I have to admit, any information on AC Propulsion’s eBox has somehow slipped under my radar the past couple of years (other than their brief mentioning of plans to use the Scion xA & xB in future conversions, circa 2004).

However, while reading Tom Gage’s presentation at California’s ZEV Technology Symposium (PDF), I happened across a link to Stefano Paris’s First Peek Inside the eBox from August 18th. He had, like I, been looking for some word on their Scion xB conversions and had not heard anything yet either. Fortunately, he was able to get a “casual demonstration” of the conversion (dubbed the “eBox”) out of Tom Gage, President and CEO of AC Propulsion.

Stefano’s review of the eBox includes plenty of photos and some video footage as well.

While I have been impressed with AC Propulsion’s earlier conversions (especially the Honda Civic and the tZero), they’re definitely much more of an R&D house than anything else. In fact, not much of the technical work in this particular conversion is very impressive in itself as they’re just using the same methods and technology they used in the tZero.

What really needs work is their polish. The outside of the vehicle looks great and it sounds like some of the occupant comfort needs have been addressed, but their digital display is very old-school and I’m still not quite sure that a regen lever is the right way to go.

However, it is very good to see 150-180 mile range in something with the cargo and passenger capacity of the Scion xB. Keep up the R&D guys!

I’ve been highly considering one of Electric Motorsport’s Electric GPRs for nearly a year now, but the range just isn’t quite there yet for my current fifty mile commute.

One of these sure would be a lot of fun to weave through the s-curves of Vermont roads on a nice sunny day, but the inherent danger of riding a motorcycle (let alone on a long daily commute) is a bit of a put-off for me. However, as I consider all my options, moving closer to work is a definite possibility and doing so would make an electric motorcycle a more realistic choice.

This stuff is always bouncing around my mind and was brought back to the surface again this morning by a post on Treehugger linking to a video of a guy showing off his electric Derbi GPR-50 conversion.

While I’m more impressed that he did the conversion than the footage of him zipping around on it, I did a little searching and came across a post on electricmotorcycles.net in which they spotlight a few electric motorcycle videos on YouTube. The real find here was the footage of Todd Kollin’s AC Electric GPR (I’ve bugged him about this model a lot via e-mail).

I’m still waiting for some newer battery technology (Li-Ion or Li-Polymer) and some regen, but I can dream, can’t I?

[via Treehugger]

Extra Tidbit: Mike Reish’s (of electricmotorcycles.net) electric Honda CBR 600 F3.

What could make me drool more than advanced, touch sensitive user interfaces and speech recognition controls? How about dropping it in a restored 1964 Volkwagen Deluxe Microbus and topping it off with an all electric drive train!

Feast your eyes on this beauty:

This excellent conversion was done by Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, California (hence the the surfer-inspired bus). From the press release:

In addition to being a cultural icon, the Deluxe Microbus carries a uniquely Californian flavor. With its 21 windows and soft-top canvas roof, the vehicle was a favorite of surfers and adventurers on the West Coast, and is considered a prized collector’s item today. Acknowledging California’s traditionally environmentally friendly attitude, the ERL collaborated with Hybrid Technologies to replace the original VW engine with an all electric drive engine powered by lithium polymer batteries. Surfboards mounted on the roof are also lined with flexible solar panels that provide an additional source of energy to this 100% electric vehicle.

The interior of the bus is full of surprises, with an interactive digital instrument cluster, imbedded capacitive touch-pads, digitally enhanced sound quality, exciting rear seat entertainment options, and speech activated controls available throughout the cabin. The exterior houses several exciting new approaches for keyless entry, LED lighting, wide-angle parking cameras, switchable glass and much more.

Check out some additional photos of the user interface in Jalopnik’s A New Old Bus: Volkswagen Updates a 1964 Microbus with Gadgets.

VW’s ERL definitely has a great attention to detail as the restoration alone is an excellent job, and their decision to hide the modern technology in the original interior seals the deal for me (or would if I could buy one).

As much as I love Vermont, the only reason I couldn’t do an electric conversion like this is the amount of salt they use on the roads during the winter: the bodies of old (and new) cars just can’t hold out against the constant corrosive bombardment for over four months.

Here’s to [California] dreamin’!

[via Treehugger]

Why do electric vehicles interest me so much? I think it’s mostly technical curiosity as I’ve always been fascinated by automobiles (although I’m not much of a mechanic) and electronics (nor am I handy with a soldering iron). However, the other part of it is that my personal automobile history sounds like it was taken from the pages of Edward Gorey’s¹ The Gashlycrumb Tinies:

1. T is for Tercel, who rusted away.
2. T is for Tercel, who’s engine blew up.
3. P is for Protegé, tranny no more.
4. A is for Accent, who lives on today².

The Cars

My first Toyota Tercel (who rusted away³) lasted me a good five years, but I did snap a band in its first transmission, blow the head gasket, and have to put numerous exhaust systems on it (not including all the regular wear and tear). In the end, it was the rust that got it.

My second Toyota Tercel was purchased cheap, already burned oil, and the thermostat failed. During a week of -20°F temperatures, it threw a rod as it ran low on gelling oil (this was only about six months into our relationship).

The Mazda Protegé lasted nearly a year, but I ended up torching the transmission (an automatic) and blowing the tranny seal in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, it too was not worth trying to fix by that point.

And now I’m on my fourth car in nearly nine years: a nice white Hyundai Accent. It marks a bunch of firsts for me: first car purchased with less than 100k miles on it (only 14k, in fact); first with a warranty; first requiring me to get a loan (ouch); and first requiring full insurance (not just liability; double ouch). It has been a good, reliable, and relatively efficient, car so far.

Environmental Impact

Having already donated three cars to the junkyard (not including the car that I learned to drive on, which rusted out shortly before mine) and having been commuting approximately 100 miles to and from work for the last three years (and no small amount of miles put on my cars before that), I feel that I’ve burdened our planet with much more than my fair share of an environmental impact. And that’s only the automotive front.

I’ve looked for better automotive technologies, but electric is the only technology that can be made clean enough to really have the least environmental impact as we move forward. Yes, I realize that a lot of electricity is currently generated from fossil fuels, but it doesn’t have to be, and it still tends to come out cleaner to drive an electric car than a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle.

Most of the changes needing to be made to reduce pollution and the overall environmental impact are personal and societal habits, such as: carpooling and taking public transportation more, walking & bicycling more (therefore driving less), telecommuting more (again, driving less), but we still need to cut down on the emissions from our vehicles when we drive. Electric vehicles can provide a truly zero emission solution and companies such as Tesla Motors are proving that electric vehicles with good ranges can be developed.

¹ I grew up with a poster of The Gashlycrumb Tinies outside my bedroom door.

² I apologize for my atrocious attempt at an automobile-related tribute to The Gashlycrumb Tinies. It’s not really an alphabet and although I got the meter right, I didn’t bother to actually do the AABB rhyme scheme. {sigh}

³ Here in Vermont, they salt the roads so much in the winter that your car isn’t likely to fight off rust for more than 5 years (judging by my experience) unless you get it oil undercoated (a messy, and definitely not environmentally friendly, process) before its first winter. Even then, it won’t last more than ten years unless garaged and washed regularly. Obviously, not everybody can be so fortunate.

I’ve been interested in alternative energy vehicles, and especially electric vehicles, for a couple years now and had planned (and started… many times) to write a few articles regarding my findings, my opinions, and my plans. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have completed any of said articles for one reason or another.

With the recent announcement of the Tesla Roadster, I find myself wanting one more and more with each passing day. Of course, I can’t and won’t be able to afford one, but I’ve had a number of different electric vehicle conversions in mind for a while now. I’ve looked at other alternative energy solutions, but haven’t found one that’s as clean and efficient as electric.

In order to get some of the ideas and conclusions I’ve come to regarding to electric vehicles out of my head and onto the web, I’m going to start posting shorter journal entries about them and my current automobile situation.

And I thought the AC Propulsion tZero was cool, check out Tesla Motors’ Roadster which was announced on the 19th:

Features:

• Electric Drive-train (AC)
• Advanced Lithium-Ion battery pack.
• 250 mile range
• Optional hard top
• Available in Black or White (among others)
• And more...

This looks very much like the 1995 Toyota MR2 Electric Conversion I’ve considered in the past. If it turns out it really has a 250 mile range, I may have to try to raise a little capital!

Seriously, though, they’ve got some other good information on their site, even if it’s glossed over a little bit for marketing purposes. They have a blog as well.

Update: Somewhere in the $80-120k range when it’s first released (via Autoblog).

[via Slashdot]