I need to spend a little time getting it ready for the daily use, but WOO HOO!  Less gas to buy for me and slighly less urgency to replace my gasser.

Dear President Weakling Bush,

Here is what a strong leader would do.  Thank the Saudis for giving us the incentive to wean down our dependence on resources from sponsors of terrorists.  Tell Big Oil that they have a choice: dump their record profits into funding efficient and alternative energy or have the government direct the research by taxing all of it.  Provide significant incentives for energy efficiency.  For example 10% of price tax credits for >40MPG, 20% for >50, etc up to 60 MPG.  Fund this with tax penalties for gas guzzlers (10% < 30 MPG, etc).  We have the technology, we can make it better.

America is a strong country with amazing capital, business, and intellectual resources.  Give us a mandate to become energy independent and we’ll restore our leadership.  Personally, I’m tired of watching you be a Saudi lap dog.

As yourself, what would Steve Austin do?

According the the NPR story: Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn says. “The number of people buying cars around the world is increasing, while the need to reduce emissions is becoming more urgent. There is a perceived conflict between the demand for more cars and the demand for a cleaner planet — 10, 20 or 30 percent lower emissions cannot be the only answer. The goal should be 100 percent lower emissions.”

This supports one of my favorite themes: while the US lives high on the hog and is looking for incremental efficiency, the real markets for products is the developing world. Competition for energy will be ferocious in those markets while in the US we can “create” energy by just conserving what we waste (see MIT article on our enormous carbon footprint).

As part of my thinking about EVs, I’d considered starting a company around this idea. It turns out that putting useful computers into people’s cars is both painful and expensive. You’d have to save a lot of gas to make this work. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on it though…

So on Cinco de Mayo I was talking to an environmentally minded friend over lunch at Maudi’s and chewing on weighty problems.  He suggested that the Free Rider Problem from Game Theory may be part of the struggle for conservation movements to get rolling.  The FRP states that when a populate is large enough members can easily opt out of paying their share.  By assuming that the majority will contribute they get a free ride.  If enough people do this then the market collapses or fails to advance.

I look at all these Hummer drivers and can’t help but think that they are using up MY SHARE OF THE GAS!  It seems like we have plenty, but it’s going to run out.  Well first it will get really really expensive and then it will run out.  These drivers are Free Riders!  They are not playing along with people who conserve because the population is large enough that they can opt out without people noticing.

And on nearly completely unrelated rant.  My friend also was talking about WWII.  He said that Nazis preemptively invaded Russia to ensure their supply of fuel and the Japanese preemptively attacked US because we threatened their supply of fuel.  It seems like world war and controlling the supply of oil may be preceded by a preemptive attack.  Good thing there have not been any preemptive military actions lately (excluding our invasion of Iraq, of course).

I hope that they can avoid Tesla painfully slow road to production and get the the first ones on the road quickly.

I’ve known that I damaged the batteries when I abused them back in November.  It’s a shame to see just how much it cost me in range.  I’ve got some ideas about reconditioning, but it really hurts to lose the range.

I’m neutral on this issue: it think is a shame to create noise pollution, but agree that there is a real safety issue to be addressed. By design, my Curtis controller already makes that whine at low throttle, so don’t expect to hear anything more from the RAVolt.

I’m not sure why the hearing EVs poster choose to show off the cool Subaru R1e, but I’m including it too.

Update 4/14: Upon reflection, I question the accuracy of the video showing blind people tripping over a Prius after walking past an SUV.   The issue is not the Prius’ lack of sound, but the immense amount of distracting noise created by the ICE in the other car.  I’m frequently amazed at other cars’ sonic volume when I’m driving the RAVolt.  <dream>In an all EV city t the noise level be at safe levels and the roar of ICEs would not drown out all other sound.</dream>

Here are the questions:

I am looking at the possibility of having a Toyota RAV4 professionally converted from petrol to electric and have spent some time searching the forums for information. I have a couple of questions you might be able to help me with:

1. In New Zealand most RAV4 petrol versions are automatic not manual. Is there any disadvantage if I used an automatic as a donor vehicle? Are all the manual or auto “bits” removed, or was the manual an essential part of the conversion?

Answer: Generally, EV conversions avoid automatic transmissions because they are tuned to shift at the wrong RPMs. Electric motors have a very different torque curve than an ICE. I’ve heard that you CAN convert an automatic, but it’s not that common. They are also heavier and less efficient.

However, if you are interested in an AC system ($$$) then you may be able to use a direct drive and eliminate the transmission. This is fairly common on rear wheel drive conversions (unfortunately, a RAV4 does not qualify as RWD). AC motors can support a wider RPM range and also support reverse. That makes it possible to omit a transmission. Unfortunately, AC systems are more expensive.

2. The same applies with 2WD and 4WD. Very few 2 wheel drives in NZ. Can an experienced mechanic remove the additional 4WD parts without a significant loss in efficiency?

Answer: I have no idea about eliminating the rear drive. I suspect that you could diasble the rear drive, but you’ll need to check with a mechanic. If possible, I’d avoid 4WD because of the extra mechanical load from the gearing.

Thank you for your help. It is a big step to take in New Zealand, as we are a long way from any RAV4-EV owners!

Regards

Mike R