EVcast #114: One Word: BamGoo!

Do the BamGoo seats pinch your A$$ as they age and split?  Does it come in mahogany?  Do they have a 'woody' version with side panels?  Do you take it to a cabinet shop if you are in a little fender bender?  Does it give the showroom models splinters when they are draped all over it?  These are all serious concerns.

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First concerning pronounciation, I assume bamboo and bamgoo are made to be rhyming words.

Second, A123 Systems is in Watertown not Waltham.  Not that anyone cares, particularly Gav who doesn't know what NH is.

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A look at the BYD's F3DM can be seen at:  http://www.mygreencar.eu/2008/10/15/byd-hybrids-on-sale-earlier-than-expected.html
Let's hope an early release scares the bejumas out of the Big 3 to get cracking!

However, I do not think the Bamgoo is worrying Detroit;-)  http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=7038

Perhaps more interesting was a link by a commenter to a California guy who GROWS bike frames out of bamboo, bonsai style:  http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/growing-bamboo.html

And don't forget to bid on the Plug-in Prius to get Kim off the hook- her last bid is still the highest:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyota-Prius-Plugin-Prius-Plug-In-Electric-Hybrid-over-100-mpg_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ39Q3a1Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem140278839843QQitemZ140278839843
And remember- the winning bid does not include shipping;-)

Okay- I am starting to feel like the EESTOR defender now- Bo, you said you cannot compare EESTOR to Thomas Edison and his pursuit of the nickel-iron battery- well, you're just wrong!  (Hopefully this part came across as humorous- at least, it did with the voices in my head saying it...).  First of all, EESTOR has hardly put out any press, large claims or otherwise.  And they are not actively seeking a lot of investors- in fact, quite the opposite.  And look at the similarities to Edison- Edison got the Ford Motor Company to partner with him (Henry is still waiting for his nickel-iron battery prototype), while EESTOR has partnered with ZENN. Eerie similarities!  I expect a fire any day now up in Cedar Park!

But more seriously- and I know I will get flamed for this- I really think EESTOR is onto something, and will, eventually, do as they claim- call it a gut feeling;-)

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Bo,

Even though I think Hymotion/A123 Prius conversion is a great engineering achievement given the constraints, based on listening to all of the EVcasts I don't think you would be happy with the plugin Prius being auctioned on Ebay. In particular, I know that you would want to stay in "pure EV mode" and not use any gasoline. As I understand it, the requirements to stay in pure EV mode with this conversion are:

1. You must accelerate VERY gently
2. You must not exceed 35 MPH
3. You must not use the heater (climate control when cold)

Under the above conditions, people with this conversion are getting about 20 to 25 miles of pure EV operation per charge. When running in non-EV mode (i.e. normal hybrid mode), people seem to be seeing about 40 miles of "assist" from the A123 battery per charge. This does greatly improve the MPG of the car of course.

Steve

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Thanks Steve for reminding me of this.  I made the mistake of listening to one installer who assured "40 miles pure ev".  After a few calls with A123 and Hymotion, it was confirmed that their system basically makes it just "better gas milage", but the gas engine is still a major part of the car's operation as you suggest.  In my opinion, as a potential consumer, with gas at about $2.39 per gallon, it just does not any economic sense to spend $10,995 on the system.  I guess I will get a warm jacket, some gloves, and a face mask, and drive my Vectrix for as long as I can.

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