January 2008

The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA) will meet on the third Saturday of each month during 2008. Meetings will be held at the Clark County Library on 1401 E. Flamingo Road from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM. Members will be displaying their own electric cars and answering questions before and after the meeting.

The LVEVA Would Like to Wish Everyone a Joyous New Year!

“08 Is Going To Be Great!!”

Calendar

January 19 Monthly Meeting

February 16 Monthly Meeting

March 15 Monthly Meeting

April 19 Monthly Meeting

April 19 Summerlin Earth Faire Exhibit

May 17 Monthly Meeting

June 21 Monthly Meeting

July 5 Boulder City Damboree Parade

July 19 Monthly Meeting

August 16 Monthly Meeting

September 20 Monthly Meeting

October 18 Monthly Meeting

November 15 Monthly Meeting

December 6 Boulder City Christmas Parade

December 20 Monthly Meeting

LVEVA Board of Directors:

Richard Furniss, President
Bill Yule, Vice President
Bill Kuehl, Secretary/Treasurer
Al Sawyer, Jan Himber , Al D’Inzillo, Stan Hanel

Newsletter Editors and Contributors:

Richard Furniss, Bill Kuehl, Al Sawyer, P.E.,
Jan Himber, Brent Singleton, Kent Singleton, Stan Hanel

WATTS HAPPENING
is published monthly by the
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association,
a chapter of the Electric Auto Association

Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association web site
http://www.lveva.org
Electric Auto Association web site
http://www.eaaev.org

Electric Auto Association
Membership Renewals
323 Los Altos Drive
Aptos, CA 95003-5248

Current EVents contact:

At http://www.eaaev.org/eaaboard.html

Ron Freund
Chairman, CE Publication

Address Correspondence to:
LVEVA
2816 W. El Campo Grande Avenue
No. Las Vegas, NV 89031

Call for Information:
Richard Furniss (702) 453-6196

Jan Himber for Al Sawyer (702) 642-4000
Bill Kuehl (702) 636-0304

Contents:

-- Southern Nevada Solar Power Industry Ignites During 2007 and 2008

-- Altairnano Proving Lithium-Titanate Battery Technology in Real World EV Racing

-- Toyota Unveils Hybrid A-BAT Truck with Synergy™ Drive System and Solar Power

-- The Story of Lectra Motors

-- NEDRA Electric Drag Racing Revolution Continues

-- U.S. Domestic Oil Shortages During December 2007

-- LVEVA Board of Directors Elections for Two Positions

-- EV Repairs and Service

-- EVs and EV Parts for Sale

Southern Nevada Solar Power Industry Ignites During 2007 and 2008!

Ausra, Inc. to Build Solar Power Manufacturing Plant in Las Vegas

Editor’s Note: From Ausra, Inc. Press Release at: http://www.ausra.com/news/releases/071213.html

First U.S. Solar Thermal Power Manufacturing Plant Lands in Nevada

High-capacity plant to double worldwide output, create green collar jobs

LAS VEGAS—Dec. 13, 2007—Ausra Inc., the developer of utility-scale solar thermal power, announced today it is building the first U.S. manufacturing plant for solar thermal power systems in Las Vegas. The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will produce the reflectors, towers, absorber tubes, and other key components of the company's solar thermal power plants.

Solar thermal power plants use fields of mirrors to capture the sun's power to produce electricity without pollution. Ausra's innovations in mirror systems have brought the price of solar power down to the level of gas-fired power today, and will soon reach prices associated with coal-fired generation. Solar thermal power plants can store energy as heat to continue power generation at night and during cloudy periods.

"Ausra can fill four square miles with solar collectors every year from this one factory, enough to provide market-priced zero-pollution power to 500,000 homes. Americans want clean power, and are tired of the market fluctuations, price increases, and pollution from fossil power plants. With market-priced solar power, we are entering the Solar Decade, in which massive construction of solar plants will take place. We are investing now in the systems and capacity to serve that need," said Bob Fishman, president and CEO of Ausra.

In November 2007, Ausra and California utility PG&E announced a power purchase agreement for a one-square-mile, 177-megawatt power plant, enough to power over 120,000 homes, to be built in central California: http://ausra.com/news/releases/071105.html

Ausra's new Las Vegas facility will manufacture the solar field equipment for the PG&E project and for other power projects throughout the American Southwest. The factory, the first of its kind in the U.S., will be capable of making over 700 megawatts (electric) of solar collectors per year. The facility is expected to employ up to 50 highly skilled manufacturing workers in the Las Vegas area.

"We are proud that Ausra has chosen southern Nevada to build its U.S. manufacturing plant, bringing economic growth and new jobs to our state," said Somer Hollingsworth, president and CEO of the Nevada Development Authority (NDA). "The business-friendly environment we enjoy here provides Ausra and other companies a wealth of benefits. Ausra's decision to locate here points to Nevada becoming a leader in building and delivering clean power to our state, to our region, and to our country. Clean energy is growing our economy and helping America secure our energy future."

The plant will begin regular operation in April 2008. "We chose to locate in Nevada because it is the center of America's solar energy future. Nevada has massive solar resources, available land and a growing demand for clean energy, with huge markets next door in California and neighboring states projected to demand many thousands of megawatts over the coming years. Nevada's business-friendly climate, excellent transportation and workforce resources, and large-scale need for clean power made it the obvious choice," said Rob Morgan, Ausra executive vice president and chief development officer.

Ausra's Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar technology utilizes the heat from the sun's rays to create steam. Solar collectors boil water at high temperature to power steam turbine generators, in much the same way as traditional fossil-fuel power plants, but without use of fuels or emissions.

About Ausra
Ausra, Inc. develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology to serve global electricity needs in a dependable, market-competitive, environmentally responsible manner. Located in Palo Alto, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company funded by Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal power in general, visit www.ausra.com.

The 130,000-square-foot plant will be located near McCarran International Airport near the junction of Highways 215 and I-15 at 6405 Ensworth Street. It will initially employ 50 people when it opens in April 2008.

John O'Donnell, Ausra's executive vice president of manufacturing, said the plant will be heavily automated and rely on multiple robots to manufacture the parts and pieces needed to construct a solar power plant, similar to the way automobiles are assembled and welded. By automating the purchasing, warehousing, production and distribution processes of solar components in larger volume, the company hopes to drive down the cost of solar components so that they will be more competitive with coal production costs for coal-powered electrical plants.

Once manufactured and tested, those systems will initially be shipped to San Luis Obispo County at a site near the town of California Valley. The solar thermal array will cover over one square mile of land in this isolated area in rural California. Over the next several years, the company will build a plant at this site capable of generating 177 megawatts of power for Pacific Gas & Electric. As a reference, 1 megawatt of power can supply the needs of 750 homes.

The company’s aggressive goals are to make enough reflectors, towers, tubes and other solar components to create solar collectors capable of generating 700 megawatts of power within the year following the opening of the plant. This would be the equivalent of manufacturing systems that could cover four square miles of land each year. These are lofty goals and would surpass the total production capacity of the entire solar industry at this time, hopefully selling these components to new solar generating plants in California and other neighboring states. California has set a state government goal focused on obtaining 17 Gigawatts (17,000 Megawatts) of additional renewable energy, including solar power, by 2020.

In September 2007, Ausra received a $40 million investment from two influential Venture Capital companies-- Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore recently joined the Board of Directors for Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.

The company has also announced its intention to construct a second plant in conjunction with Florida Power & Light. It is likely that Ausra will build a manufacturing facility in the Southeast to serve that project. Company goals are to provide 17 GigaWatts of power to different regions throughout the U.S. and worldwide by 2020, equivalent to the state goal set by California. California started with an initial push to achieve 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2010. Nevada’s state initiatives for renewable energy begun in 1997, 2001 and 2003, are hoping to achieve 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2015 with a much smaller population than California.

Before choosing Las Vegas as its manufacturing site, Ausra had considered the San Francisco Bay Area, the city of Barstow on the California side of the Mojave desert, and Phoenix, Arizona. O'Donnell credited Nevada's "business-friendly climate"; U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's push to make the state a center of renewable energy; and its location in the heart of the "solar Southwest" as reasons for selecting it as the home for its plant. Las Vegas summers surpassing 110-degree Farenheit temperatures will provide valuable “real world” test data for the manufacturing and development team.

One recent setback to the growth of a national solar power industry that would benefit southern Nevada was the year-end failure of alternative energy bill proposals in Congress that would guarantee investment tax credits to solar power industry investors extending over eight-year periods rather than shorter two-year guarantees. Without federal government assistance in the form of tax credits, the ability of solar power start-up companies to receive longer term loans and financing to develop their technologies will need to be realized outside the traditional banking system. Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Florida and other sunbelt state leaders are going forward to forge new alliances between businesses, state governments, local governments, utilities, venture capital companies, and foreign investors to encourage technology and infrastructure growth within this new industry.

Solar One Thermal Solar Power Plant Now Generating 64 MegaWatts Per Day!

In contrast, European governments have embraced alternative energy industry development. Southern Nevada’s pilot Nevada Solar One thermal power plant project was first initiated by American power company Duke Energy in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the state of Nevada to provide 64 megawatts of power to the growing Las Vegas Valley region. The plant was envisioned to supply electric power to 48,000 homes from a building site selected in the El Dorado Valley near Boulder City.

Nevada Solar One was a pioneering effort, becoming the third largest solar power plant ever built when it came online last year and the first one in the U.S. in 16 years. Because of financial funding considerations, the project was initially spun off from Duke Energy as its own start-up company, Solargenix Energy. When the Solar One project continued to struggle financially, it required substantial outside investment and technical help from Acciona Energy of Spain to help keep the project afloat. Acciona Energy has been actively funded by the government of Spain.

Acciona initially purchased 55% of Solargenix for 220 million Euros and then eventually acquired 100% of the project. Thanks to an established history of international collaboration and investment that has been part of the Las Vegas culture, Nevada Solar One was built with imported curved mirrors from Germany, steel and glass coated tubes from Israel, and steel structures from Arizona. After initial technical problems were encountered during startup, including connection of the solar power plant with the local power grid during the summer of 2007, Nevada Solar One became fully operational in June 2007.

According to Wikipedia:

“Nevada Solar One uses 760 parabolic troughs (employing more than 180,000 mirrors) that concentrate the sun's rays onto tubes running laterally through the troughs, each tube containing a heat transfer fluid. These solar receivers are oriented differently than the “power tower concentrator” concept that California's original Solar One project uses. These specially coated tubes, made of glass and steel, were designed and produced by Solel Solar Systems in Israel as well as by Schott AG, a manufacturer of glass products in Germany.

Motion control was supplied by Parker Hannifin, from components by Ansco Machine Company. The plant uses 18,240 of these four-meter-long tubes. Nevada Solar One also uses a technology that collects extra heat by putting it into phase-changing molten salts. This energy can then be drawn upon at night.

Solar thermal power plants designed for solar-only generation are ideally matched to summer noon peak loads in areas with significant cooling demands, such as the southwestern United States. Using thermal energy storage systems, solar thermal operating periods can be extended to meet even base load needs. Given Nevada's land and sun resources, the state has the ability to produce more than 600GW using solar thermal concentrators like those used by Nevada Solar One.
 

Parabolic concentrators have been successfully operating in California commercially since 1984, including the largest solar power plant of any kind, the 350 MW plant Solar Energy Generating Systems. Other parabolic trough power plants being proposed are two 50MW plants in Spain, and a 100MW plant in Israel.^”

Congratulations to the patient planners, investors, engineers, construction workers, politicians and state energy administrators who guided this project over the last seven years!

Nellis Air Force Base and SunPower PhotoVoltaic Solar Plant Generates 14.2 MegaWatts

In December 2007, Nellis AFB announced that it had completed installation and activated the country’s largest semiconductor-based photovoltaic solar panel array that will provide 14.2 megawatts of power daily, supplying about one quarter of the total power needed by the Air Force Base currently employing 12,000 people.

The project cost $100 million with supplemental funding from Nevada Power and MMA Renewable Ventures. It consists of an array of 72,000 solar panels, comprising a total of 6 million photovoltaic solar cells that were built on 140 acres of reclaimed land at the Nellis Air Force Base site. The power generated from the solar cell array is estimated to save the base $1 million per year in energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide use in the area by 24,000 tons annually, the equivalent of removing 185,000 cars from the road.

The installation’s solar cells and panels were manufactured by SunPower, another Silicon Valley startup launched by Cypress Semiconductor founder T.J. Rodgers in California. SunPower has acquired one of Cypress Semiconductor’s automated CMOS semiconductor manufacturing plants for integrated circuits in the Phillippines, converting its equipment and retraining its personnel to manufacture photovoltaic semiconductor solar cell panels.
By employing the same highly automated semiconductor manufacturing processes used in the chip industry, SunPower hopes to increase large volume production and solar cell yield efficiency while also pushing costs down through economies of scale.

Photovoltaic cells based on semiconductor materials employ a property of semiconductors that cause electric current to flow through the materials’ junctions when they are exposed to light. The installation of the Nellis Air Force Base solar array was performed locally in Las Vegas by contractor Bombard Electric.

Las Vegas Valley Water District Photovoltaic Solar Plants Generating 3.1 MegaWatts!

The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) has been a consistent pioneer of solar energy power and research for southern Nevada during the last decade, including cooperative efforts with UNLV’s Howard Hughes School of Engineering, the UNLV Research Foundation and the Desert Research Institute: http://www.lvvwd.com

In 2006, the southern Nevada utility installed a 3.1 Megawatt system distributed over six locations that included the Las Vegas Springs Preserve as well as five other reservoir sites and pumping stations in the Las Vegas Valley. At the Springs Preserve, the solar collector array structures also function as shaded parking coverage for 200 cars used by visitors to this historical site where water was first discovered bubbling up from the ground in the midst of the Mojave desert. The Las Vegas Springs Preserve is a cultural resource center for southern Nevadans that features educational exhibits, hiking trails, and water-efficient desert gardens: http://energypriorities.com/entries/2005/03/powerlight_lvwd.php

Nevada Power and the Las Vegas Valley Water District funded the $22 million dollar project with the help of supplemental grants. PowerLight Corporation, later acquired by SunPower Corporation in November 2006, installed the photovoltaic solar array systems at the six locations.

The utility has also partnered with the Department of Energy, the UNLV Research Foundation and Nevada Power in a $16 million pilot project that will study the use of solar power to “crack” hydrogen from water by using electrolysis so that it can be used to fuel hydrogen-powered transportation vehicles employed by the utility’s transportation fleet: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/04/las_vegas_valle.html

LVEVA President Richard Furniss has been an active researcher on this project as an employee at LVVWD where he is part of a team that maintains the LVVWD’s alternative fuel vehicles, now comprising 77% of the total service fleet. These vehicles employ battery-powered electric, hybrid gasoline/electric, hydrogen fuel-cell, hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and biodiesel technologies.

of Engineering Solar Research

The Center for Energy Research, affiliated the Howard Hughes School of Engineering at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) has been involved in several solar energy research projects, some that are visible from Flamingo Road when driving past the university campus: http://www.solar.unlv.edu/

Ongoing projects include:

• Testing and gathering data from High Concentration Photo Voltaic (HCPV) modules constructed by Amonix, a manufacturer from Torrance, California at: http://www.amonix.com
• Gathering data on weather conditions and performance from the new Solargenix Solar Trough array in the El Dorado Valley at the Nevada Solar One project mentioned above: http://www.solar.unlv.edu/projects/eldorado.php
• Designing a “Zero Energy Home” (ZEH) that can be used as a model for building contractors in the Las Vegas Valley at: http://www.solar.unlv.edu/projects/zeh.php
• American Solar Energy Society, Southern Nevada Chapter (Solar NV)

For more information on the emerging solar power industry, including sources for contractors that can install solar power on local residents’ homes, state and federal rebate programs, technology tutorials, and related links, visit the web site of Solar NV, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society. This group of interested Nevada citizens continues to promote the use of solar power in our state since its founding in March 2004 at: http://www.solarnv.org

The web site for the chapter’s parent organization, the American Solar Energy Society in Boulder, Colorado is at: http://www.ases.org

 

 

 

Altairnano Proving its Lithium-Titanate Battery Technology in Real World Applications

Altairnano Technologies has created a revolutionary Lithium-titanate battery based on ceramic materials that are manufactured with a nanotechnology process. The company has been claiming that these battery cells can be recharged quickly- up to 80% capacity in just one minute and 95% capacity in 10 minutes with a battery pack life estimated at 250,000 EV miles. This technology feature will be attractive to transportation consumers who can already conveniently refuel gasoline cars in that same amount of time.

Altairnano is based in Reno, Nevada, located within a 100,000 square foot facility of offices, laboratories and manufacturing areas. The company’s battery design, prototype manufacturing and product applications labs are in Anderson, Indiana: www.altairnano.com

Altairnano recently issued a stunning press release, highlighting the results of EV drag racer Dennis Berube and his “Current Eliminator V” electric dragster at the ¼-mile Speedworld Motorplex Dragstrip in Surprise, Arizona on December 15, 2007. Dennis and the Current Eliminator V were able to complete several consecutive time trials, finally achieving drag racing results of 153.6 mph in 8.10 seconds at the end of the day by using a 294-volt Altairnano battery pack that weighed just 190 lbs. but delivered about 300 horsepower to a specialty 11-inch electric motor through a “Zilla” motor speed controller from Café Electric. Notable comments from these first high-performance racing attempts with the Lithium-titanate batteries emphasized how cool the overall system performed after continuous operations during winter conditions. Testing the battery pack under much hotter Arizona summer racing conditions will provide even better data regarding the overally quality of the Altairnano battery technology. The company’s press release can be found at this link:

http://www.b2i.us/profiles/investor/ResLibraryView.asp?BzID=546&ResLibraryID=22794&Category=987

Altairnano battery packs are also being installed in commercial EVs being developed by Phoenix Motorcars in Ontario, California at: www.phoenixmotorcars.com

A Phoenix Motorcars electric vehicle with Altairnano battery pack will be on display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, California next to a vintage 1900s Baker EV during the month of January 2008: http://www.automuseum.org/NAM_feature_exhibits2.shtml#p

For more information on Altairnano Technologies battery packs, visit: http://www.altairnano.com/documents/NanoSafeBackgrounder060920.pdf

Editors’ Note: Update! Berube Sets New Official NEDRA Record in Current Eliminator V!

Location: Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, AZ on Sunday, December 30^th!

New official NEDRA record established by two consistent back-to-back timed runs on same day under same track conditions:

5^th run = 7.956@159 mph for the quarter mile

6^th run = 7.963@160.65 mph for the quarter mile.

 

 

 

Toyota Unveils Hybrid A-BAT Truck with Synergy™ Drive System and Solar Power

During the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota Motor Company introduced the A-BAT compact truck model, a concept vehicle equipped with a third-generation Hybrid Synergy™ Drive System, Toyota's gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain technology. The vehicle is shaped in a similar aerodynamic design as the Prius sedan.

The four-passenger pickup features a 4-foot bed, while a translucent roof panel slides open to allow for tall cargo inside the cab. The bed can be extended by 2 feet by folding down the passthrough midgate into the cab and by another 2 feet by opening the tailgate.

The truck uses a unibody platform for improved handling and a smoother ride. Inside, there is a retractable portable navigation unit with a 7-inch screen and wireless Internet, while the center console houses a portable battery pack.

Both the driver and front passenger have large display screens to view the status of their high-tech gadgets and climate and audio settings.

The A-BAT has solar panels atop the instrument panel to capture sunlight and convert it to energy, to assist in charging the navigation unit, battery pack and backlit information displays.

 

 

 

The Story of Lectra Motors

by Al Sawyer, P.E., Jan Himber and Stan Hanel

Editors’ Note: This is the first part of an extended series of articles profiling the technology of Lectra Motors, a Las Vegas Electric Vehicle start-up company that built over 1,000 vehicles from 1979 through 1982, some still on the road today. LVEVA Board of Directors member Al Sawyer, P.E., was a co-founder of the company as well as President and Director of Research. We hope that the study and documentation of these early EV design and manufacturing efforts can provide a valuable reference for future EV builders and electric car companies.

Company Overview:

In 1976, Albert J. (Al) Sawyer was working as an electrical engineer at the Nuclear Research & Development Station (NRDS) at the Nevada Test Site. He was employed by EG&G Inc., a prime contractor to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO). He was fortunate enough to be assigned to a very exciting project: to develop a remotely controlled vehicle that could be sent into areas hazardous to humans. This machine required some sort of precisely controllable propulsion. After careful consideration of the conditions under which the machine would be operating, it was decided that electric drive would be the best way to go. Developing this drive system gave Al the idea that he might be able to build himself an electric car to commute to work.

Al had never seen an electric car before and had only seen pictures of early vehicles built around the 1900’s. Consequently, he had no idea where to begin. He realized that to stay within his own limited budget he would have to find an old gasoline car and convert it to electric drive. He located a 1963 Corvair 4-door sedan, sitting neglected in someone’s back yard. He purchased it for $35. He removed the engine and sold it for $30. Now he had a usable chassis for $5. He bough a surplus Jack & Heinz aircraft generator for $45 as well as some relays, switches & welding cable from a surplus catalog. So far, he had spent about $100. He went to a local battery shop (aptly named “The Battery Shop”), where he purchased 16 factory-reject Gould 6-volt golf cart batteries for $20 each. A few more small items cost only a few dollars. Now he had all the parts and materials for under $500.

Al reconfigured the aircraft generator to run as a motor rated at about 19 horsepower. He designed a very rudimentary speed control system using the surplus relays, switches and a large resistor purchased earlier. A friend loaded him the use of his machine shop to make the adapter plate needed to mount the motor to the Corvair transmission housing. The rest of the conversion work was done on weekends in the driveway of Al’s house. At last, after many weekends of work, the car was ready for a test drive. A rousing cheer went up from the watching neighbors as the car rolled briskly down the street. Since most of them didn’t believe it would actually work, they had been referring to the car as “Al’s Folly”. But the car ran, and ran well! Al drove it to work for several months. This first electric conversion would later be referred to as X-1 (experimental model #1).

At about this time, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) was starting an incentive program to promote electric and hybrid vehicles as a viable means of transportation. Al wrote to the DOE offering his project for their consideration. The answering letter he received read something like this:

“Dear Sir:

Your efforts, while commendable, are not what we are looking for.

Sincerely, …”

Disheartened, Al continued to drive his car to work.

One day in 1977, Al was having lunch with Charles R. Amadon, an instrumentation technologist at EG&G. Charlie put forth the idea of forming a corporation and raising funds to develop a marketable electric car, with or without assistance from the DOE. Al agreed. Al, Charlie and a group of their friends and coworkers formed Western Research Industries, Inc. (WRI) with the following board of directors:

Albert J. Sawyer, P.E. President

Charles R. Amadon Vice-President

Dr. G. Hayes Turney Secretary/Treasurer

Lloyd M. Kelley Director

Robert E. Clemensen Director

Ted Barney Director

Working evenings and weekends, these men raised enough money to build X-2. It was a hybrid vehicle that employed an electric drive train with a gasoline generator to extend the range. This car was built on a 1967 Subaru chassis. It was not suitable for marketing, but it was very good looking and performed well. It served to raise interest in the community through trade shows and television interviews. Because of this good publicity, enough stock was sold to produce the LEKTRIKAR 1. It was built using a new 1980 Datsun 310 chassis. This car was not built with surplus parts. It had a Prestolite MC4001 electric motor, a Cableform MK4 controller, a Lester charger and 18 Trojan T-135 6-volt batteries. This was a beautiful, great performing car which was just what the DOE was “looking for”. This car met and exceeded the requirements of the DOE. One performance requirement of the DOE was for the car to accelerate from 0 to 30 mph in 15 seconds. The LEKTRIKAR 1 accelerated from 0 to 30 mph in 8 seconds.

With the DOE’s recognition, things began to look up for WRI. Al and Charlie decided it was time to devote their full time to building electric cars, so they resigned from EG&G. WRI’s first order was from the City of Floricent, Missouri, accompanied by a check for $50,000. The next order was from Clark County, Nevada. WRI was off and running. There were approximately 20 cars and pick-up trucks produced under the LEKTRIKAR logo and the word got out to the industry that a small company was building great electric cars in Las Vegas, Nevada. It came to the attention of the head of a Los Angeles computer company (who would wish to remain anonymous) who said he wanted to help.

Later, in 1980, Western Research Industries was phased out and LECTRA MOTORS, Inc. was created with the computer company head as the major stockholder. He could see that the company needed more experienced business people to guide it. He hired a CEO and a Vice-President of Operations from the business department of the city of Berkeley, California to guide the progress of the new company. Albert J. Sawyer’s new title was now President and Director of Research. Charles R. Amadon was Executive Vice-President. New quarters were established at 5380 Valley View Blvd. in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company staffed up, tooled up and started production of a full line of electric vehicles. Some of the models produced were as follows:

Lectra 2+2 - A front wheel drive 2-door sedan built on a Datsun 310

Lectra 400 – A front wheel drive 4-door sedan built on a Datsun 310 with 4-door chassis

Lectra 100 – A pick-up truck built on a Datsun Li’l Hustler pick-up chassis

Lectra 200 – A rear wheel drive sedan built on a Datsun 210 chassis

Lectra Centauri – A rear wheel drive luxury sprots car built on a Datsun 200SX chassis (Al’s favorite!)

Nissan Motors was contacted to provide Lectra Motors with gliders (new cars without engines). Nissan would not deal for less than a boat load of vehicles. Of course, since Lectra Motors was a small struggling company, this was beyond their financial capabilities. Consequently, it was necessary to purchase new cars from cooperative dealers in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. The gasoline components were pulled out of the new cars to make room for the electric components and sold back to parts the dealers or to parts distributors. Lectra Motors’ production rate was about 30 cars per month. These were sold before they were built. They were sold mostly to municipalities and utility companies. One was even sold to the Toyota Corporation in Japan in the early 1980s, years before the Toyoto Electric RAV-4 and Toyota Prius hybrid appeared on the American market.

Since the Lectra Motors cars were going to be sold in large quantities, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) also had very stringent requirements. Consequently, they each put these cars through a 35 mph crash test. These tests proved that not only did the crash dummies survive but no battery materials (lead, plastic, acid or gas) entered the passenger compartment.

Lectra Motors introduced several innovative “firsts” into the electric vehicle industry. Among them were battery-powered hot water heaters and defrosters, battery-powered air conditioning, and “under the bed” battery pack installations in the pick-up trucks. Production continued at the rate of 30 vehicles per month through 1981. During this time, Lectra Motors received proposals from several other electric car companies for mergers as well as requests to set up factories in New Zealand and Athens, Greece. These were mostly thwarted by the major stockholder.

By 1982, the company was ready to double output to 60 cars per month. After commitments had been made to purchase cars and materials for the increase, the major stockholder suddenly withdrew his support. Unfortunately, there was a clause in the by-laws of the corporation which allowed the major stockholder to call a special meeting for the express purpose of removing any or all of the company executives from office. This he proceeded to do, putting all the employees and executive out on the street. On July 10, 1982, the last Lectra Motors executive vacated the building on Valley View Blvd. and Lectra Motors, Inc. ceased to exist.

Lectra Motors is no longer in business but there are still a number of the company’s vehicles on the streets and by-ways of America today. There are currently three Lectra Motors vehicles owned by members of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association in the Las Vegas area, including one that Al drove for almost 10 years as his personal mode of transportation around town. All three vehicles have been passed around the LVEVA membership as “starter vehicles” for first-time EV owners who have received generous support from Al Sawyer and Jan Himber regarding restoration and maintenance. Al, at the age of 76, proudly drove Jan Himber’s Lectra 2+2 in a National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) drag race event in Las Vegas during 2000. He currently holds a world record in the SP/F racing class at: http://www.nedra.com/record_holders.html

Original Lectra Motors sales brochures and vehicle specifications can be found at this link: http://ilbcnu.org/misc_docs/1981_lectra_electric_brochure.doc

NEDRA Electric Drag Racing Revolution Continues

by Stan Hanel

Editors’ Note: In conjunction with an extended series on the Lectra Motors EV technology during 2008, “Watts Happening” would also like to run a parallel series of monthly articles profiling and comparing today’s revolutionary, high-performance EV technology, available to any backyard mechanic interested in converting gas cars into fast, roadworthy electric vehicles.

The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA), an affiliate chapter of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), will be continuing its revolutionary drag racing accomplishments in 2008 thanks to a dedicated band of garage mechanics who are influencing EV adoption in the automotive world.

Two new officers were elected to two-year terms for the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons--Shawn Lawless as NEDRA President and Jim Ludiker as Vice-President.

The organization will be kicking off the season early in January 2008 with the help of a sister chapter of the LVEVA, the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego (EVAoSD), during January 2008 in California: http://www.nedra.com

NEDRA News, October 10 – NEDRA, in cooperation with the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego is sanctioning the Electric Dragin' event January 26-27 at the 1/8-mile drag strip at Barona Raceway in San Diego, California. This promises to be an exciting race. See www.electricdragin.com for details.

Also scheduled from January 25-26^th on the east coast is the annual “Battery Beach Burnout” (BBB) EVent at the ¼-mile drag strip of the Countyline Raceway in Miami, Florida. Shawn Lawless will be leading the field while introducing his “Juiced Up” Quad-Motor Electric Dragster.

A list of NEDRA’s innovative revolutionaries who are now routinely breaking 100-mph times on ¼-mile drag strips, their electric vehicle technologies, and the start-up companies that are emerging out of the NEDRA racing program include:

1. Bill Dube, Scott Pollachek and the “Killacycle” electric motorcycle racing team who are exceeding 160 mph in ¼-mile drag racing events by using a Lithium-Iron-Phosphate battery pack from A123 Systems that consists of 1210 individual “nanophosphate cells”, a “Siamese DC motor” system from Hi-Torque Electric, and a “Zilla” motor speed controller from Café Electric at: www.killacycle.com

2. John Wayland, Tim Brehm, and the Plasma Boy Racing Team, who are exceeding 110 mph in ¼-mile drag racing events with the “White Zombie”, a converted 1972 Datsun 1200 “street standard” EV dragster that is being developed for both speed and range. The “White Zombie” is using Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries from A123 Systems, a dual “Siamese DC motor” system from Hi-Torque Electric and the “Zilla” motor speed controller from Café Electric at: www.plasmaboyracing.com

3. Shawn Lawless, NEDRA president and owner of Lawless Industries, racing the AGNuS electric motorcycle exceeding 120 mph on ¼-mile drag race tracks, as well as the “Orange Juice” electric dragster exceeding 130 mph on ¼-mile drag race tracks. In 2008, the racing team will be constructing a new “Juiced Up” electric dragster that will be employing four DC motors, four “Zilla” motor speed controllers and new battery pack technology at: www.paradefloats.com

4. Chip Gribben, NEDRA webmaster and owner of Scooterwerks, is also an organizer of the Power of DC annual drag race event at a ¼-mile drag strip in Hagerstown, Maryland. He races his “Wattson” Ford Escort “street standard” EV conversion and his personal web site is at: www.scooterwerks.com

5. Don “Father Time” Crabtree and the “Rose Dragon” electric motorcycle racing team exceeding 100 mph on ¼-mile tracks.

6. Dennis Berube, owner of the “Kilowatt” racing team, who finished 2007 with record times exceeding 160 mph in the ¼-mile while continuing to redesign the new “Current Eliminator V” dragster. It now employs a new 390-volt Lithium-titanate battery pack from Altairnano Technologies in conjunction with a “Zilla” motor speed controller from Café Electric to drive a specialty 11-inch DC motor that includes a real time “brush advancing” mechanism. On December 16, 2007, Dennis completed a record-setting run of 153.6 mph in 8.10 seconds at Speedworld Motorplex Dragstrip, located in Surprise, Arizona. He has continued to develop the Current Eliminator series of electric dragsters over the last 10 years to successfully compete “head to head” against gasoline and alcohol-powered dragsters in the NHRA Super Pro class during Bracket Racing or Elapsed Time (ET) competitions: His web site is: www.currenteliminator.net

7. Brent and Kent Singleton of the “Electric Jaws Jr.” racing team have also instituted Alternative Fuel Vehicle racing events at the Bonneville Salt Flats in conjunction with the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association at: www.race2thefuture.com

8. Jim Husted, owner of Hi-Torque Electric, a co-developer of the “Siamese motor” dual DC motor technology used by both the Killacycle and Plasma Boy Racing teams as well as a “quad motor” system to be installed in Lawless Industries “Juiced Up” EV dragster at: www.hi-torqueelectric.com

9. Otmar Ebenhoech, owner of Café Electric, racing the “California Poppy” Porsche 914 conversion, is also the developer and manufacturer of the “Zilla” high-performance motor speed controller-- the de facto standard for EV drag racing at: www.cafeelectric.com

10. Rich Rudman, owner of Manzanita Micro, a developer of PFC charging systems and battery regulating systems that efficiently renew and maintain EV battery packs at: www.manzanitamicro.com

11. Roderick Wilde, co-owner of EVParts.com, an online distributor of Electric Vehicle parts at: www.evparts.com

12. Ken Koch and Jim Ludiker (NEDRA Vice-President) of KTA Services, providing EV parts and services, as well as racing the “Circuit Breaker” electric dragster exceeding times of 130 mph in the ¼-mile at: www.kta-ev.com

13. Brian Hall and Rick Roller of Thunderstruck Motors, racing the “ReVolt” Electric Motorcycle exceeding 100 mph in the ¼-mile at: http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/

14. Matt Graham, racing the “Joule Injected” Nissan 240SX dragster conversion to exceed 100 mph in the ¼-mile.

14. Sponsor A123 Systems for providing high-performance Lithium-Iron-Phosphate battery packs to the Killacycle and Plasma Boy racing teams that will soon be designed into the new Chevy “Volt” and other hybrid vehicles from GM at: www.a123systems.com

15. Sponsor Altairnano Technologies for providing Lithium-titanate batteries for Dennis Berube’s “Current Elinator V”, that enabled his electric drag racing team to break the 160 mph threshold for the 1/4-mile in December 2007: www.altairnano.com

16. Sponsor Enersys and its “Hawker” high-performance lead-acid batteries used by many of the NEDRA racers prior to the availability of Lithium-ion batteries at: www.enersys.com

The most exciting part of electric vehicle drag racing is that it once again brings simple high-performance systems back into the hands of weekend racers and home mechanics. Inexpensive EV drag racing systems can employ rebuilt DC fork lift or industrial motors that are sometimes acquired at no cost to under $1,000. A Zilla motor speed speed controller is priced from $1,000 to $5,000 from EV parts distributors. Lithium-Ion battery packs are starting to also become available at about a $15,000 to $25,000 range and will potentially continue to drop in price as volume production is ramped up by battery manufacturers. Good drag strip performance times can also be achieved using “off the shelf” lead-acid battery packs that cost $3,000 to $8,000 by trading 600 pounds of added weight for this lower cost.

Fuel consumption while drag strip racing is also inexpensive for EVs. A gasoline generator, that produces electricity for charging, can provide enough electrical power to recharge a 300-volt EV battery pack for a ¼-mile drag strip run by consuming less than $1.00 from its gasoline tank per run. Gasoline or alcohol-powered high performance dragsters will spend at least $3 to $7 per gallon to fuel their internal combustion engines during each timed trial run. The bigger the engine, the more fuel consumed during each timed trial run.

The LVEVA would like to congratulate all these dedicated NEDRA racers for their inspired achievements over the last 10 years of the NEDRA racing organization. Looking forward to the next 10 years. 2008 will be really great!

 

 

 

U.S. Imported Crude Oil Shortages During December 2007


Crude oil inventories fell 7.6 million barrels in the U.S. during early December 2007, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported during its weekly inventory snapshot in mid-December 2007. The decline was five times more than the average 1.5 million barrel drop expected by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires.

Analysts said that much of the crude inventory drop was due to a sharp fall in imports, almost a million barrels a day, because fog closed the Houston Ship Channel during a week in early December 2007. The Houston Ship Channel provides one of the country’s main ports of entry for imported crude oil tanker shipments. Vienna's PVM Oil Associates noted that present total U.S. stocks of crude oil, at about 297 million barrels, represent "the lowest point since February 2005."

Light, sweet crude contracts for February 2008 delivery rose $1.16 overnight to settle at $91.24 a barrel after the decline in crude stocks was reported. As shipping resumes at the Houson Ship Channel, crude oil supplies are expected to rebound. Crude stocks at the closely watched Nymex delivery terminal in Cushing, Oklahoma, still rose by about 100,000 barrels during the end of November to 17.4 million barrels - an increase that helped push prices downwards for awhile.

Over the last several weeks of November and into December 2007, crude oil prices have fallen from a record high near $100 a barrel as OPEC boosted production and several forecasters lowered their predictions about how fast demand for oil and gasoline is growing worldwide. A slowing U.S. and global economy, as well as conservation efforts by U.S. citizens that may diminish U.S. demand for oil, are considerations that have temporarily affected crude oil prices.

Gasoline refineries previously operating at 85% capacity have recently pushed up production temporarily. Refined gasoline inventories jumped 3 million barrels, more than four times the 700,000-barrel increase analysts had forecast. This short-term spike in refinery production should help offset gasoline price rises for consumer automobiles just in time for the holidays. However, diesel fuel, sold in large volume to trucking fleets that transport America’s commercial goods across the country, has risen in price by 20% since August 2007. This big jump in transportation costs continues to affect consumer household purchases at every level.

The volatility of imported crude oil supplies should continue to alarm Americans about the danger of our country’s fragile dependence on foreign oil imports. Unpredictable shortages of imported crude oil, coupled with growing worldwide demand from developing nations with much larger populations, will continue to affect every U.S. citizen’s standard of living during 2008 and beyond.

Editors’ Note: Update! Crude oil prices soared to $100 a barrel for the first time in history on Wednesday, January 2, 2008! Recent violence in Nigeria helped speculators push the commodity price of oil futures over the $100-a-barrel mark before ending the day at $99.26 per barrel, up $3.64 in just one day. On Tuesday, armed gangs invaded Port Harcourt, the center of Nigeria’s oil industry, attacking two police stations and raiding a hotel lobby. Several Mexico oil export ports were also closed due to rough weather at sea, adding to the potential for spot shortages.

 

 

 

LVEVA Board of Directors Election Results

The LVEVA is guided by a 7-member Board of Directors where each member is elected to a 3-year term. Two positions had reached the end of their three-year terms and were up for election in December 2007. Bill Kuehl and Lloyd Reece were nominated and elected to fill these positions for the next three years.

Bill Kuehl is a founding member of the LVEVA, a past president of the group and the current Secretary/Treasurer. He has personally built over 200 electric vehicle conversions, starting in the late 1970’s after he saw EVs as a solution to an OPEC foreign oil supply crisis at local gas pumps. Over the years, he has assisted many of his fellow club members with their EV conversions, designs and maintenance support. Bill is a former U.S. Air Force jet mechanic who was stationed at Nellis Air Force base in North Las Vegas before he retired from the military. This year, Bill designed a battery hoist apparatus that he made available to other LVEVA club members. The battery hoist simplifies the physically difficult task of lifting and moving the heavy lead-acid batteries that provide power storage for the energy to drive an EV’s motor and power train (see October 2007 “Watts Happening” newsletter). Bill is also a NEDRA/NHRA EV drag race record holder with his 1985 Pontiac Fiero conversion at: http://www.nedra.com

Lloyd Reece is the proud owner of a Lectra Motors Centauri ™ EV, built locally in a Las Vegas production facility during the 1980’s on a converted Datsun chassis. He is restoring the Centauri and commuting with it daily to his job as an IT administrator at University Medical Center (UMC). Lloyd has brought a lot of enthusiasm, energy and computer skills to LVEVA activities and events over the last two years.

Other members of the LVEVA Board of Directors include:

Richard Furniss (LVEVA President), Al Sawyer, P.E.; Jan Himber, Stan Hanel, and Al D’Inzillo

Please come to the next meeting to help contribute your input to the future direction of the LVEVA.

 

 

 

EV Repairs and Service

Western Petroleum Station

2051 E. Sahara (corner of Eastern Avenue and Sahara)

Las Vegas, NV 89104

Contact: Jim Johnson

Telephone: (702) 457-2675

Web site: http://storefront.dexonline.com/jims-texaco

EV Parts and Kits for Sale:

OKA NEV ZEV Parts and Kits for Sale: www.okaauto.com

OKA NEV ZEV KIT cars in stock now for immediate delivery prices start at $5,000 FOB Las Vegas.

We also have 4844 ALLTRAX Controllers(48V 400 A DC for Series motor) in stock (more than we need) $550 list, $375.00 NET.

Miro Kefurt

OKA AUTO USA : www.okaauto.com

Distributor: MIROX Corporation
5015 W. Sahara Ave. #125-130
Las Vegas, Nevada 89146
USA
Tel: (702) 683-8292
E-mail: okaauto@aol.com

For Sale: Chrome "Electric" Emblems for EV's

Mike Chancey - Posted 06/25/00
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Checked: 07/13/03

Chrome "Electric" car emblems, just like the OEM factory lettering. Okay, so you own a beautiful electric vehicle, but does the world know? Show them with these profession quality "ELECTRIC" emblems. Fabricated from weather resistant thermoplastic, these signs feature a bright chrome like finish on the letter faces with a subtle matte black background. They mount easily with the self adhesive HighTack backing. Simply peel off the protective cover, and press the sign into place. Each sign is approximately 1.25" in height and 7" in length. Only $6.00Each or four for $20.00, plus $1.75 shipping and handling per order. Discounts for larger orders available. Send check or money order to:

Mike Chancey, 1700 East 80th Street, Kansas City, MO 64131, or order online.

EVs For Sale:

Electrans 3-wheel Futurista ETV

Range of 55 miles

Top speed of 45 mph.

Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to license this vehicle through the DMV

List price is $13,995

Contact: ElecTrans

Address: 5450 South Cameron #101, Las Vegas, NV 89118

Tel: (702) 889-2146

Web site: www.futurista.biz

For Sale: Electric 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” --Record-Holding Race Car

This 1985 Pontiac “Fiero” Conversion currently holds four National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) Class Records.

1. Class MC/F (Modified Conversion 97-120 volts)
2. Class MC/E (Modified Conversion 121-144 volts)
3. Class MC/D (Modified Conversion 145-168 volts)
4. Class MC/C (Modified Conversion 169-192 volts)

The 1985 Pontiac Fiero has been converted with:
1. A new Netgain Warp-9 Electric DC Motor coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.

2. A DCP T-REX 1000 Water-cooled Controller with an Input Voltage Range of 96 to 336 Volts
and Motor Current Rating at 1000 Amps.

3. The Battery System is at 192 Volts. The battery pack consists of sixteen 12-volt sealed ODYSSEY
PC-680 batteries with the capability of increasing battery pack capacity and voltages to compete in the NEDRA MC/B Class (Modified Conversion 193-240 volts) or to a maximum capacity of 336-volts to compete in the MC/A Class (Modified Conversion 241 volts and higher).

4. Tires are B.F. Goodrich G-Force T/A Drag Radials P215/60 R14 that connect the Electric Motor torque to the road for “no slip” acceleration.

5. Battery Charger is a 120- to 240-volt Variable Transformer with a heavy-duty full bridge rectifier.


6. Additional cables and connectors are installed for Dump Charging from a DC battery pack.


Asking Price: $10,000 or Best Offer.

Contact: William Kuehl
Address: 4504 W. Alexander Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89032
Telephone: 702-636-0304

For Sale: Electric 1994 Hyundai Excel Conversion by Bill Kuehl and Al Sawyer, P.E.

Includes:

• 18 New 6-volt Lead-Acid U24 Batteries Installed June 2007 for 108-Volt System
• 22-Horsepower Electric Motor
• Modified Curtis™ Motor Speed Controller by LogiSystems™ for Enhanced Acceleration
• Electric Air Conditioning System Driven by Auxiliary Electric Motor
• Electric Heater and Defrosting System
• Battery Monitor and Charge Regulation System Installed June 2007
• 2 Battery Chargers (110 VAC to 220 VAC Input)
• 14 Extra Assorted Battery Interconnect Cables
• Performance Characteristics:

1. Top Speed = 70 mph

2. Range = 60 Miles Plus (Depending on Road Conditions and Driver Efficiency)

3. Battery Life Cycle = Average 3 Years

4. Battery Replacement Cost = $50 to $250 Each Depending on Battery Capabilities

5. Recharging Time = 5 to 7 Hours

6. Curb Weight = 4800 lbs.

Asking Price: $9,100

Contact: Bill Yule

Telephone: (702) 566-0794 (Please Leave Message With Phone Number and Will Call Back)