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1983 Porsche 911 SC Targa

Monday, July 15, 2013

EV Celebration Day, part 2

Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

We filled Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square with electric cars – both commercial vehicles and electric conversions. A large crowd turned out and the weather was perfect. Overall it was a really good event. I was impressed that the general public’s awareness of electric vehicles has gone up over the last 10 years. 
From left to right - Toyota Corolla, Porsche 911, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, truck conversion.  Photograph by Bill Bates.

Pride in ownership.
There was a steady stream of visitors all day long.  Photograph by Bill Bates.

I spent the entire day answering questions about my car, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Discussing the finer points of AC vs DC motors, and the price of lithium.
One of the highlights for me was chatting with a member of the Oregon State University solar racing team, fresh off their first place finish at the 2013 Formula Sun Grand Prix.
Oregon State University solar race car. 




John Wayland, electric drag racing pioneer and owner of the fastest street legal electric drag car in the world, introduced himself and shared some wild adventures of when he owned a Porsche 911 SC. He says that the Zombie’s times are going to drop into the 9 second range for the ¼ mile.
White Zombie is a 1972 Datsun that has been modified to go fast.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

Twin 9 inch motors and low mass are part of the White Zombie go fast equation.  
Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

This electric VW bus conversion is beautiful.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org
I love that the motor mount and motor face are exposed.  Truly a work of art.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org
Electric bug and electric bicycle.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

Everyone loves the Tesla Model S.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

Some electric vehicles with only two wheels.  Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

The TH!NK city (red and black) are cute cars.  Too bad they are not currently in production.
Photograph by Patrick Connor @ oeva.org

8 comments:

  1. Hi Joey,

    nice pictures, and your golden Porsche Targa looks very cool; Will you shoot more on board videos for your fans ? please ? :-)

    Christophe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Yes, I will work on getting another video up soon.

      Delete
  2. Hey Joey,

    Good for you! That's sure a nice place to show off the 911, in the company of White Zombie, no less. Very fitting...

    Must have been a very rewarding day for you, getting to show off the [almost] finished project. I'm glad to hear that everyone was very positive and asked lots of questions about the build, etc.

    BTW: That green micro-bus reminded me of Jehu Garcia's project:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FG_J1yu2qs

    And yes, I vote for more video, if you have the time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen the Zombie run down the drag strip in person, and it is a special sight to behold. The launch off the line is incredible.

      The show was a blast. I have another show lined up this Saturday. Getting covers over the cells has moved to the top of the list. I don't want anyone getting a jolt, touching something they shouldn't.

      I promise a video, I just don't know how quickly I can get it out.

      Delete
  3. Hi Joey

    I have read your blog, and must say that you've really done a nice job on the 911.

    Converting a car myself would be really exciting, but unfortunately the rules in Denmark re. EV conversions are very strict. For instance the EMC tests necessary for a conversion will cost 10-15.000$ alone. So for now it's just a thought, and I concentrate on restoring an already registered 3-wheeled EV.

    The diagrams in your 'Technical Documentation' section look good. What program/tool did you use to create them?

    Best regards, Peter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter, Thanks for your comments. It is a shame that laws can be so strict that they inhibit the individual. I understand having the rules for commercial products. Too bad there isn't an exemption for the individual. Do you have any info online about your 3-wheeled EV?

      I used Microsoft Visio to make the circuit drawings. There is free software on http://www.expresspcb.com/ that you could use also. That reminds me, I haven't updated the technical section in quite some time. A lot of it is probably out of date.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Joey

      I already use Visio for work, though not for electrics. I will dig into this and also try out ExpressSCH. I know myself good enough to know that any doocumentation must be made beforehand, or it will never be done... :-)

      The mini-el is a danish one-person battery vehicle from the eighties. It had really awful electronics, a weak motor driven through a variable resistor and other quirks. I like it for the historics in it, and have a garage project going with my kids to rebuild one. We are completely replacing the electronics with an Arduino and replacing the motor with a proper one and with a Sevcon controller. Also - if economy permits - I'd like to get to know the LiFePo cells a little better to prepare for a proper ICE conversion.

      I haven't got any info of my own (documentation again...), but http://www.ellert.info/index.htm is the 'official' user's website. It's in danish, but you'll probably manage. ;-)

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  4. Really great post. I always enjoy seeing the creativity that other converters are bringing to the game. So much fun.

    ReplyDelete