Evcast #307 "Happy New Year, Folks!!!"

Egad!  For a moment, I thought I had accidently stumbled into an episode of The View!!  Just kidding, Nikki, Sherry and Chelsea- I enjoy your show much more!

Sadly, many companies, under the guise of being a 'global company' do not have much loyalty to their locales, employees or even their country anymore- they move to maximize their share price:-(

Perhaps this is a good season to be reminded that not all companies do business this way- you might find the two stories below heartening:

http://www.torah.org/features/firstperson/ceo.html#

http://www.vosizneias.com/27448/2009/02/16/miami-fl-jewish-philanthropist-shares-his-wealth-of-60-million-with-all-of-his-employess/

From Sherry- global warming may cause rapid climate change- sooo, does this mean the Earth is Bi-Polar?

Jay Leno's site now has several videos of EV test drives- they are enjoyable to watch.  Here is the link for the recent Volt test drive:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/clips/green-garage-2011-chevy-volt/1188266/

And just for you ladies, here is one of his ealier videos of his 'Ladies' 1909 Baker Electric:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/clips/1909-baker-electric/187711/

Actually, it might be easier to give the link that shows all 9 of his Electric Vehicle videos, which include the Mini-e and the Aptera:  http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/categories/electric/30506/

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I really enjoyed the show. Nikki, you did a great job combating all the failling technology, attempting to keep the three of you online. Some very interesting topics. Thank you.

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Have learned quite a bit, listening to EVcasts...Personally was early in the queue for an Aptera, but recent developments made it look likely that that car will have a tough time getting to market in 2010. I wanted an EV now...so:

I know that there are some on this site considering the Plug-in Prius option, and there are many ways to do it. I have tried to maximize both the creature comforts and the EV range in my approach.

Base Car

2009 Toyota Prius (package 6), 6800mi: Price before tax/reg - $23488.

Leather seats, Navigation System, 6 disk changer, JBL Premium audio (9 speakers), integrated bluetooth phone, HID headlights...on and on. The car has a very tech feel to it.

The people at www.3prongpower.com will be doing an install of a 10KWh LiPO4 battery pack (40AH Thundersky) that will be installed under the back cargo floor. Battery management by this outfit: http://liionbms.com/php/index.php Price of the installed 10KHh system, including suspension upgrade, bumper plug is $11500, afer taxes it came to around $12475.

In terms of performance I can expect 40 miles of all electric EV range for city driving (that would be at a max speed of 52mph) and around 75mpg fuel economy on the highway, in mixed mode, 100+ mile range.

Driving the car home from the dealer on the highway (prob about 72mph ave), the performance screen was showing an average of about 55mpg, and that is stock, without the battery pack. I do believe it has regenerative braking.

For me, this will work for now, and allow several years for a more optimized EV to find its way to market. The install does not void the Toyota warranty in any way. In fact I purchased an additional 4 years of factory warranty for $1000. For a bit under 40K after all is done, I wind up with a plug-in solution.

Some sources of concern might be, no rebate, temperature stability of the pack unknown, current lack of a fast charger. Install scheduled in a few weeks, pics/review to follow.
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If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room...


Scott

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Very interesting to hear about the temperature affecting the Mini-Es. Do Tesla have similar problems? Surely this is a fundamental thing to sort out before issuing the cars to the public. I'm not convinced BMW's heart is in it.

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