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March 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.
Calendar
March 15 Monthly Meeting
April 19 Monthly Meeting
April 19 Summerlin Earth Faire Exhibit
April 23 UNLV Earth Day 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 Officers and Board of Directors:
Richard Furniss, President Lloyd Reece, 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:
-- Tesla Motors Ships First Production Vehicle to Customer—Favorable Reviews!
-- The Fisker Karma PHEV
-- LVEVA Presents to Local Chapter of IEEE at University of Las Vegas Nevada
-- LVEVA Plans Earth Day Demonstrations for April 2008
-- NEDRA Power of DC at Hagerstown, Maryland from May 31 to June 1, 2008
-- Bonneville Salt Flats Electric Vehicle Racing in 2008
-- EV Repairs and Service
-- EVs and EV Parts for Sale
Special message from EAA
On March 27th, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is scheduled to vote on a change to their Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program that could delay production EVs another decade. The Electric Auto Association urges you to take action to make California aware that you want production EVs from the major automakers, back on the roads. We have set up a website to help. The ZEV goals were once 2% in 1998, 3% in 2001, and 10% in 2003, but later the program was put off a decade.
Now as the end of that decade draws near, CARB staff proposes to delay another decade. Staff calls for 840 vehicles per year (0.04%) in 2012 through 2014. The old 1998 target is fifty times what is now being proposed for 16 years later. In 2015 CARB proposes only 0.4%. The 2012 goals do not even approach the number of vehicles previously shown to be possible.
The EAA does not normally use email except for membership reminders. Because of urgent upcoming decision that may affect EVs to years to come, we are sending this email to ask that you join a low-traffic mailing list that the EAA will use to alert you to developments where your emails, letters, faxes, phone calls, etc. could make a big difference. Participation is optional, but please do consider joining and help us advocate for EVs in important battles, such the one that will be decided on 3/27.
For further information about what you can do to let California know you want a meaningful ZEV program, please visit:
http://www.eaaev.org/action/
This page also has details on how to join our EV-advocacy mailing list to get future notices.
Sincerely,
Ron Freund
Tesla Motors Ships First Production Roadster to Customer Amid Favorable Reviews!
The Electric Auto Association (EAA), the parent organization to the LVEVA, held an annual general meeting in Palo Alto, California that was also “webcast” online through the Internet on February 16, 2008 from 10 AM to noon. A representative from Tesla Motors revealed that the company had shipped its first production 2008 Tesla Roadster, a 2-seat electric sports car, to its first paid customer, Elon Musk, the Tesla Motors Chairman and largest shareholder in the company.
Tesla Motors had made news in the EV community recently because the company has shed many of its original engineering and peripheral staff, including co-founder Martin Eberhardt. Company managers are now focusing on production and delivery of pre-sold orders for over 600 roadsters to customers who all have made deposit downpayments and have been waiting over a year for delivery of this $98,000 vehicle.
During the end of 2007, the company was busy unveiling production models of the 2008 Tesla Roadster to automotive media writers, who each got a chance to test drive a production vehicle and review its performance. Those reviews are now showing up in the March print issues, as well as online text articles and videos from “Motor Trend”, “Road and Track”, and “Automobile Magazine”.
A recent “Motor Trend” YouTube video review was filmed while test driving the 2008 Tesla Roadster on the hills above San Francisco and was very favorable towards the company: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6b4qbBvkAc&eurl=http://electricandhybridcars.com/index.php/index.html
The reviewer praised the Tesla roadster as “a new type of supercar unlike anything that has ever existed”. He liked the available power and new driving experience that made the driver feel that he was being smoothly released from the end of a big rubber band to “just go”, rather than having to feel for the power band in an ICE vehicle. He was amazed by the relatively small size of the 185-kiloWatt electric motor that provided 248 horsepower with “enormous” torque that can accelerate up to speeds of 13,500 rpm. While driving the roadster, he also praised the refined and stable suspension, the “magical quality” of the steering while underway, and the relative quietness of the car while driving. First gear accelerates from 0 to 65 mph in about 5 seconds, 2nd gear accelerates to 125 mph and the gear transition feels like just throwing a switch where “a trap door is released and the person feels like they are falling forward”.
He rated the car “as fast as any supercar under 100 mph but a completely different driving experience” and hard to compare to competitors like Porsche or Ferrari. He felt it would take several years for the driving public to experience and appreciate the difference in this pioneering driving technology.
A “Road & Track” magazine text review can be found online at: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=6393
This review was also favorable but did caution potential buyers about some of the potential problems in the Tesla Roadster technology:
—difficulty designing a compatible transmission that would not be torn up by the tremendous torque and drive from the batteries and electric motor. The production models are currently shipping with a compromise transmission design that does not deliver the original acceleration specifications promised to buyers. However, the company is pledging to retrofit these initial production cars with an improved transmission once the best transmission design is finalized and tested.
---the 1,000 lb. weight of the battery pack and the complexity of its 6,831 separate Lithium-Ion cells may cause difficulties in maintaining the performance of the vehicle over the warranty period of the roadster.
However, total vehicle weight was only a modest 2,690 lbs, due to its aluminum frame and “beautifully-fabricated carbon fiber body panels” based on the Lotus Elise chassis. The heavy battery weight also contributed to a more stable ride on a suspension that hugs the road better than a traditional Lotus Elise, according to the “Motor Trend” reviewer.
Tesla Motors hopes to continue to ramp up production to 2,000 Roadsters per year at the Lotus Hethel factory in the UK. The chassis is made from aluminum extrusions supplied by Norway's Norsk Hydro ASA. The 185-kW electric motor and Power Electronics Module are built in Taiwan. The lithium-ion battery pack, comprised of 6,831 individual Lithium Cobalt Oxide cells, is made in Thailand.
The first two Tesla Motors sales offices will be soon be opened in Menlo Park and Los Angeles, California. Tesla has long term plans to unveil a new Whitestar series of electric sedans priced from $50,000 to $60,000.
The Fisker Karma PHEV
During the North American Auto Show in Detroit during January 2008, venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers announced a multimillion-dollar second-round investment intended to put the Fisker “Karma” plug-in hybrid sports sedan into production in 2009.
Created by Henrik Fisker, the Fisker Karma will cost about $80,000 and use a lithium-ion battery pack to achieve a 600-mile-plus range. The company intends to build "the ultimate eco-chic car, (ones that) marry unparalleled style with environmental consciousness." Fisker, based in Irvine, hasn't identified a manufacturing plant or partner for the car.
The two companies did not announce the amount of capital investment at this time but industry observers estimate more than $10 million. This is the first major funding announced by the Menlo Park firm since former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore joined the venture capital company.
LVEVA Presents to Local Chapter of IEEE Organization at University of Nevada Las Vegas
The International Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) organization is a global association of professional electrical, electronic and computer engineers created to help share technical and professional information, as well as resources and services at: http://www.ieee.org
The IEEE also encourages engineering education by sponsoring student branch chapters at member college and university engineering programs. Ongoing annual conferences, symposiums, standards working groups, and other public information forums allow professional engineers to gather together to share information and establish design standards.
The IEEE has over 370,000 members internationally, including 80,000 student members in over 160 countries. The organization is divided into 319 “sections” located in ten geographic regions worldwide. 1,676 “chapters” within these ten regions unite local members with similar technical interests. IEEE members must have been awarded at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited college or university and must pass IEEE certification tests before being awarded membership in the organization. Ongoing classes and follow-up testing are required periodically by the organization for working engineers to retain their membership certification. There are also more than 1,526 “student branches” at colleges and universities in 80 countries that help budding engineering students understand real world engineering techniques, practices and standards.
To foster the study and standardization of design practices for the multitude of interests that have evolved from electrical, electronic and computer engineering innovation over the last century, the IEEE has formed 39 “societies” or sub-groups that focus on particular electrical engineering disciplines. Five “technical councils” also support this effort. Technical information is shared through “transactions”, “journals” and “magazines” that can be purchased through the organization and help subsidize its administration along with membership dues. The IEEE directly sponsors or co-sponsors more than 450 conferences or symposiums worldwide each year. The organization has created more than 900 active IEEE standards with over 400 more in development. These standards serve to unify design efforts within the worldwide IEEE community that ultimately benefit consumers and simplify manufacturing processes by fostering products that are interchangeable and inter-connectable.
LVEVA members Stan Hanel, Bill Kuehl, Lloyd Reece, Al D’Inzillo and Richard Furniss presented examples of electric vehicle technology and examples of electric cars to the local Las Vegas chapter of the IEEE during their monthly meeting at the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas on February 28, 2008. The local Las Vegas chapter included both professional IEEE members and “student branch” engineers who are studying electrical engineering on the UNLV campus.
The meeting was held at the Howard Hughes School of Engineering in a 200-seat Telemedia Classroom that had been outfitted with equipment that could project streaming “YouTube” videos onto a large screen, as well as standard Power Point slides through a computer interface. Verbal presentations were enabled through an adjustable microphone on the console and amplified by audio speakers that were distributed throughout the room. These speakers could also bring full “YouTube” sound in synchronization with projected video to the audience. A central touch screen console behind the speaker’s platform allowed fine tuning of all the audio/video content in real time by the speaker. About 50 IEEE members and student engineers attended the event.
The presentation started with “YouTube” videos of electric vehicle drag strip racing and included Bill Kuehl’s personal experiences setting records with the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA), an affiliate of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). This was followed by a Power Point slide show of Lithium Iron Phosphate battery characteristics by LiFeBATT engineer and UNLV electrical engineering student, Benja Mitchell. Benja compared the performance specifications of LiFePO4 battery chemistry to traditional lead-acid (PbA) battery chemistry, as well as to other Lithium-family batteries (LiCoO2, LiMn, etc.)
LVEVA members Al D’Inzillo and Lloyd Reece brought their EVs to display in a nearby UNLV campus parking garage after the presentation. Al exhibited his 1972 Fiat Spyder conversion while Lloyd showed his 1981Lectra Motors “Centauri”, designed and built in Las Vegas as a production electric car on top of a Datsun chassis.
For more information about the presentation, contact Stan Hanel at: stanhanel@aol.com
For more information about NEDRA racing, contact Bill Kuehl at: bill2k2000@yahoo.com
For more information about Lithium Iron Phosphate battery technology, contact Benja Mitchell at: benja@lifebatt.com
LVEVA to Participate in Earth Day Exhibitions During the month of April 2008
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association members will be presenting examples of electric car technology at Earth Day celebrations during the month of April 2008. Two events are planned.
The Fifth Annual Summerlin Earth Faire will be held on Saturday, April 19th from 10 AM to 4 PM at Summerlin Centre Community Park. The park is located on Town Center Drive between Desert Inn and Sahara roads. The event will be held on the park’s soccer field surrounded by over 75 portable tents with educational displays from eco-friendly organizations.
During 2007, the Summerlin Earth Faire attracted 8,500 visitors during the one-day event.
On Wednesday, April 23rd, LVEVA members will exhibit their electric cars to grammar school children who will be attending field trips to the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus from 9 AM to 2 PM. The campus is located on South Maryland Parkway, between Flamingo Road and Tropicana Boulevard.
The LVEVA invites the general public to attend and learn more about the revolutionary technologies that are changing the future of commercial transportation.
NEDRA Power of DC at Hagerstown, Maryland from May 31 to June 1, 2008
Editor’s Note: Chip Gribben, webmaster for the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA), announced the organization of the eighth annual “Power of DC” EV exposition and NEDRA drag racing EVent at Hagerstown, Maryland.
From EV Discussion List on Friday, February 29th, 2008:
The Eighth Annual Power of DC will be held in Hagerstown, Maryland on
Saturday May 31 to Sunday June 1.
This will be our eighth year and want to make it our biggest event EVer.
On Saturday morning we will have the EV AutoCross. After lunch we
will have the ScooterCross and "possibly" a Range Rally, open to EVs,
hybrids and plug-in hybrids in the afternoon. We are also planning a
Show-n-Shine.
On Sunday, the NEDRA drag racing will be at Mason-Dixon Dragway
starting at 10:30 am.
The event is sanctioned by NEDRA and sponsored in part by the
Electric Vehicle Association of Washington DC.
Check out the Power of DC website (http://www.powerofdc.com) for
updates and an upcoming story in the next issue of Current Events.
There is still a lot to plan for. If anyone is interested in racing,
attending, helping out or sponsoring, just let me know.
Chip Gribben
Power of DC
http://www.powerofdc.com
futurev@radix.net
301-490-0657
cell 240-687-1678
NEDRA Webmaster
http://www.nedra.com
pr@nedra.com
Bonneville Salt Flats Electric Vehicle Racing 2008
The Bonneville Salt Flats land speed raceway near Wendover, Utah was originally formed on 159 square miles of residual potash salt deposits left behind by the evaporation of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville. In 1912, this special surface was first tested for automotive land speed racing because the salt lakebed area was so flat over such a long distance that a racer could see the curvature of the earth. Also, the cooling effect and traction of the moist salt on automobile tires allowed for faster speeds to be achieved than on traditional paved road surfaces over longer distances. In the 1920s and 1930s, Ab Jenkins broke all previous worldwide automotive land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats while driving the “Mormon Meteor”. His record-setting feats attracted the attention of other international racers of his era. Since then, Bonneville has become one of the world’s most famous international raceways where everyone is welcome to compete on the same playa. Backyard builders have always raced alongside some of the finest automotive engineers in the world.
The Bonneville Salt Flats land speed race courses are newly recreated each year on the natural salt flats after the winter rains evaporate during the spring and early summer. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cultivates conservation efforts to restore some of the lakebed’s area that was lost over the decades due to intensive commercial salt brine mining under its surface. Remediation efforts are attempting to rebuild the lakebed salt surface by reapplying more salt brine to the area each year during the spring. Racing competitions in the past have allowed the BLM to monitor the changes in salt quality and quantity over the years, on a land surface that has shrunk to just 26 square miles.
Several land speed racing organizations hope to continue to foster the record-setting legacy of Bonneville Salt Flats accompanied by conservation efforts, including:
---The Southern California Timing Association- Bonneville Nationals, Inc. (SCTA-BNI). This organization has hosted the international Speed Week and World Finals competitions annually for over 50 years at: http://www.scta-bni.org
---The Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA), another active organization of international land speed racers at Bonneville Salt Flats: http://www.saltflats.com
---The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world’s oldest international land speed racing sanctioning organization, celebrating its centenary in 2004, at: http://www.fia.com
---LandRacing.Com and BonnevilleRacing.Com, two online racing communities that provide support to their members and promote the Bonneville Salt Flats land speed raceway at:
http://www.landracing.com
http://www.bonnevilleracing.com
World class land speed racing events are staged on several courses that are created on the lake bed every year in different locations (see example map shown above), depending on salt conditions. International records are sanctioned by the participating racing organizations, based on the average of two consecutive timed course runs by the same vehicle and driver. The courses constructed by the different racing organizations include:
1. International 12-mile course (FIA only- can be extended depending upon speed desired)
2. 6-mile long course (FIA, SCTA-BNI, and USFRA)
3. 3-mile short course (SCTA-BNI and USFRA)
4. “130 mph and 140 mph courses” (staged on 1-mile course open to any racer – USFRA)
5. Novelty Electric Bar Stool Racing (staged on 1-mile course with timers at 2/10-mile mark)
SCTA-BNI and USFRA mutually recognize record times set during their sanctioned events. To qualify for an FIA international record, an FIA official must be present during a Bonneville Salt Flats timed trial to sanction a record based on the average of two consecutive timed runs.
Different levels of safety requirements for each racing vehicle are required for each level of course difficulty during the pre-race technical inspection. The shorter 1-mile course where the open 130 mph, 140 mph and Electric Bar Stool racing events are held has top speed limits, but also has the least amount of safety regulations and technical inspection requirements.
Brent and Kent Singleton are the Alternative Fuel Vehicle racing event coordinators for the USFRA as well as members of SCTA-BNI. This “father and son” team are also founders of the Utah EV Coalition, a Utah chapter of the Electric Auto Association (EAA), where Brent is president. Through this coalition, they hope to establish new events each year that will promote electric vehicle and alternative fuel vehicle land speed racing “on the salt” as well as conservation efforts at: http://www.Race2TheFuture.com
This link on the USFRA web site shows the Electric Vehicle Racing rule requirements for participation in the annual World of Speed alternative fuels racing events at Bonneville Salt Flats during the second week of September in 2008: http://www.saltflats.com/Electric%20Rules.html
This set of rules is a preliminary first effort to establish new alternative fuels racing events at Bonneville Salt Flats and can be upgraded for World of Speed 2008 as more alternative fuel vehicles become involved and new racing classes are formed.
During 2008, Brent and Kent hope to re-introduce endurance racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats for Alternative Fuel Vehicles by constructing a special track that will test alternative fuel vehicle performance over much longer distances, in the same way the Ab Jenkins set endurance race records for gasoline-powered vehicles during the 1930s. The proposed endurance race course will be based on l 1-mile straight course and its return loop that will be made continuous on both ends to create an oval course that is 4 miles in circumference.
Any Electric Vehicle that can pass the required technical and safety inspections is eligible to participate during the USFRA World of Speed on both the open 130 mph course (2/10-mile) as well as the newly proposed endurance course.
In 2007, the Singletons invited Electrathon America racers to compete for the first time “on the salt” using the 1-mile course for straight track land speed competitions. Land speed records exceeding 85 mph over the 1 mile distance were established by two Electrathon racers during this pioneering event. Brent and Kent hope to also encourage Electrathon endurance racing during World of Speed for the first time in 2008. For more information about the Electrathon America organization, including a downloadable 44-page handbook of construction rules and regulations, please visit: http://www.electrathonamerica.org
Active efforts are also ongoing to recruit solar-powered EV racing teams from college campuses to compete on the endurance course. New advances in solar power technologies are increasing the efficiency of these devices since they were first introduced to solar EV racing events during the 1990s.
The USFRA’s World of Speed 2007 Alternative Fuels racing classes also include several fun, novelty racing events, including Electric Bar Stool Racing on the 2/10-mile course at: http://www.saltflats.com/barstool.html
According to USFRA rules, the motorized bar stool must be built around a real bar stool and is limited to one 12-volt battery as its power source, driving an electric motor on wheels that can only have a maximum height of 10 inches. There are two classes of competition-- the “Lakester” class and the “Streamliner” class.
For questions about next year’s upcoming World of Speed 2008 events, contact Brent by email: Brent@saltflats.com
Brent and Kent Singleton would like to invite all EV enthusiasts to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats next year in September 2008 to support the USFRA’s World of Speed Alternative Fuels Racing events and consider the opportunity to race their own electric vehicles on the same international land speed raceway used by automotive pioneers during the last 100 years.
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
For Sale: Electric 1994 Hyundai Excel Conversion by Bill Kuehl and Al Sawyer, P.E.
Includes:
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