SEVA EVUpdate Newsletter April 1996

SEVA EVUpdate Newsletter

April 1996

Presidents Message by Mark Bahlke

The million number; part three

Well, hello everyone. Tony's back from Phoenix, as are the rest of the gang who went, so we can do a newsletter again. I have been really busy myself, trying to take care of the things at home which need doing to prepare for a new little one. We are getting close. ETA is April 12, so fortunately it doesn't fall too near a newsletter deadline. :-)

I'm sure there are many good stories from Phoenix, I hope some of them will make it into the newsletter this month, or maybe next. As for me, well I'm still thinking about this million thing. Having just passed a small milestone myself this month (20,000 miles in my ev!), it seems more appropriate than ever. It took me about 2 years worth of driving to do this, not counting the time my car was in the garage being tinkered with.

5 people like me could rack up 100,000 miles in two years no problem. As a matter of fact, I am not the first one in SEVA to hit the 20K mark, George Broad did this last year. So two of us are at that level, and several more are getting very close. So all it takes is 5 really busy people to drive 100,000 miles from this group, and 9 other groups to do the same thing, and we have collected a million miles in 2 years. I've been over this before, I know, but I wanted to review briefly, to remind everyone just how simple this really is.

I feel this is important, because recording this kind of accomplishment gives us PRO-EVers solid ground to stand on, when pointing out how useful and durable EVs really are. It's also important to point this out to the like of CARB, to let them know there is already a need for, and use of infrastructure. I know they are looking more and more like they are caving in, but, hey does that mean that we cave in with them? If the new deal says that they produce EVs a few more years down the road, do you think they will be any more willing to produce them then? We will get another list of excuses in a few years about "well the development of the new EV battery has not yet turned up the miracle we want to be able to produce EVs the public will accept yada yada yada..."

That tune is not going to change. WE must be the change. Making bold, accurate statements about our daily use of EVs is the kind of data that is hard to refute. When the oil companies say "the public doesn't want EVs", we show that in fact the public does want them, and we are that public and we USE EVs. When they say that range is an issue, we can say "A million miles is a lot of range." When they talk about cost, we can point out that the EVs we drive really don't cost millions, or hundreds of thousands, they are relatively inexpensive, and we can even build them ourselves at a very low cost.

If private individuals can do this, it seems that the engineering expertise and might of large automobile manufacturers could do the same, for less money. Unless of course that the advent of the electric vehicle is a signal that the smaller, independent and innovative companies will produce the bulk of the electric vehicles used, as was done at the turn of the century. This could be good news for the little guy.

This will come out of our efforts to use and demonstrate the practical electric vehicle. It has been said that every journey starts with but a single step.

We are now taking those first steps, and beginning down the road to a cleaner simpler future. There are rocks on the road which will trip us up, but as we move along, it becomes easier to say "look how far we've come", than it does to say "look how far we have yet to go."

Until next month then, remember that every mile counts, and brings us closer to an EV future. Thanks for listening. Mark

Monthly Meeting Minutes by Tony Cygan

Due to health problems our speaker for the March meeting was unable to attend, but luckily a few of our members had just returned from the recent Phoenix APS Races and they were willing to put on a slide show and tell some of the stories they had while down there.

The main program was put on by Craig Childers and Arthur Cartwright, both of whom flew down for the races on Saturday and then back to Sacramento on Sunday night. Even though they were only there for the weekend they came to the meeting with a LOT of photo's.

Other club members who spent time in Phoenix helped to fill in the blanks or correct some of the mis-information that was floating around. This mis-information came from the race officials at the track when they put out some wrong information down as 'official' race results.

All of the people who attended the races agreed that it was a great time and are planning on doing it again next year.

Other items conducted during the meeting were introductions by the board members who were present and then by the new people who were in the audience. People were also encouraged to write, call, or attend the CARB meeting on March 28th so that they could voice their concerns about the repeal of the mandate that the board was considering (it was lifted). Lastly people were told about the upcoming Clean Air Commute to Davis in May.

The meeting was adjourned at approx. 12 Noon.

Monthly Board Minutes

NOTICE ! There are no board minutes in this months EVUdate.

The SEVA Board has been unable to meet for for the months of February or March, due to the board members being too busy and unable to coordinate our schedules. Fortunately there have been no urgent items needing our attention.

We hope you understand.

Sincerely, the SEVA Board of Directors

Upcomming Clean Air Commute to Davis

Don't forget that May 11th is our annual 'Clean Air Commute' to the Davis Whole Earth Festival.

If you have an EV we NEED you to participate. Give Tony Barros (916-991-2380) or Arthur Cartwright (916-643-6654) a call and let them know you will be there. We need/want as good a turn out as we had last July at our picnic. If you'll remember we had 14 vehicles show up then.

The basic idea is to meet at either SMUD or the Capital and then drive to Davis, spend 3 to 4 hours talking to people about EVs and SEVA, and then head home.

If you don't have a vehicle and just want to ride in one, come on down to the staging area and ask one of the drivers if you can catch a ride. Just remember that you might have to find your own way back to the Sacramento area.

Watch for the rally information in next months newsletter. We will have a map with times, locations,etc., available, so mark off May 11th on your calendar and do the Clean Air Commute with us.

Davis has alot of things going on that weekend, so bring your family, have a picnic, and enjoy the day.

This EVent is in place of our regular monthly meeting, so I hope you can attend. See you there !

2nd Annual SFBEAR

The Second Annual San Francisco Bay Electric Auto Rally and Clean Air Fair
Where: Crissy Field, San Francisco
When: Saturday, May 4, 1996
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sponsored by the SF-Peninsula Chapter of the Electric Auto Association and the American Lung Association of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.

For the second year the San Francisco Bay Electric Auto Rally (SF BEAR) will continue to publicize electric vehicles and provide a venue for other organizations working to improve air quality and the public health in the SF Bay Area. There will be fair booths for organizations to promote clean air technologies, programs or policies as well as electric vehicle displays and a three bridge, 45 mile electric car rally.

The SF BEAR and Clean Air Fair will be a great opportunity to see electric cars that are in use in the Bay Area today as well as to learn more about what is being done to protect the air you breath.

Information :
To get Clean Air Fair booth information email to Mike Moser at mike@surf.com
To volunteer, send email to Henry Deaton at hdeaton@surf.com

or via regular mail at -
SF BEAR,
SF-Peninsula Chapter of the EAA,
P.O. Box 420712, SF, CA 94142-0712

SFBEAR HomePage is located at - http://www.surf.com/~hdeaton/sfbear/

Electrathons in Mexico - by Steve Van Ronk

Over the past couple of years there has been a lot of talk about EVs activities south of the border. Most certainly there is a vital and growing EV movement in Mexico, but none has had a greater influence than Electrathon competition. This is largely due to the inexpensive and effective use of the light weight competition in teaching EV technology to a poor country and the fun sporting format that appeals to many Mexicans who are a fun loving people by nature.

The "Electrathon Mexico" program started about three years ago with a workshop taught by myself at the invitation of Beatriz Padilla, organizer of the Tonatiuh solar car project. With a group of about 12 students from the university of Mexico, we built the first Electrathon vehicle in a two week workshop to demonstrate the concept. Reception to this project was great, and we immediately scheduled a second workshop within the next month, and a third several months later in the city of Colima. The Colima workshop produced a running vehicle in two weeks and the first race was held between these two about 2 1/2 years ago.

The interest generated by this first race exploded into conferences and dialogues with EV designers and enthusiasts ranging from university and high school students to the Mayor of Mexico City and agents of the Mexican federal government. Electrathon competitions and workshops quickly became one of the focal points for EV speculation. Several more workshops have been held over the past three years, each becoming centers for meetings and discussions about all kinds of EVs ranging from public transit busses and cargo vans to sport racing vehicles and private conversions. During the course of these workshops, several conversions were built and demonstrated to major users of fleet delivery vehicles. Interest has been shown by these companies in the possible purchase of up to several hundred vehicles per year if they can be built with adequate performance and cost. inquiries have been made to many US companies following these discussions as the Mexican companies seek to identify good trading partners and learn from the US experience. So far these leads have not yet matured to production, but advanced prototypes continue to be built.

Meanwhile on the Electrathon circuit, there are not at least 17 universities that have teams and over 150 people have participated in the builders workshops. Races have been held in the downtown "Zocalo", or central square of Mexico City, several universities in the city, Colima, and Cuernavaca, and even an all expense paid invitation to race in Acapulco. The Acapulco race takes the undisputed first prize for fringe benefits! Electrathon has been broadcast on television throughout all of Mexico, Central America, and half of South America. For most of these viewers it has been the first exposure to EVs.

Mexico uses F/Ex rules adopted from the 1992 Clean Air Revival Motorsports Guide and modified to meet their conditions. The vehicles are heavier and built like little sand rails. With almost 80 pounds of battery, few vehicles run out of power before the hour is up and wheel to wheel action can be intense. Best of all is the camaraderie, humor, and playfulness that provides a rich introduction to non-tourist Mexican culture.

For more information contact:
Steve Van Ronk
Global Light and Power
520 Pine St.,
Sandpoint, ID 83864 or
email: GlbLitnPwr@aol.com
Telephone: (208) 263-5027

Editor: If any of you are interested in building & racing Electrathons here in Sacramento, let me know !

Editors Corner by Tony Cygan

Can you say fiasco ? That's what last month was with our newsletter. I had sent off a notice to a couple of members to have them take over the newsletter while I was out of town at the Phoenix races. But our wires got crossed, email got missed, and in the end the newsletter did not go out...But you already know that.

Anyway I hope you all understand that we are volunteers at this club and sometimes things will not get done, even with the best of intentions.

I have tried to make up for last month by expanding this months newsletter by a few pages and am including any articles that were submitted to me for the March issue, so while the newsletter didn't go out, you won't have missed anything.

On to other things...

On March 28th CARB followed their staff's recommendations and modified the ZEV Mandate and do away with the 2% requirement that said 'starting in 1998, 2% of all vehicles sold in the state must be Zero Emission Vehicles'. They did leave in place a requirement that 10% of the vehicles sold starting in 2003 be ZEV's, but they left it up to the auto manufacturers to decide how many cars to build in the early years.

It's basically a sellout to the auto interests and if they can show that the vehicles aren't selling they will get the 10% number removed from the mandate too. They can point and say that they were willing to make EVs but no one ordered them. We would have had about 22,000 EVs on the road and now it looks like MAYBE 2,200 in 1998.

The original idea behind the mandate was to get the cars out into the public's eye, by having the auto makers build the cars and offer them for sale. Now it will be that if you want one you will have to special order one from the few car companies that plan on making limited numbers of them to show CARB that they were 'serious' about making EVs. And you will have to move to L.A, San Diego, Phoenix, or Tucson to be able to buy GM's models (we don't know about any of the others). If you live anywhere else and want an ZEV from the major auto manufacturers forget it.

The Phoenix APS races -

For those of you who did not get to Phoenix for the APS Electrics you missed a great time. I strongly suggest that you set aside those 3 days next year so you can attend. There is usually cheap air fare to Phoenix and if you stay in a Youth Hostel or share a motel room you can get by fairly cheaply. Better yet is to do what I did and crew on a team with a car and have some hands on fun.

I was the Crew Chief of the Wilde EVolutions team. We beat the GM Impact in the Quarter Mile Drag Races on Friday (taking 1st Place) and came in 3rd in the big race on Sunday. Burton Gabriel and Dave Cloud came in ahead of us on Sunday and the 'We're It' (Womans Electric Racing Team) team (Clare Bell, Ruth MacDougall, et al) came in behind us for forth.

I plan on going back next year, but the guys at Wilde EVolutions (partners Roderick Wilde and Bob Rickard) are not planning on racing in 1997. They are concentrating on converting EVs, and as of now, selling EVparts. I would suggest adding Wilde EVolutions to your list of places to purchase parts from. They're a couple of wild and crazy guys and they can be reached at 1800-FAST-EVS. Tell them I sent you.

See you next month. Tony

Volunteers Wanted !

If you're interested in volunteering in SEVA, please contact a board member. (names and phone numbers can be found on Page 2 of this newsletter).

We are looking for people with ideas for EVents and for people willing to take those ideas and run with them.

Maybe you would like to build and race EVs or Electrathon type vehicles, maybe you want to put on a rally. Whatever it is, we just need people willing to take that first step and say - "I'll take this on".

Remember, it's your club. Do something with it.

EV News Bits

EV News is taken from many sources, including the EV Discussion List, Calstart News, newspapers, or newswire services. Credit is given to the author or new source when known.

03/07/96 - Matsushita, Ovonic Battle Over NiMiH Patents
Wilmington, Delaware -
Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. (MBI), a licensee of Ovonic Battery Co. s nickel-metal hydride (NiMiH) battery technology, has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, saying some of Ovonic s battery patents are invalid, reports Reuters.

The attorney for Ovonic and its parent company, Energy Conversion Devices, said Matsushita has previously violated ECD s patents and that ECD hasn't t allowed them to get away with it in the past, and won t this time either. The dispute follows Matsushita s pairing with Toyota to test the NiMiH batteries -- using licensed Ovonic technology -- in Toyota s RAV4-EV as part of a joint test program with three California utilities. ECD officials had called for a halt in further testing and threatened a suit, which spurred MBI s suit.

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03/06/96 - VW Launches 'New Beetle' on Internet Cyberspace
Volkswagen has aggressively stepped up its marketing efforts for its well-received -New Beetle- car by establishing a unique interactive tour and information center for it on the Internet.

The site, timed to coincide with the vehicle s showing at the Geneva Auto Show, also encourages early customer comments about the car. The -New Beetle- is based on the Concept 1 show car designed in California, which integrated styling designs from VW s classic -Beetle- into a state-of-the-art car. Overwhelmingly positive consumer reaction to the car has pushed it into production before the year 2000. The car will initially use a traditional engine but was also designed to incorporate electric or hybrid electric drive systems. VW invites comment at http://WWW.vw.com/

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EV1 serves as GM halo car with an attitude"
Excerpt from February 12, Automotive News)

GM intends to market the EV1 as a "halo" car (image cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper).

Traditional halo cars are aimed at drivers who crave speed and performance. The EV1 appeals to people who want to make a statement against pollution and global warming. In California, birthplace of the Sierra Club and America's modern environmental movement, the EV1 can work as a halo car. More important to GM is that the EV1 is a first step in re-establishing GM as the auto industry's visionary leader. Offering only internal-combustion vehicles "is not the right strategy for global, long-term leadership," said Bob Purcell, executive director of GM Electric Vehicles. "We'll be out with our second generation of (alternative) vehicles before the others are out with their first."

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Electric Vehicles: New Battery May Improve Performance
(by - Jonathan Marshall, S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/9/96)

PolyPlus Battery Co. of Berkeley, CA is pursuing a "breakthrough" lithium battery design that could improve acceleration and range in electric vehicles. The design "sandwiches" a thin film of lithium with plastic called PEO and a sulfur compound used in many industrial lubricants. The battery materials are "cheap and readily available" and the company claims they are not toxic to the environment. PolyPlus also says the battery is completely safe and will not explode if overcharged.

Alan Cocconi, a designer of award-winning EVs, praised the battery's stated performance but also "warned" that PolyPlus faces difficult engineering work before coming up with a design suitable for a car.

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South Africa zooms towards the next century in electric-powered vehicles.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 6 /PRNewswire/

The transport industry in South Africa is planning on producing electric vehicles as part of a government and private sector initiative to promote the economic and social goals of South Africans.

There is significant support from the government in South Africa for the use and manufacture of EVs. A conference in late 1995 involving 110 high level participants from the public and private sectors resulted in the formation of the South Africa Electric Vehicle Association.

Proponents of EVs agree that the benefits to South Africa are many, including: creation of a new industry and jobs; lower energy costs and improved energy efficiency; diversification of transport energy sources; better utilization of existing natural resources and financial investment; reduced dependency on imported oil, and improved trade balance; and reduced pollution levels.

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Battery powered Formula V racing car beats a gas race car
March 11 (Reuter) -

GP Batteries International Ltd said on Monday that a Formula V racing car powered by batteries won a race against a gasoline-powered car at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Saturday.

The car has strong initial acceleration and can reach speeds of more than 170 kph (105 mph), a company statement said.

It was powered by 20 9.6-volt advanced nickel-cadmium GP battery packs. GP said the batteries were three times more effective than others used in electric cars.

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First electric school bus in Northern California is now rolling in Petaluma

The bus, delivered by Colton, Calif.-based A-Z Bus Sales, Inc., is one of 35 electric buses going into service throughout California, the leading edge of a significant market for electric technology.

The zero-polluting bus will transport 72 students, while educating them about clean-air vehicles.

A joint development of Blue Bird Corp. and Westinghouse Electronic Systems Group, the bus has a 230-horsepower electric motor and a range of 80 miles. Electric buses have electric "fuel" costs equivalent to 8-9 cents per mile, versus 12-14 cents per mile for diesel buses. Also, maintenance costs for electrics are 40 percent lower than diesel.

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Unique Mobility, Inc. and Northrop Grumman announced agreement
March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The companies are joining forces as a major supplier of electric and hybrid power systems to the automotive industry.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has recently acquired Westinghouse's defense and electronics systems business, an established leader in AC induction motor power trains. These products are currently supplied to leading vehicle manufacturers, including Blue Bird Corporation, Chrysler Corporation and TDM, Inc.

The goal of this cooperative agreement is to pursue manufacturing and potential joint development of electric motors and other electric vehicle propulsion products.

"By teaming with Northrop Grumman, we now have large-volume manufacturing capability for our permanent magnet motors," said Unique Mobility CEO Ray A. Geddes. "This is a milestone that can put our motors into the mainstream of the over-the-road vehicle market. Even more important is the synergy of the technical capabilities of our two companies to further advance the state-of-the-art in this emerging market."

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Electrosource, Inc. and Black & Decker to develope products
March 13 /PRNewswire/

Electrosource, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELSI) announced today a joint development agreement with Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) to develop commercially acceptable batteries and mowers and to explore additional opportunities to apply Electrosource technology to other Black & Decker power tools, including other outdoor products.

Electrosource and Black & Decker have been collaborating for more than a year on the development of a cordless electric walk-behind mower. The agreement provides for purchase of prototypes and production volumes of batteries, provided terms are agreed upon after further successful testing. Aside from battery purchases, each party will bear its own expenses during this development project.

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Horlacher Builds Car for Thai Electric Car Co.
Switzerland

Swiss electric car builder Horlacher, along with partners Esoro and Pasol, have contracted to build electric vehicles (EVs) for the newly established Thai Electric Car Co., Ltd.

The lightweight, two-door, four-passenger EVs feature monocoque construction and a fiber-reinforced composite body that weighs only 440 pounds. Two sodium nickel chloride Zebra batteries, driving a Brusa alternating-current (AC) motor enable the 2,167-pound car to travel 100 miles on a single charge.

Initial production will be 50-100 cars per year, destined for sale in Asia and Europe in 1997. The strong-but-light modular construction technology to build the car stems from a three-year research project funded by the Swiss Federal Office for Energy Management.

Upcomming EVents

Local SEVA Activities

o	General Meeting, Saturday, April 13th at 10am.
o	Board Meeting, Monday, April 15th at 7pm.
o	Roseville Earthday Event, April 20th.
o	Clean Air Commute to Davis, Saturday, May 11th at 10am 
		***Replaces our regular monthly meeting***
o	Board Meeting, Monday, May 13th at 7pm.
o	General Meeting, Saturday, June 8th at 10am.
o	Board Meeting, Monday, June 10th at 7pm.

Bay Area/Modesto Activities

o	San Jose Earth Day EVent, Saturday, April 20th.
o	SFBEAR.  Rally around San Francisco Bay, Saturday, May 3rd at 10am.

National/International EV Activities

o	EV Gran Prix, Richmond, VA. April 25th to April 27.
o	Tour de Sol, From New York to Washington, May 10th to May 17.
o	Solar Splash (EV Boats), Milwaukee, WI., June 20th to June 23rd.
o	Cleveland (Formula) Electric Classic, June 27th to June 29th.
o	Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Colorado, July 4th.
o	Sun Sprint of the Rockies, August 5th to August 13th.