October 24, 2007 by Rob.

The buzz surrounding Tesla Motors (to which I have/am contributing) is reaching an astonishing pitch.  This morning I read a major Newsweek spread about them and then my previous boss brought them up over breakfast.   That was fine until they’ve being covered by KnowledgeNews.  3 times in 6 hours!  It almost feels like some sort of EV tipping point.  Nah, maybe it’s just echoes from Al Gore’s Nobel.  Thoughts anyone?

Note: KnowledgeNews is a daily email subscription that assuages to my inner current events geek.  They provide short but through coverage of topics that are relevant to daily news.  Topics range from ancient history to hot iGadgets.  They are funny, smart, and relevant.

Posted in EV News | 1 Comment »

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 »