NBEAA Newsletter April 17, 2010 www.nbeaa.org Next NBEAA Meeting ------------------ Saturday, May 22, 10 AM to Noon Blue Sky Center, 6791 Sebastopol Avenue, Sebastopol Come see the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack upgrade that Thunderstruck Motors performed on Stephen Ruppenthal's 1965 Type II Karmann Ghia. LiFePO4 prices have come down and battery management systems have been developed to make this type of upgrade feasible for more EV drivers. Stephen now enjoys a 100 mile range, and a lighter car compared to the original flooded lead acid configuration. Technical details of the batteries and BMS will be shared by Thunderstruck personnel, then the car will be shown and rides will be given. See http://www.nbeaa.org/members/ruppenthal.htm for more details, to be updated with new battery and BMS information before the meeting. Upcoming EV Classes ------------------- Introduction to EV Components and Techniques Friday April 23rd 2-6PM, Sat-Sun April 24-25th 9-5PM The Blue Sky Center, 6791 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707.823.3227 $425 In this workshop we will build upon the earlier course in components, techniques, technology. This course focuses on practical, hands-on work with 'Woody', our in-house teaching vehicular simulator and perhaps on vehicles in various conversion stages to progress them toward completion. This workshop, MME40B, is the second of a two-part series; the first section, MME40A, is comprised primarily of theory and design concepts for EV's. MME40A or equivalent is required before enrollment in MME40B, though we will also be scheduling more intensive workshops which comprise both MME40A & B; probably in a five-day format.This course will be taught by Ed Ristad and/or Peter Oliver; Ed teaches the Alternative Fuels class at our local community college, Santa Rosa Junior College, in Santa Rosa. Six-Day Hands-On Workshop: From Donor to Runner in 6 Days Presenters: Mike Brown & Shari Prange of Electro Automotive April 26 - May 1, 2010 Electro Automotive, Santa Cruz, CA, shari@electroauto.com, 831-429-1989 $1,250 Due to the popularity of our recent workshop in the Puget Sound area, Electro Automotive will be offering the same workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area April 26 - May 1, 2010. There will be no more than 9 students per vehicle to insure that everyone gets to participate. Please pre-register to reserve your space. This workshop will guide students through the complete process of converting a vehicle to electric power. Classroom sessions will be combined with hands-on shop sessions. By the end of the workshop, the group will have completed a running electric car conversion capable of highway speeds and 50 miles range. Students will learn the principles behind good component layout, battery rack and box design and construction, and wiring, with hands-on experience installing the components. They will also learn how to apply these principles to different types of vehicles, and learn about the differences between AC and DC drive systems, and different types of batteries. Each student will receive a copy of the book "Convert It". NBEAA Election Results ---------------------- The following people have been elected to NBEAA officer positions: President: Chris Jones, returning Secretary: Don McGrath, returning Treasurer: Lisa Blair Ireland, returning Public Relations Program Director: Alan Soule, new The following appointed position has been renewed: Librarian: Robert Schwartz Thank you Don, Lisa, Alan and Rob for your willingness to serve. Help is still needed! If you would like to serve your club more in the areas of meeting program director, webmaster or newsletter editor or contributor, or in a new service that you think would be valuable to club members, please contact Chris Jones at chris_b_jones@prodigy.net or 707-577-2391. Thanks to Stan Ireland for Serving as NBEAA Officer --------------------------------------------------- Stan Ireland was the NBEAA Public Relations director for three years. During that time he organized and attended dozens of EV Show-and-Tell Events with his RAV4 EV, spending hundreds of hours talking with thousands of people. He also advocated EV use and incentives to our local and state government representatives. Our club membership has risen by more than a third during his tenure; many newcomers probably joined after meeting Stan at one of our public events. Thank you Stan for all of your hard work in this volunteer position! EV Show-and-Tell Opportunities ------------------------------ The EV Show-and-Tell season is heating up, and there are many requests for us to show our electric vehicles. If you have an electric vehicle and would like to show it, or would like to attend events and present EV information and answer questions at a table, and you aren't already in contact with Chris for this year's schedule, please contact Chris per above. Another way to get the word out about EVs is to post your vehicle on our web site, http://www.nbeaa.org/members/index.htm If you ride or drive an EV and it's not on that page and you would like to add it, please contact Chris. Future NBEAA Meeting Topics --------------------------- The NBEAA officers will be meeting in May to discuss future club plans. As always, several meetings are in the works, mostly by local EV dealers, trainers or converters. We are also contemplating holding an annual rally with a show, rides, and effiency and range competitions. If you have any requests for meeting topics, or would like to contribute your time organizing or presenting a topic of interest, please contact Chris per above. Call for Library Additions -------------------------- The NBEAA library is available to paid up members. See http://www.nbeaa.org/library/index.htm for our current selection. With over $1000 in our account we have the budget to expand the library. Are there any EV books or movies you would like to see that you think other members would also appreciate? If so, please contact Chris per above to make your request. Current EVents Now Online ------------------------- See http://www.eaaev.org/CurrentEvents/pdf/2010/index.html for the EAA's Current EVents newsletter archives. The latest edition is available for members only, but all issues one month old or more are available to the public. Update on Electric Vehicle Safety Lesson from Toyota's Runaway Cars ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Chris Jones, NBEAA President The original Toyota safety article that was also posted on page 8 of the original December Current EVents newsletter suggested pressing on the Prius power button for three seconds or switching it in to neutral were two ways to stop the vehicle in the event of a stuck accelerator -- providing those subsystems are not defective -- and that it had been verified by tests performed by a local Prius driver. Those tests were performed only at low speeds, but Toyota does suggest doing this on their recall FAQ site with no mention of speed limitation at http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/customer-faqs-regarding-the-sticking-153495.aspx. However, according to the San Francisco Chronicle article http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/10/BADA1CD6OV.DTL, vehicles may be designed to disable such cutoff features at higher speeds, probably since losing propulsion, braking and steering power at high speed can be dangerous. If you drive a vehicle without a clutch or standard key ignition switch which both serve as robust cutoff mechanisms, please consult your vehicle's owner's manual or contact the manufacturer to determine how to stop your vehicle in the event of a stuck accelerator.