June 4, 2009 by Rob.

Yes, the RAVolt is still going strong.  Sorry about the lack of updates.  I’ll explain all soon.I’ve been commuting 40 miles/day and the RAVolt is just not up for that.  The Fit is awesome (38+ MPG).I lost my auxiliary battery charger recently and ran down my “starter” battery.  After buying a new charger, the battery is slowly getting back to speed.  I know that there are some traction pack chargers & DC-DC supplies that also trickle charge the aux battery.   I would recommend this approach for EV conversions!

Posted in Daily Use, Improvements, Storyline | No Comments »

January 3, 2009 by Rob.

My last two EV outings (16 miles & 12 miles) have been marked by atypical voltage sag.  It seems like the 18 month old batteries are not holding as much charge as they used to or the “cold” could be impacting them more than I expect.  Unfortunately, the I think the lack of daily commute based deep charge/discharge is limiting their recovery.

On a related note: having a high MPG car makes me less likely to drive the EV on longer trips.  Hmmm.

Posted in Honda Fit, Batteries, Daily Use, Storyline | 1 Comment »

November 26, 2008 by Rob.

The RAVolt was causing slow traffic conditions in West Lake as the RAVolt reminded me that flooded Pb batteries do not like to charge in the cold.  I’m better at nursing the batteries, but those are some very long hills to climb.  It was quite an adventure.

My slow boat ride was also observed - Laura and I were out gorging that night at Sullivan’s Steak House (yes, I do eat red meat) and a friend sauntered up to our table to tease me about my “speeding problem.”  At least Alex was not out pushing!

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November 6, 2008 by Rob.

And my son turns 11.   Coincidence?  Yep.

Posted in Daily Use | 1 Comment »

October 19, 2008 by Rob.

I forgot to note that the RAVolt has now logged over 4,000 electric miles or 160 gallons of gas.

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September 25, 2008 by Rob.

With the nice weather, I’ve been driving electric nearly everyday and racking up the miles.  Today the RAVolt’s Odo spun to 150500.  The amount of gas I have not bought is adding up - hahahaha!

Even with the stock market meltdown, Laura’s impatient to get our Honda Fit….tick, tick, tick.

BTW: We’re planning to be at the 2008 Austin Maker Faire October 18-19.  The RAVolt will be in the AustinEV area while my boys have a table hacking Wii Motes - bring your mote and they’ll make the “A” button glow.  Alex is buying all the supplies out of his own $$$ with the dream of making a profit at the Faire (DIY kits for @ $10-12).  Can’t argue with that!

Posted in Daily Use, AustinEV | 2 Comments »

September 11, 2008 by Rob.

I put myself into a stressful situation yesterday.   I promised to pick up my daugter from a birthday party near the Trail of the Madrones deep in the heart of Westlake (clap clap).  If you are not fortunately enough to drive in Michael Dell’s back yard, you may not realize that Westlake is 1) hilly, 2) confusing, 3) not accurately Google mapped.  In an ICE car that’s no big deal, but an EV is very stressful when you’re lost, past bingo (1/2 fuel), late, and swelting without A/C.I ultimately found the party (10.5 miles into my 20 mile range) and drove conservatively (belated appologies to south bound 360 traffic) to my daughter’s soccer game.  It’s important to note that 20 miles is my safe range and it’s possible to nurse more miles out the batteries.  Yesterday I got 22 miles and could have gone longer.  Yeah!I drove 30 miles today.Yes, 30.  The batteries got a long drink after the deep discharge yesterday then I took a 6 mile trip with recharge bounce at home.  The result was extra long range!  Even after 30 miles (ok, 24) the batteries had relatively little sag.  I probably could have gone another 5 miles!Hopefully this means that nursing my batteries has been paying off and they are recovering some of their lost zest. 

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August 31, 2008 by Rob.

Alex and I watered the RAVolt’s batteries yesterday.  I’m right on schedule, but the cells were very dry (4+ oz instead of 3) due to Austin’s relentless heat.

I can tell when the cells are getting dessicated because it cuts down my range (to about 18 miles).  That leads to sphincter tightening when my batteries start to sag uncomfortably and I’m a few miles from home.

Post-watering, I did a 20 mile ride and the batteries were still nice and bouncy.

image source

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August 20, 2008 by Rob.

Sure it’s hot - that’s what fans are for.

Posted in Daily Use, Pictures, Storyline | 1 Comment »

August 14, 2008 by Rob.

Today I got to watch (and photograph - belated sorry to other drivers on Bee Caves) the RAVolt turning over four zeros!  That’s a huge milestone for the glider and over 3,400 electric miles.

An, yes, the old gas gauge is covered with a sticker that says “Outta Gas! Running on E-”  I simply can’t resist EV geek jokes (non-geek translation E- = electrons).

Almost…   Spinning…

There it is!

Posted in Daily Use, Pictures, Storyline | 1 Comment »