of the single most uncomfortable cars I have ever driven in is my pops Lincoln town car. you might think but its a huge car? yes it is but the seats are VERY LOW so by the time I get where I am going my knee's are KILLING me.

The metro oddly enough is not so bad on my knees since I can wrest my knees on the door and the center console and they are flat so they don't "dig" into my skin. (I am actually warping my center dash section from this but thats ok :-)

I was actually thinking about banging out my roof to "dome" it just a bit so my head does not have to touch the ceiling. even half an inch of space would make things more comfy.

Someone at GMF posted that Suzuki Esteem seats are almost a direct fit !! so I am on the prowl for a set of those. WAY more comfortable looking than mine. and hopefully stronger as my fat as is BENDING the back of my seat little by little (I have two spares on hand just in case I break one :-) hehe

a slightly taller roof should also let me "sit up" straighter which would go a long way comfort wise.

[Frank Lee]

I'm the same height. Odd that I find Metros comfortable.

[Nerys]

you 400 pounds? :-)

the metro is the most uncomfortable car I have ever driven. but I am ADDICTED to 50-60mpg results :-) (and its all I can afford anyway)

if just a few things were changed it really would not be bad. for example I have PLENTY of side to side and front to front room in the car. its roomier than my cherokee.

what gets me is the utterly trash seats and the lack of headroom and inability to sit straight up. (sitting at ANY reclined angle is extremely uncomfortable for me)

now for the 90 minute jaunt to work? no big deal. anything longer start to bring on the pain :-)

[Frank Lee]

400? Nope. Perhaps you should BICYCLE more! Hey, I can talk. I think I have 20-40 lbs that could go away.

[Nerys]

if I could figure out how to cover 54 miles on a bike inside of 2 hours (30 minutes longer than by car) I would do so in a heartbeat JUST for the gas savings.

I came up with an electric assist to let me do 45mph on the bike but i have since found out its illegal so that project is scrapped too.

I am working on it. its VERY VERY hard. when you work 10+ hour shifts and add in 3 hours of driving daily 5-6 days a week there is just not much time for exercise. at least not the extreme kind I NEED.

[Frank Lee]

It's commonly said that the cops aren't all that concerned about mopeds and such exceeding the moped speed limit- just don't speed and don't go on roads you don't belong and you should be fine. (Don't send me any tickets though!)

[Nerys]

yeah well this is NJ not some sane portion of the country. if a NJ cop see's me going buy on an electric hybrid bike doing 45-50mph with an aeroshell he is going to pull me over and the ticket/fight is harsh in NJ.