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June 2007
The Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA) will meet on the third Saturday of each month during 2007. 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.
Calendar
June 16 Monthly Meeting
July 4 Boulder City 4th of July Parade
July 21 Monthly Meeting
August 18 Monthly Meeting
September 15 Monthly Meeting
October 20 Monthly Meeting
November 17 Monthly Meeting
December 8 Boulder City Christmas Parade
December 15 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, Adam Howard, 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
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:
-- LVEVA to Participate in Boulder City 4th of July Parade for 58th “Damboree” Celebration
-- Sales of Toyota Prius™ Hybrid Cars Continue To Grow with $3.00 Gasoline Prices
-- American Auto Manufacturers Scramble to Restructure to “Non-Petroleum” Vehicles
-- EV Repairs and Service
-- EVs and EV Parts for Sale
LVEVA to Participate in Boulder City 4th of July Parade for 59th Annual “Damboree”
LVEVA members will participate in nearby Boulder City’s annual “Damboree” summer celebration during a kickoff parade on Wednesday morning at 9 AM on the 4th of July:
http://www.chamberorganizer.com/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=5130
Event Name: Boulder City's 59th Annual Damboree
Description: Boulder City is the only place to celebrate the 4th of July! Bands, parades, politicians, and fireworks...what more could you ask for. See the event details for times and places. To enter a float in the parade, e-mail Patty Sullivan at the address below or call Barbara Agostini at 293-3548.
Event Date: 07-04-07
Event Time: All Day Celebration
Location: Several Boulder City venues
Contact Person: Patty Sullivan (phone: 702-294-0335)
Details: Pancake Breakfast - Bicentennial Park - 7am
Parade - Nevada Way - 9am
Damboree Ceremonies and Midway Booths - Broadbent Park- 11am
Fireworks Festivities - Veteran's Memorial Park - 6pm
For a complete map, float application, non-profit vendor application and schedule of events, go to the City of Boulder City website at www.bcnv.org.
Links: www.bcnv.org
A free Rotary Club pancake breakfast kicks off the celebration at 7 AM. The parade starts at 9 AM. LVEVA member Pat Ashenbach and his family have offered to host the LVEVA staging area for the parade at their Boulder City home. LVEVA member John Bullis and his wife, Leti, have offered to host a post event party at their home in Boulder City, as well. Thank you, John and Leti for helping organize this event every year.
For more information about participating in this year’s event with the LVEVA, contact President Richard Furniss.
This year’s LVEVA theme shown on all the electric vehicles in the parade is: “Be Patriotic! Don’t Buy Gas!”
Toyota Prius™ Hybrid Gas/Electric Sales Continue to Grow with $3 Gasoline Prices
As gasoline prices in the U.S. broke the $3/gallon threshold in May 2007, sales of Toyota Prius™ hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles continued to increase among U.S. car buyers. The Toyota Synergy™ hybrid system in the Prius™ provides an estimated 55 miles per gallon combined city and highway driving to vehicle owners who are also eligible for federal and local state tax rebates when purchasing the automobile. Prices for a Prius™ are in the $25,000 to $30,000 range.
Toyota sold over 24,000 Prius models worldwide during May 2007, making it the ninth highest automobile model sold worldwide for that month. The month of May was also the first time that Prius cracked the top ten list worldwide for vehicles sold. Historically, 729,800 total units have been sold since the Prius hybrid was first introduced to the automotive market in December 1997.
Sales of the Prius hybrid helped Toyota post a U.S. sales gain of 14.1% in May 2007 over May 2006. Increased gasoline prices also helped sales of Toyota’s Corolla, Yaris and Camry models as well as its subsidiary Lexus and Scion vehicles. The company set a new combined U.S. sales record for May, selling 269,023 vehicles overall, compared to its March 2007 record of 242,675 vehicles.
Toyota’s success has caused its Japanese rival, Honda, to discontinue its Accord Hybrid model option which was only sold in North America. Honda’s total hybrid Accord sales were only 25,000 units since going to market in 2004 and just 2,600 units sold in 2006 (compared to Toyota Prius™ sales of 24,000 units during just the month of May 2007 ). Honda will continue to produce Civic model hybrids, however. Both of the Accord and Civic vehicles employ add-on options to existing gasoline models but were not designed “from the ground up” as hybrid electric vehicles as was the Prius. Honda did manufacture the first pioneering Insight™ two-seat hybrid car but discontinued production in 2006. The Honda Insight was small and lightweight with aerodynamic styling similar to the GM EV-1 electric car. It employed a three-cylinder gasoline engine that was driven with electric motor assist for quick acceleration and range.
American Auto Manufacturers Scramble to Restructure to “Non-Petroleum” Vehicles
U.S. automobile manufacturers have been encountering troubled times during 2006 and early 2007. Only General Motors seems to be on the rebound.
Ford Motor Company saw a decline in sales of -6.9% for the month of May 2007 over the previous year. Although the company is struggling at this time, it is still hoping to stay with its competitors to develop new innovative vehicle technology. In the past, the company licensed early generation Toyota Synergy™ drive system technology to create the Ford Escape hybrid SUV.
LVEVA members Brent and Kent Singleton, who are helping coordinate alternative fuels racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, also sent in a report from the Ohio State “Buckeye Bullet” electric racing team that included news about Ford’s R & D plans. The original “Buckeye Bullet” drag racing sled holds a world record time of 313 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats for an all-electric battery-powered vehicle. The Ohio State team is substituting a hydrogen fuel cell for the battery pack in this year’s “Buckeye Bullet 2” to chase a faster time. They have also been secretly working with Ford Motor Company, Ballard Power Systems (a leading fuel cell manufacturer) and Roush Racing to design a prototype Ford “Fusion HySpeed” production platform race car that will also be raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats at the same time. The Fusion HySpeed is an electric vehicle that will be powered by a Hydrogen Fuel Cell. Details of this new prototype were unveiled this week through Ohio State’s “Buckeye Bullet 2” newsletter:
http://www.roadtobonneville.com/BB2%20Newsletters/BB2%20Newsletter%20Issue%20002%2006092007.pdf
In other news, Daimler Chrysler reported a sales increase of 3.9%. However, Daimler will be divesting itself of Chrysler after selling its former merger partner at a significant loss to a private holding company in the U.S. The privately-held investment consortium is being led by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Snow. The two companies could not find the synergies or efficiencies necessary to build market share in the American market, as hoped. Initial success of the PT Cruiser™ and other Daimler Chrysler innovations were not consolidated or augmented by the two automotive manufacturing partners to create the growth that was expected in the U.S. market.
Retaining a glimmer of hope after recent layoffs and plant closings, General Motors reported that its sales rose 9.7% for May 2007, led by the Chevrolet Impala and Saturn Aura. General Motors had also announced this year that it will soon unveil a hybrid gas/electric version of the Saturn Aura as well as new hybrid models of its Chevrolet Malibu sedans. In addition the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon large sport utility vehicles will also have hybrid gas/electric versions. Light truck sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GM Sierra pickups also contributed to sales growth. The Silverado outsold Ford’s F-150 series pickup trucks during May.
General Motors has shown it has the capability to lead the world again in the production of fuel efficient vehicles with its introduction of the Chevrolet “Volt” concept car, based on many of the earlier patented innovations developed in the company’s pioneering EV-1electric car. During the company’s annual shareholders meeting on June 5, 2007, Chairman Rick Wagoner announced that the company is awarding contracts to two companies to design and test their Lithium-Ion battery technologies for the Volt platform. Successful development and deployment of this technology will hopefully push ahead commercial development of the Chevrolet Volt, but successful integration and production of this concept car may still be three to five years down the road as it attempts to employ a yet-unproven large format Lithium-Ion battery technology. The two companies receiving the contract awards are Compact Power (www.compactpower.com) from Troy, Michigan and Continental Automotive Systems, a division of automotive supplier Continental AG in Frankfurt, Germany (www.contiautomotive.com)
The E-flex system architecture in the Chevrolet Volt allows for several different power sources for its electric motor drive technology, including Hydrogen and Fuel Cell capabilities, but the current focus is to create a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). The Lithium-Ion batteries should be able to propel the vehicle up to 40 city miles on a single charge without the gasoline engine being turned on. Electric power can be taken from a standard 110-volt home outlet overnight to recharge the Lithium Ion batteries. A complementary one-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine will then continuously recharge the battery while the electric motors are driving the vehicle, giving the Volt a theoretical range of 640 miles per tank of gas.
During the annual shareholders meeting of June 2007, the General Motors Board of Directors received vocal criticism from shareholders, pointing to the company’s lost 10 percentage points of global market share in the past 10 years under Rick Wagoner’s leadership. This time period also coincided with GM’s antagonistic approach to undermining California’s Zero Emmissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, the discontinuance of the EV-1 program, the squandering of a three-year lead in electric vehicle and hybrid technology over the Japanese, instead choosing to promote and ramp up production of inefficient, large Suburban Utility Vehicles with low gas mileage to American consumers.
There are signs that GM is serious about adopting a new design outlook for its future vehicle platforms. At the annual Design Automation Conference (DAC 2007) in San Diego on June 4, 2007 (the day before the GM shareholders meeting), the conference keynote address to 10,000 electronic chip designers and researchers from around the world was delivered by Lawrence D. Burns, Vice President of Research & Development and Strategic Planning at GM.
The title of his keynote address was “Designing a New Automotive DNA”. The synopsis of his talk is as follows:
“The automotive industry stands on the threshold of a new opportunity – an opportunity that stems from the reinvention of the automobile using a new DNA that exchanges the internal combustion engine, petroleum and mechanical linkages for fuel cells and batteries, hydrogen and electricity, and electronic systems and controls.
Electrically driven vehicles and the introduction of advanced electronics and connected vehicle technologies will revolutionize how our vehicles operate, how we interact with them, and how they communicate with each other and the outside world. These new technologies will also, importantly, dramatically change how automobiles are designed and built.
In his talk, Dr. Burns [highlighted] why the new automotive DNA will be paradigm shifting for the industry and [addressed] the design challenges and opportunities presented by the requirement for new electrical and electronics-based architectures, systems, and software for our vehicles.
[…as VP of R&D and Strategic Development], he oversees GM’s advanced technology, innovation programs, and corporate strategy. He is a member of GM’s Automotive Strategy Board and Automotive Product Board.”
Larry Burns also demonstrated one of two prototypes of the Sequel™, a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric car. This new prototype is also based on many of the pioneering technologies developed for the EV-1 but uses hydrogen tanks and a fuel cell to drive its electric motor. One of the two prototypes was driven 300 miles within the state of New York in recent “real world” tests. According to Dr. Burns, 100 test models of the Sequel will be built by 2010 and “loaned” to drivers in the Los Angeles area to give feedback on performance. Production models of the Sequel will be named the Equinox and this new model will go into production sometime between 2013 to 2015. Larry acknowledged that GM did not handle Public Relations very well with the EV-1 and alluded to some of the problems seen in the recent documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car” but continued advocating the GM message that there just was not enough demand for the EV-1 at the time due to battery range limitations to warrant full scale production, despite owners’ passionate desires to purchase the vehicles and the groundbreaking design concepts inherent in the early production runs of the EV-1. Painting in broad strokes, Dr. Burns did feel that the technology from the EV-1 will live on through GM’s researchers in Torrance, California, who have been involved since the early EV-1 development. He noted that the same engineers will continue to contribute the ideas they learned from the EV-1 into the Chevrolet Volt and the Sequel/Equinox.
Two sequential YouTube video interviews with Dr. Larry Burns were conducted by “EE Times” reporter Brian Fuller during June’s Design Automation Conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFDWN80GMOY&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLnCV4RjxPY&mode=related&search=
The theme of this year’s DAC conference (www.dac.com) and related technical sessions focused on the development of innovative electronic systems for the automotive industry. The accompanying discussions and presentations featured talks by Ian Wright, founder of Wrightspeed (record-breaking Wrightspeed X-1 all-electric race car) as well as a Toyota Prius™ “teardown” showing the inside workings of Toyota’s patented Synergy™ drive system.
In the past, General Motors Corporation has shown it has the engineering talent and manufacturing resources to create innovative automobile technologies that can lead the world in automotive production. However, it remains to be seen if GM’s management team has the will to drive its company to this higher ground.
America’s economic future may depend on how well GM, Ford and Chrysler execute their management decisions in these next few years and whether their management teams can regain the trust of American consumers.
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.
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
Hybrid EV for Sale: 2001 Honda Insight ™-- Only 23, 756 miles
-- Three-cylinder engine augmented by Electric Motor Drive
-- Rated at 60 mpg
-- Two-door Hatchback (Two-seater with rear storage area)
-- Silver Exterior with Silver and Black Interior
-- Continuously Variable Electronic Transmission
-- Power Windows, Power Doorlocks, Power Steering and Power Brakes
-- Asking Price $10,500 with $500 discount to LVEVA or EAA members.
Contact Hermann Friedman
Tel: (702) 294-0878
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