EV randomness

Just some pics I find interesting...

Up at the Schiff Land Trust

Look how far we have come in transportation.  I told the driver of the old Impala the BMW was all electric...he had zero interest.  Shame really...kinda scary to think we used to burn leaded gasoline

That's ok guys...I'll wait

3,000 EV miles

It has been 60 days and I just reached 3,000 miles.  That is 3,000 EV miles which means I did them quietly, smoothly and cleanly.  Being a BMW it was also exhilarating and very comfortable.

During these 3,000 miles I even joined some of the other ActiveE drivers in naming their cars...mine is Serenity

EVs work...period.

EVlicious EVent

The NJ East Coast EVent was a huge success today, 30+ EVs and over 20 were ActiveEs...thanks to Tom Moloughney our host and fellow Electronaut.  I remember the first event we had at his place in  August of 2009 with the MiniEs, I think there were just 8 cars.  You can see my original post on that past event here.

In just a few years the EV buzz has escalated, bad press or not, you can't stop the excitement about these cars....they are coming and this time they are coming from many manufacturers.   These are not the days of the EV1 when there was just one manufacturer, today we have over 10 serious brands announcing or have released EVs for the public.  That's right, it is not just GM alone, it is now GM, Tesla, Toyota, Ford, BMW, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Nissan, VW, Audi and Coda to list the key EV brands with 100% EVs or plug-ins.

Today at the NJ East Coast event we had present; BMW ActiveE, Tesla Roadster, Mitsubishi MiEV, Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in, a ZENN and a converted pick-up truck...very cool.  There were even a couple of film crews.

So without further ado here are the pics from today

 I showed up early - my ActiveE is on the right

 Soon more began to arrive

 Some MiEVs pulling in

 We had two Nissan LEAFs come today

 ActiveE row

 A custom EV

 In a word...EVlicious

A naked ActiveE - we are allowed to remove the stripes if we like

ActiveEs to our left

ActiveEs to our right

 We are an ActiveE family

 This is called a ZENN

I fantastic day and now time to head home

As an FYI I did about 55 miles round trip to get to the event, mostly highway, with steep hills and at times over 70mph. Car was full of stuff and 3 people including me.  On the way I was in EcoPro no heat and on the return trip EcoPro was off and I had the AC on the entire return trip...still had 38 miles left when I got home...I'll take it!!

An EVent to remember

April 15th - 10:30am to 1pm EST - Montclair NJ - ActiveE gathering

Posting here in case some have missed it...there will be a huge EV event at my friend Tom's restaurant tomorrow.   We are expecting over 20 EVs!!   Details are here - hope to see you there.

BTW - that's 20 cars potentially running at once and not one bit of pollutant in the air produced...not bad at all

Not cool...

There has been a lot of talk about how do we make EVs safer for pedestrians, I agree with this but why are we only focused on EVs?  Why don't we add sound to hybrids that can coast silently at low speeds, and what of some of the luxury cars that make no sound, not even tire noise that can be detected easily.

I've watched a few videos that show EVs being tested with artificial sound...some of it is just ridiculously bad.  I've got to wonder who are these engineers in charge of these projects, if indeed there are any involved. The sounds that some of these manufacturers choose are awful and scream fake.  Why add engine noise to a car that is naturally quiet?  That is not the answer.  Auto manufacturers need to work together to come up with a solution just like they are doing with battery technology.  Do this right guys - so far what I've seen is a big disappointment.

Yes I know this may be put into law but that does not give manufacturers the excuse to take short cuts with this.

Honestly, I'm sure even with the best safety technology a pedestrian will get hit with an EV one day and the media will have a field day calling them EVil, etc.   Maybe I'll be able to put my own sounds into my EV, I could play Ride of the Valkyries or the theme music from Jaws.

Whatever...

ActiveEveryday

I have had the ActiveE for about one month and have done just over 1,600 fun miles, I'm really liking this EV.  I use it daily which would explain my play on the name in the title....this EV is active and everyday.

I use the ActiveE whenever and wherever I can

I may not put on the miles like some of my other fellow Electronauts but I do lots of short trips which is a real test of the usefulness of a car, I can tell you this car is useful and fun.  With my commute and errands I easily rack up over 40 miles a day with lots of start/stops.  What I mean by start/stop is turning the car off for a bit while I do my errand.  These trips could be a mile down the road or 10 miles to the next town....it really depends on the need but with the ActiveE it is easy.  I hop in and turn it on and I'm off enjoying my little drive.   On the weekends I often do 100 miles or more and my family is along for the ride.  We take lots of different trips here and there all in comfort, a real testament to the effectiveness of this EV as a daily car.   I do not think twice about using it - it is our first choice and I find myself looking for errands so I can go for another quick trip.   I would say the ActiveE meets 80% of our transportation needs - that is huge.  We still have our diesel SUV for the long trips and hauling all the family stuff but it is now the 2nd car.

I think BMW engineers also shop at Costco - like a glove