MREA - June17, 18, 19, 2011 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

bennelson · 06-15-2011, 02:58 PM

The big (well, BIGGEST in the country, actually...) energy fair is THIS WEEKEND!

Besides a zillion vendors of renewable energy and sustainable living, there are fantastic presentations on many subjects, including clean transportation (I'll be giving a few of those...) and the CLEAN CAR SHOW!

Be there or be square!!!!!

Details at the event web page - MREA FAIR LINK

Don't miss the local beer and bicycle-powered garbage trucks!

bennelson · 06-15-2011, 02:59 PM

It's in Wisconsin, in case you didn't know. About the middle of the state - driving distance for folks in both Chicago and the Twin Cities.

Daox · 06-15-2011, 05:15 PM

I'll be up there Saturday.

bennelson · 06-15-2011, 08:01 PM

Ryland · 06-15-2011, 11:49 PM

It will be my 20th year and I always learn something new!
I've been helping set up for the last few days and it's a great way to meet interesting people as well.
The new electric car solar charging station is set up and ready to be used, the MREA's Prius has a plug in conversion that will be charged off that charging station using a 110v plug but there is also a new modern charging plug there with the new modern J1772 plug that you can lick without getting a shock, I licked it yesterday and felt nothing other then the contacts on my tongue.

rmay635703 · 06-18-2011, 09:51 AM

Do they have a Leaf and Volt there? I wouldn't mind seeing one in person and I would like to spec out a wheego since one is available nearish me.

bennelson · 06-19-2011, 11:35 PM

There was a Volt there. No Leaf. Those are still pretty hard to find in the Midwest. (I haven't seen any here yet....)

I did test drive a Wheego last year at the MREA. It was a fun little car!

bennelson · 06-20-2011, 01:48 PM

There were several Electric Geo Metros there! Mine, a Solectria, and one converted to electric by a High School class!

My favorite electric car there was one from the 1960's, built by a Dutch company called Daf. Apparently, there's only something like 8 of these left on the planet.

Here's a little video of my friend Ryland taking it out for a spin. (I didn't shoot this video, somebody else did, it's just sort of cell-phone quality video....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqaGvlFoGq4

blownb310 · 06-20-2011, 01:57 PM

Thanks for posting the video of the Daf. I love that car.

It sounds like it was a terrific event!

Mike

Ryland · 06-20-2011, 03:45 PM

I wish I would have gotten a video of Ben driving it, it was alot of fun! and is another electric car checked off my list of electric cars I've driven.
I also got to meet Chris Paine (Who Killed The Electric Car and Revenge Of The Electric Car) thanks to Ben, then an hour or so latter someone else brought him up to me and introduced me to him as well! talked to him for a few minutes, bought him a beer too.
Earlier in the week I met the fellows from Other Power Welcome to OTHERPOWER.COM hung out with them a bit talking about wind turbines and old Volvo's as they drove their 1966 Volvo wagon to Wisconsin from Colorado and have done so a number of times now.
Ben and I, along with my friend Bob and the owner of the DAF gave a presentation on Living With Electric Vehicles, it seemed to go over really well.
There were also two retro fitted plug in Prius's, a 2012 preproduction plug in Prius, a grid tie solar carport with EV charging and of course the Chevy volt was neat to see.