Electro Velo '08 event

[jaqeboy]

Electro-Velo '08

is coming up in 2 weeks and it's just an hour and a half away in Scarborough, Maine.

Peter Zack is organizing another interesting event (Electro-Velo '07 was the first event) and he sends this announcement:
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Hi, Folks!

Here's an update on our Electrathon, HPV and neighborhood vehicle gathering at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, ME, on Sunday, May 18, with a rain date of Sunday, June 1.

SCHEDULE OF THE DAY:

8:00 AM:  Gates open

8-11 AM:  Inspection and practice for Electrathon vehicles.  (Rick Alderette will be track steward.)

Open time on the track for all other vehicles (some constraints will be necessary on numbers and types of vehicles on the track at the same time, to honor insurance guidelines)

11 AM-NOON:  Electrathon Competition (track closed to all other vehicles).  This might be a good time for other folks to enjoy a bag lunch.

NOON-2 PM:  Open time on the track for all vehicles, with constraints as mentioned above.

2:00 PM:  Race to the Grocery Store ( For ALL vehicles.  An experiment, this will be a shortened adaptation of the vision created by Michael Lewis, which some of you have seen.  It's a work in progress.

We will try to give you more details as they unfold.)

4:00 PM:  Farewell

ELECTRATHON FOLKS: You must be a member of Electrathon America to compete www.ElectrathonAmerica.org   There is no registration fee for the Beech Ridge event, as the Maine Energy Education Program has paid the insurance.  At the Electrathon America website you can download the liability release form, which is to be signed by the vehicle driver (who must have a valid driver's license) and presented to the steward.  Drivers under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian co-sign.  I have heard from Falmouth HS, Brunswick HS and Lisbon HS.  An RSVP from others would be welcomed.

As in the past, we will ask for volunteers from Electrathon teams to monitor the four corners of the track during the competition (free t-shirt!).

ALL:  Drinks and munchies will be provided upon arrival, but lunch is up to you.  If we have a large number of vehicles, we will ask for volunteers to be at the corners of the track to monitor the action during open track time.

DIRECTIONS TO BEECH RIDGE:  The Speedway is just minutes south of Portland, ME.  From the Maine Turnpike, north or south, take Exit 42.  Turn left after the toll booth onto Payne Road and go ½ mile.

Turn left again onto Holmes Road and proceed one mile to the Speedway.  We generally enter through Gate 1.

IN THE EVENT OF QUESTIONABLE WEATHER:  A decision to go or no will be made Saturday evening.  Please call Peter Zack (207) 625-3605.

QUESTIONS?  Fire away.

Catch ya soon,

Peter Zack
Maine Energy Education Program
(207) 625-7833

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Google Maps directions from Murphy's in Manchester:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=494+Elm+St,+Manchester,+NH+03101&daddr=Beech+Ridge+Speedway,+Scarborough,+Maine&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.939885,59.765625&ie=UTF8&z=9

Car-pooling to the event could be arranged using eRideShare.com

[jaqeboy]

Anybody want to go to ElectroVelo? We'd have to leave Deerfield 7AM-ish. I think it's pretty informal and loose for the first couple of hours, so no worries if we don't get there exactly at 8!

[doobie]

I'm somewhat interested if I don't realize I had other plans.  Electric cars are cool, too bad I'll probably never actually own one; unless they come up with an inexpensive 200 mile range, AWD electric SUV/truck.

[Pat McCotter]

I really wish people would get their heads around the fact that most of our driving is done within a few miles of home. The internal combustion engine vehicle we drive is very inefficient for this. The electric vehicle, with its 30 mile range, will do this more efficiently. Many of us own two vehicles - why don't we make one of them EV for short trips and use the ICE vehicle for longer trips.

[jaqeboy]

Pat, I've seen interviews with EV owners who've done just that - one is the long-range use vehicle and the other is for the bulk of the other trips people make (locally). I'll look for that interview.

[jaqeboy]

Here's one of the nice-looking EV's out there: http://www.zenncars.com/

[jaqeboy]

This one proves you don't have to stay close to home and go slow: http://www.teslamotors.com/

[jaqeboy]

Jay Leno test drives the Tesla - Elon Musk embarrasses Detroit!

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=229378

[jaqeboy]

The Chinese are coming on strong with the Zap Cars - there's a dealer in Salisbury, Massachusetts.

http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/xebra-sedan

[Pat McCotter]

This one proves you don't have to stay close to home and go slow: http://www.teslamotors.com/

$109,000 - I guess I'll have to wait a while.

[Russell Kanning]

I really wish people would get their heads around the fact that most of our driving is done within a few miles of home. The internal combustion engine vehicle we drive is very inefficient for this. The electric vehicle, with its 30 mile range, will do this more efficiently. Many of us own two vehicles - why don't we make one of them EV for short trips and use the ICE vehicle for longer trips.

sure makes sense
for getting around ... many times a bike or scooter could get 1 person from here to there
for shopping another vehicle might be right
for hauling big things another
for trips hauling people another

one of my friends in California thought it made more sense to have 2 small cars for his family of 8 than one big one ... when they all went someplace ... it was still cheaper to just drive both of them

[jaqeboy]

This one proves you don't have to stay close to home and go slow: http://www.teslamotors.com/

$109,000 - I guess I'll have to wait a while.

Tesla's in production: http://www.carazed.com/2008/03/17/historic-milestone-for-tesla/

and it looks like a lower-priced sedan's coming (still $50K range, but note that the first year's production run of the expensive roadster is sold out!)

[KBCraig]

I'm really hot for the Aptera, but initial sales are limited to California. It's available in both plug-in and hybrid (300 mpg short range, 130 mpg sustained highway).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_Motors
http://www.aptera.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/apteramotors

I don't know how the reverse trike configuration would work in the snow, though. In fast-falling snow, if wagon ruts develop, the rear wheel is going to be riding the ridge. Since the single rear wheel is the only driven wheel, that could be problematic. Not to mention those nice aerodynamic wheel fairings, which would be plowing snow if it builds up over a couple of inches.

[Caleb]

I like the Aptera conceptually, but it's going to have to come way down in price to get into the range where I can afford it.

[jaqeboy]

This is a mean-looking hybrid trike - hard to tell if they are actually in production though, from a quick look at their site.

http://www.flytheroad.com/