Day 2 with Electro Automotive

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well! As for me today, I helped Mike break down their Volkswagen Rabbit model car.  

We started by removing all sixteen batteries, each weighing in around 76 pounds.  

Next we removed several components of the conversion, such as: power braking system, battery inter-cooling fan, the battery charging controller, the controller, the pot box, the DC/DC converter, all the battery interconnects, and other various wires. 

When we were done, this is what was left in the front of the car... So there is a little bit more left to finish up tomorrow..

But now for the news... As most of you know, Phil Conserva (the producer of CSI) was our commencement speaker, and he is big into electric cars.. He is affiliated with Trexa, which makes driving platforms for smaller vehicles (google them and watch the video, it's worth it) and he was able to get me in contact with their CEO.. and they saw some pictures of our project online and they are willing to help us by getting us a battery pack at cost, which is great, but also leaves some more questions to be answered with how will the system work with the medium kit from Electro Automotive.. So I'm working on that while I'm here too! I'd love to go see their shop, but I don't think I'll have time to visit it unfortunately... 

Stayed tuned for more updates and pictures of the disassembled Rabbit!

RC Electric Meets Electro Automotive

Hey guys just updating the blog from California! I'm here visiting Electro Automotive to see how the conversions are set up and performed.  Yesterday I met Shari Prange and Mike Brown, and got to see the car in which we will be working on, pictured below...

 After meeting them at Bryant's Auto Electric, I followed them back to their shop at their home in Felton, CA to see how it was set up and what they were working on.  

Mike was working on a blue EV that had been purchased by a friend from someone who did the conversion on their own... And it was not making the grade to say the least... So I got to help Mike design and manufacture a new mount for the liquid cooled controller (seen below).

Today, I get to help them disassemble the car for the workshop that they will be performing next week.  So please stay posted for more updates and pictures from my trip! Also, I have some other big news for RC Electric that I will be posting about later today!

RC Electric Receives more National Recognition

RC Electric Receives more National Recognition

More national recognition! Here over the last couple weeks electric car has blown up all over the web, and most recently on USA Today. It has also been mentioned by the Nissan Leaf Facebook page, and has over a hundred likes and eleven re-posts! Autoweek also has recently featured the car in an article! Be sure to follow the blog over the next couple weeks due to a trip to our friends at Electro Automotive!

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/06/roanoke-college-electric-car/1#.T9VH8tVYunk

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120607/GREEN/120609869

First National Recognition on Discovery Channel

First National Acclaim!  The electric was featured on Discovery Channel's website.  We almost immediately got 460 likes and 37 tweets.  If we can accrue enough likes our car will move on to the next level of press.  So go check it out and like our car!

The 1939 Pontiac Silver Streak made its first public appearance at graduation on May 5, 2012. Phil Conserva, Co-producer of tv show CSI and Roanoke College graduate, was the commencment speaker and met with the graduating environmental students about the car.

Orchard Expansion 3/12/2012

Action shot of Charles Leonard "taking a junk tree to task" with the help of his trusty chainsaw.  Of course, very precise ecological geophysics protocols were observed in the completion of the aformentioned procedure. 



Daniel Waters pensively contemplating the meaning of human existance as he gazes off into the horizon immediately after grafting a new apple variety against a backdrop of old sub-Appalachian meadows.

Hey, look, another nice graft.

On March 12, 2012; the Roanoke College Environmental Studies program students prepared the orchard area at Alta Mons for orchard expansion.  This was essentially a three-part process of removing mature "scab" trees from the site, planting an additional 34 apple whips at regular intervals in a rectangular ground-plan, and cleft grafting of the apple trees with international/domestic heritage varieties.  The last of these three steps was finished on March 17, with additional assistance from  Roanoke College Earthbound volunteers.

Alta Mons Initiative: Apple Orchard Progress (3/17/2012)

On the morning and early afternoon of St. Patrick's day, the following modifications have been completed in/around the Roanoke College Environmental Studies Program's Heritage Orchard:

• Removal of [mature] scrap trees which were shading out new growth apples and/or cluttering the orchard space, which is currently composed of four rows extending from behind the Pearman Retreat House towards the horse pasture.
• Planting of apple trees to bring the total number to forty eight trees.
• Grafting of approximately thirty varieties of apples on the extant trees.
• Removal of ailanthus altissima colony on the site, which was previously spreading new growth uphill towards the orchard.
• Flagging of future elm tree placements along the interior side of the fence-line (opposite the road, extending from the Pearman House to the Purgatory Creek crossing).

We would like to thank the staff/volunteers at Camp Alta Mons for assistance in ailanthus removal and providing an excellent lunch for the Environmental Science 400 and Earthbound students.