January 5, 2008 by Rob.

I found the keys to the RAVolt’s roof rack during house cleaning over the holiday and was able to give the RAVolt top trim.  Hopefully, that will reduce my drag and improve my range.

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November 29, 2007 by Rob.

The RAVolt appeared sufficiently repentant to take a short drive so I played electric bus today by driving our middle school carpool. Considering the fragile cargo, I thoughtfully preheated the car. This handy box heater with thermostat was just what the electrician ordered! It’s amazing how warm the car stays if it’s been preheated and equally amazing how fast it cools off when the kids are unloading with the doors open.

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

November 29, 2007 by Rob.

RAVolt and sister EVs of the AustinEV group will be out in force at Saturday’s 12/1 Sustainable Shoppers’ Ball.  The ball held in conjunction with the weekly Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market at the Tony Berger Center (near 360/290 and Brodie Lane).

I know you want to come just to see me, but there is other Eco-friendly green feel-the-environment-love stuff there too.  We went (sans EV) last year and had a good time.

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November 29, 2007 by Rob.

I thought that the group would like to know that I’ve been issued the first Austin Energy Electric Vehicles Rebate Program check for an EV conversion: File # EC0001 for $250.  This is proof positive of their deep conviction in supporting grid vehicles and alternative energy.   The money is great, but the sentiment is even better!  I love Austin!

I’ve scanned the letter and check for you ogle.  Many thanks to the AustinEV group for helping make this available to conversions!

Posted in Pictures, AustinEV, Legal | 3 Comments »

November 28, 2007 by Rob.

Today was a very sad first for the RAVolt and I: my batteries died on my way home and I had to call Laura for a ride. I had a feeling when I left that I did not have a full charge, but pushed ahead anyway. I suspected that the batteries where not as strong on cold days (today was 40s)  and I ignored the warning signs.

An important note is that my homebound commute has a long stretch of up-up-and-more-up hill. By the time I hit the long hill, my batteries were already sagging hard. I ultimately had to pull over to the shoulder and crawl up the entire hill (from 360 Bridge up to Wild Basin). That was a long dark and slow trek with traffic whizzing by while the RAVolt was humming “I think I can, I think I can, Iiiiii thiiiiinnnnk Iiiii caaaaaaaaannnnnn.”

I’m hoping that the batteries are recovered enough that I can make it up the last hill and then coast home tomorrow. I’m going to grab a buddy at work and (if needed) use my gasser to give me a push. I’d though about towing the RAVolt, but I feel like I’m so close that a little patience and pushing will let me go the distance, since I’m not going for speed. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be a piece of Cake (listen to reference).

  A dark and lonely RAVolt waiting for daylight.

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November 26, 2007 by Rob.

I bought myself a little heater / defroster from Fry’s last week. It was just $10 and has already proven to be valuable. It’s not very powerful, but it does the trick to defrost the windshield or warm up my hands.

I especially liked that Fry’s sticker described the heater as “for heat w/o engine.” I’m certain that they did not mean it was a heater for cars without engines, but it describes my application perfectly! Fry’s can caulk up one sale due to poor English.

Note: That little heater is pretty minor so I’m considering putting an AC box heater in the car to warm it up on cold mornings. That would make it nice and toasty!

Posted in Daily Use, Parts, Improvements, Pictures | 1 Comment »

November 15, 2007 by Rob.

I took the RAVolt for it’s annual physical this morning at the Rollingwood Chevron. After a brief, “how do I drive this thing” phone call, the inspectors were able to complete the safety inspection. They called DPS to get the codes to bypass the emissions & gas cap requirements.

I know the RAVolt was glad to skip “the turn your head and cough” part of the exam which must be very embarrassing for cars (especially those wannabe macho Hummers).  The inspector said that it was the first EV they’d ever tested and they’d assumed that it was some science project for UT.

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November 8, 2007 by Rob.

My super deluxe battery caps came last week.  Kate snapped pictures (and forced me to make hand gestures) while I installed the caps and watered the batteries.  I hope they reduce my water loss because I’m adding a lot more water than I expected.

Leaky, dangerous before and dry, clean after:

Note: the before picture clearly shows leaking from the old caps.

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October 24, 2007 by Rob.

It’s no surprise that sulfuric acid is nasty, corrosive stuff; however, it’s disappointing that so much of it is spraying out of my batteries and onto the RAVolt’s sensitive skin.  I was not expecting to see this for a while, but I’d rather see it so I can fix it. Visible corrosion on a replaceable non-structural component is about as good as bad news can get.

The solution is to replace the el cheapo (that’s Latin for inexpensive) caps that come with the Trojans with some high grade Water Miser battery caps. These caps have premium organic lotus-scented bath beads that trap the escaping battery acid in a luxurious spa experience convincing them to remain within the confines of their downtown mixed-use condo. That reduces both my watering frequency and the RAVolt’s corrosion risk.

How much to treat my batteries to this lavishness? Just $22.50 per battery or $260 for the whole pack. But who can really put a price on inner peace?

Note: Special thanks to Erik w/ AustinEV for the tip. He’s using these caps and highly recommends them.

Posted in Safety, Daily Use, Improvements, Pictures, AustinEV | No Comments »

October 24, 2007 by Rob.

I had an EV first experience today that was much more empowering and community building that I expected.  Mark was demonstrating his MR2 (including burn outs) at a school down south and needed a stop over charge to make it home.  I was more than happy to supply the e juice, but was surprised at how much commitment he was putting into making this happen.  In order to get to the school by 8, he had to show up at my house before 7 and then leave the MR2 for an additional charge while he was at lunch.  The total electricity used < $2.

Mark was a perfect guest and I tried to make him welcome (nice chair, WiFi, etc).  We did not spend hours over coffee, in fact, we really did not chat that much because we both had things to do.   I was left feeling good that I’d helped him in a small way when he drove off and even better knowing that I was part of this larger community.

Maybe this is corny, but EVs are not just about an alternative fuel, they are also about community.  In a EV world, you don’t buy fuel from a faceless multi-national corporation, you get it from your friend over coffee.

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