Saw my first factory made EV today..

Xringer · 05-06-13, 07:01 PM

Coming home from lunch (on the bikes), I spotted the EV just off the bike trail in Lexington..
Never saw any EV at that recharging station before.. 1st one!
It was beautiful! Even my wife liked it. That last EV I saw was an
old DIY pickup converted to short range, using LA batteries.
The very last time I saw it, it was being pulled behind a diesel pickup..

An odd thing happened on the bike trail this morning..(On the way to lunch)
We were crossing an intersection and I saw a bike trail sign that said, "No Motor Vehicles".
The second I saw that sign, I started thinking 'And no electrically assisted bicycles either"..
Next, I started thinking about how easy it would be to use a small hub motor
and somehow camouflage the battery pack.
In the blink of an eye, an electrically assisted bike zoomed past me!
And the rider was wearing a leaf pattern camouflage jacket!

Since I've never seen an Ebike on the path before, (nor a camo wearing rider), I think it was a very odd coincidence...

Ryland · 05-07-13, 12:29 AM

Topic of e-bikes on bike paths, most state laws say that Ebikes can be used on bike paths, just not under power of the motor, of course that varies state to state and that law is pretty much not enforced unless the person is causing problems.

I've seen a few factory built electric vehicles here in Wisconsin, mine of course, but it's 31 years old, a Tesla Roadster on a back road, a few Volts driving around town (4 of them) and a few Leaf's at the electric auto club meetings that are 50 miles away and of course the gas cars that have been converted to electric, like what my parents drive.

randen · 05-07-13, 04:07 AM

Here in southwestern Ontario there has been a siting. An orange Tesla roadster went by me as I was at the mailbox. The car had actually pulled out to pass another as I turned to see it. There was no sound of an engine dropping into a lower gear and howling away. Only a sound of wind, but that was it.

Randen

Xringer · 05-07-13, 07:51 AM

That S model is one sweet looking car. Liked the EV license plate too..
Got a tiny little green car on it. The car is dragging a little green AC cord..

"Uses: Bicycling, walking, jogging, in-line skating, cross-country skiing. No motorized vehicles allowed, except for powered wheelchairs."

Bikeway-Bikeway Basics

Not so sure Ebikes are welcome on the path.. Maybe, in Stealth mode..
The Ebike I saw had a pretty large rear-hub motor and one of those large
brick shaped (metal) battery boxes mounted flat, above the rear wheel.
Because of the way it was gaining speed, I think he might have been using a few watts of assist..

Daox · 05-30-13, 01:15 PM

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind having one of those parked in the garage...

NeilBlanchard · 05-30-13, 05:47 PM

I've seen two Tesla Model S's so far, and I see 2-3 Leafs and 2-3 Volts per week.

Xringer · 06-06-13, 01:50 AM

It's amazing. The charger stations were always empty..

This morning on the way to lunch, we saw a Ford C-max plugged in..
After lunch, we saw a Nissan Leaf plugged in!!

The Ford looked really nice..

NeilBlanchard · 06-06-13, 05:27 AM

I'm wondering what the NEXT electric car I see will be: an Chevy Spark EV, an Fiat 500e, a Honda Fit EV, or a Smart Electric Drive?

Public charging stations are great, but the three of my family members who drive an EV have yet to ever use a public charging station.

Xringer · 06-06-13, 09:00 AM

Maybe the city of Lexington is buying them for their employees.?.
So their charging stations won't always be empty.?.

That C-Max looked like it might be a pretty nice 'stuff' hauler. Not as small as I expected.
My wife liked the 'cute little door' where the Leaf plugs in.

Mikesolar · 06-07-13, 05:21 PM

A potential client too me for a ride in his new tesla S like the one above. Porsche 911 like acceleration (which does reduce the range) but he had gone 80km and the computer said he had about 250km left. He is a spirited driver. We figured out the cost per km and my 1 tonne truck is about $.11/km and his was $0.03/km. I'm impressed and with the back seats down, he can fit his bike in the back without turning the wheel up. Nice.

05-06-13, 07:01 PM	#1
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Saw my first factory made EV today.. Coming home from lunch (on the bikes), I spotted the EV just off the bike trail in Lexington.. Never saw any EV at that recharging station before.. 1st one! It was beautiful! Even my wife liked it. That last EV I saw was an old DIY pickup converted to short range, using LA batteries. The very last time I saw it, it was being pulled behind a diesel pickup.. An odd thing happened on the bike trail this morning..(On the way to lunch) We were crossing an intersection and I saw a bike trail sign that said, "No Motor Vehicles". The second I saw that sign, I started thinking 'And no electrically assisted bicycles either".. Next, I started thinking about how easy it would be to use a small hub motor and somehow camouflage the battery pack. In the blink of an eye, an electrically assisted bike zoomed past me! And the rider was wearing a leaf pattern camouflage jacket! Since I've never seen an Ebike on the path before, (nor a camo wearing rider), I think it was a very odd coincidence... __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

05-07-13, 07:51 AM	#4
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	That S model is one sweet looking car. Liked the EV license plate too.. Got a tiny little green car on it. The car is dragging a little green AC cord.. "Uses: Bicycling, walking, jogging, in-line skating, cross-country skiing. No motorized vehicles allowed, except for powered wheelchairs." Bikeway-Bikeway Basics Not so sure Ebikes are welcome on the path.. Maybe, in Stealth mode.. The Ebike I saw had a pretty large rear-hub motor and one of those large brick shaped (metal) battery boxes mounted flat, above the rear wheel. Because of the way it was gaining speed, I think he might have been using a few watts of assist.. Attached Thumbnails __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

05-30-13, 01:15 PM	#5
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind having one of those parked in the garage... __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

06-06-13, 01:50 AM	#7
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Wow, two more today! It's amazing. The charger stations were always empty.. This morning on the way to lunch, we saw a Ford C-max plugged in.. After lunch, we saw a Nissan Leaf plugged in!! The Ford looked really nice.. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

06-06-13, 09:00 AM	#9
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Maybe the city of Lexington is buying them for their employees.?. So their charging stations won't always be empty.?. That C-Max looked like it might be a pretty nice 'stuff' hauler. Not as small as I expected. My wife liked the 'cute little door' where the Leaf plugs in. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

05-07-13, 12:29 AM	#2
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	Topic of e-bikes on bike paths, most state laws say that Ebikes can be used on bike paths, just not under power of the motor, of course that varies state to state and that law is pretty much not enforced unless the person is causing problems. I've seen a few factory built electric vehicles here in Wisconsin, mine of course, but it's 31 years old, a Tesla Roadster on a back road, a few Volts driving around town (4 of them) and a few Leaf's at the electric auto club meetings that are 50 miles away and of course the gas cars that have been converted to electric, like what my parents drive.

05-07-13, 04:07 AM	#3
randen Uber EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Strathroy Ontario Canada Posts: 657 Thanks: 9 Thanked 191 Times in 129 Posts	Here in southwestern Ontario there has been a siting. An orange Tesla roadster went by me as I was at the mailbox. The car had actually pulled out to pass another as I turned to see it. There was no sound of an engine dropping into a lower gear and howling away. Only a sound of wind, but that was it. Randen

05-30-13, 05:47 PM	#6
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	I've seen two Tesla Model S's so far, and I see 2-3 Leafs and 2-3 Volts per week.

06-06-13, 05:27 AM	#8
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	I'm wondering what the NEXT electric car I see will be: an Chevy Spark EV, an Fiat 500e, a Honda Fit EV, or a Smart Electric Drive? Public charging stations are great, but the three of my family members who drive an EV have yet to ever use a public charging station.

06-07-13, 05:21 PM	#10
Mikesolar Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 958 Thanks: 40 Thanked 158 Times in 150 Posts	A potential client too me for a ride in his new tesla S like the one above. Porsche 911 like acceleration (which does reduce the range) but he had gone 80km and the computer said he had about 250km left. He is a spirited driver. We figured out the cost per km and my 1 tonne truck is about $.11/km and his was $0.03/km. I'm impressed and with the back seats down, he can fit his bike in the back without turning the wheel up. Nice.