http://www.thestar.com/autos/2015/04/10/bud-tucker-from-racetrack-muscle-to-eco-leaf.html Bud Tucker: From racetrack muscle to eco Leaf Tim Miller / Apr 10 2015
[image http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/autos/2015/04/10/bud-tucker-from-racetrack-muscle-to-eco-leaf/bud-tucker-today.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg Former track star William "Bud" Tucker, 78, is still working in and around cars but now with a green, not gas-guzzling agenda ] VANCOUVER—Once upon a time, William “Bud” Tucker won car racing championships while driving gasoline-guzzling gorillas. Now he’s gone green, not only driving electric cars but promoting them as the future. And the EV that Tucker drives regularly around Maple Ridge, B.C. isn’t even a performance-oriented Tesla but a Nissan Leaf. Now 78, Tucker — who once drove a stint in a Formula One racing car — works in the service department of Morrey Nissan in suburban Coquitlam and shuttles customers around in the all-electric Leaf, one of the few EVs on the market. Driving this zero-emissions car is a far cry from one of his former rides, a big-block-powered American Motors AMX set up for road racing. “It was the biggest damn sports car you ever saw,” notes Tucker, while taking part in the recent Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) annual Eco-Run. Tucker gave up his passion for auto racing in the early 1970s after settling in Calgary. A camping trip to Vancouver Island later beckoned him and his family to move to British Columbia. “We just fell in love with the place.” Since he moved to B.C. in 1991, he has witnessed the shift to greener vehicles and environmentalism. The change was slow at first but Tucker, a former racer of MGs, Austin-Healeys and a Cooper Maserati at Ontario circuits such as Mosport, has come around. “I think it’s safe to say I am a green person,” he says. “Over the past few years, I have seen a dramatic difference in people’s attitudes. We have seen the start of an evolution from gas-guzzling cars and trucks to alternatives. “I’ve spent the last two years teaching the public in eco-friendly driving. Not just as a shuttle driver with the Nissan Leaf, but I have helped with other aspects of promoting the EV, such as helping to install electric charging stations here in town. I also take part in displaying and talking about the Leaf and EVs in general at various venues such as local car shows and at malls.” One of the main detractions of an electric car is its limited distance range, but Tucker counters with a scenario plausible in everyday life. “The situation must be suitable,” he says about operating an EV. “For example, a family owns and drives an EV as their second car. While dad goes to work, mom drives the kids to school in the EV, plugs it in when she returns, perhaps takes it out shopping later in the day, returns home and plugs it back in, and then heads off to pick up the kids at school. Then, after the evening meal, the car is fully charged for the family to head out to a soccer game or whatever. “In this way the car is always charged up, and this is the proper application for using an electric car.” ... “I’m a great proponent of EVs,” he says. “I am a firm believer. They offer instant torque and incredible acceleration. I have put about 24,000 kilometers in 24 months on the Leaf and there have been no problems.” “It is going to take a number of years to get more people into electric cars,” concedes Tucker. “The infrastructure is not there yet. EV owners need access to more charging stations, but it is beginning to happen. Hotels and motels and other businesses are starting to add charging stations, and some places are installing four and five stations for multiple EV users. “It will only get better from here.” [© thestar.com] ... http://www.elp.com/news/2015/04/11/from-racetrack-muscle-to-eco-leaf-br-br-former-racing-champion-bud-tucker-now-an-evangelist-for-gree.html From racetrack muscle to eco Leaf; Former racing champion Bud Tucker now an evangelist for green motoring, electric cars 2015-04-11 Tim Miller For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/04/11/3801s873769.htm Pihsiang's achensa.com 1to4seat.tw nEV r:80km ts:50kph http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2015/04/11/4da301c0d35449ffa98741ac53f4d6cd.jpg http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2015/04/09/433186/Nation-should.htm Premier.tw Mao sez eliminate 2stroke-ice-scooters> go electric soon http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/japan-e-tricycle-maker-targets-6000-units-makes-the-philippines-its-hub/ Bemac.jp 68VM e-trike makes the Philippines its hub, targets 6k units http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/04/11/1442575/ikot-e-kot-electric-vehicles-invade-campuses From Ikot to e-kot: EVs invade Philippine campuses http://insideevs.com/renault-samsung-target-1000-sm3-sales-south-korea-2015/ Renault-Samsung Target 1,000 SM3 Sales In South Korea In 2015 http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/h.jpg http://evfleetworld.co.uk/news/2015/Apr/Florence-converts-60-percent-of-city-fleet-to-electric-vehicles/0438019342 Florence converts 60% of city fleet to electric vehicles http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11428210 Utility mightyriver.co.nz CEO Whineray wants a 70% plugin fleet http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=53830&latest=1 3 L2 EVSE @Mount-Pearl.ca http://www.leducrep.com/2015/04/02/green-highway-runs-through-leduc Free L2 100A suncountryhighway.com EVSE @peaveymart.com Leduc.ca http://storage.leducrep.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297682796560_ORIGINAL.jpg + EVLN: Hertz rolls out Nissan LEAF EV on London.uk fleet {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Racer-William-Bud-Tucker-now-drives-w-a-Leaf-EV-agenda-tp4674929.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
