Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:14:38 -0600
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Electric power vanagon
In-Reply-To: <4919D5F2.8040300@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Uh, I'm sticking up a flag here to see if it gets shot off, given the
current trend of off-topic post tolerance, but I ran across an idea
that could be potentially as beneficial to a vanagon as any other car
and a lot easier than an all-out conversion. Somebody asks about
electrifying a vanagon about every three weeks these day, and the
answer is always that it's the wrong car for the job, and Ken's reply
to Robert's question is right on.
However, what if you are only trying to get better mileage, not
convert a car to total electric power? A local (Madison, Alabama)
inventor has applied for a patent for a device that I thought sounded
dumb at first but I have warmed to the idea after considering it's
potential.
It's a small trailer with a single wheel (I think) and motor and
batteries. It goes behind your car and gives it a boost from the
electric motor, which is run by the batteries which of course plug in
to charge. The idea is not to fully power a car, but to increase its
range and mileage.
I think that putting the wheel under the car rather than as a trailer
would ultimately work better, and, hey, you've got to start somewhere.
Someone could much more easily build such a device than attempt to
totally electrify a vanagon, and you've already got two nice
attachment points back there. What I like about it is that if it won't
push your car down the road all day at 70 mph, at least it might
extend the range of your tank for cheap. Around here, we have all this
TVA hydroelectricity that's dirt cheap compared to what the rest of
the country pays (it's about 6 cent a kWh). It would be a great place
to run--or at least augment-- an electric vanagon.
Jim
On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 12:58 PM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
> Robert,
> It has been done but because of the weight and shape of the Vanagon it
> is not optimal for an electric conversion with the current battery
> technology. Now if batteries could only get much lighter, hold a charge
> longer, and not be so toxic we would all be in electric conversion heaven:-)
>
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
> Robert C wrote:
>>
>> Hello Vanagon Family;
>> Has any one tried to convert a Vanagon to electric motor
>> and how efficient it is? is this conversion High maintenance?
>> I have seen several electric 914 witch has a similar transmission.
>> What are your thoughts on this subject?
>> Robert Campos
>> _________________________________________________________________
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>
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