http://www.qgazette.com/news/2015-05-13/Features/Manhattan_Man_Builds_Electric_Car.html Manhattan Man Builds Electric Car 2015-05-13
[images http://www.qgazette.com/sites/www.qgazette.com/files/images/2015-05-13/30p1.jpg There are two electric cars (so far) to this story: a 2013 72v DC Electric Roadster with roll cage and canvas body; and a 2015 96v AC Electric “Jeep.” Both cars use the VW chassis system. http://www.qgazette.com/sites/www.qgazette.com/files/images/2015-05-13/30p2.preview.jpg ] Doug Manowitz has built his own car. What started as a science experiment has ended in the construction of a series of electric cars designed for urban use, short range travel and ease of use. Manowitz, who renovates townhouses in the city, purchased at online auction a 72- volt DC forklift motor. His intention was to create a low-voltage, high-torque hoist for use in any building where there might not be adequate Con Edison service or perhaps no service at all. After it became apparent that there would be no need for the motor, he found a junked VW chassis to experiment on. Among the advantages of using an existing chassis, the vehicle may be registered with only a VIN (vehicle identification number) stamped on the frame. A body is not a requirement to pass inspection. Two cars were assembled in the basement of the apartment building garage where Manowitz lives, in Manhattan. The parking garage owners have been very cooperative and installed local 110v convenience outlets for his use near the bays in which Manowitz stores the cars. In both cases he manufactured aluminum adapter plates to mount the motors, and had to find inventive ways to engage the VW drive shaft. In both cases he was fortunate to have the original couplings from the gas engines. “At this point I might add that both cars are ‘clutchless.’ Since the electric motor does not idle when you lift your foot from the accelerator, it is easy to ‘throw’ the transmission into gear. The motor being high-torque will drive the vehicle from rest, even in third gear, although perhaps not efficiently. I might add that we now realize that the newer car with regenerative braking always has the transmission engaged with the motor, unless you pull it into neutral. To shift to a higher gear, you need to ‘double clutch’ or match the rpm of the motor to your coasting speed. Looking into replacing the transmission with a Porsche semi-automatic type to relieve this small problem,” said Manowitz. He has been commuting to work 120 city blocks round trip (about nine miles daily) for two years, weather permitting. The flexibility of the 110v charger permits Manowitz to plug in at the local coffee shop, alongside people plugging in their laptops. “I just carry a 50-foot extension cord in a storage box on board. I frequent restaurants and cafes that have parking in front or nearby and ‘top off’ charge at various waypoints. It frees one from the anxiety of planning a trip around where commercial 220v charging stations may be. And generally in NYC, they are all within parking garages that charge you for parking and again for the use of the charging station. Of course , if you can afford a Tesla, you probably don’t care about the cost of parking,” he said. “The next phase for me is to search out a high school shop class, or a technical school, to collaborate with and teach. I am currently looking for a real estate sponsor to donate industrial space. “Another goal is to contact NYC administration officials, for example the Parks department, and solicit a proposal to furnish them with zero emission electric utility vehicles that are street legal, not NEV type low-speed vehicles. “What we’re doing is really bringing back to life 45-50 year old cars, recycling in a meaningful way, and repurposing “junk” to be functional and clean.” For more photos and some articles, visit Manowitz’ blog at electricroadster.tumblr.com [© qgazette.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/who-are-you-going-to-believe-toyota-or-tesla/2015/05/15/5701760e-f9a7-11e4-a47c-e56f4db884ed_story.html Who are you going to believe: Tesla or Toyota? http://gas2.org/2015/05/15/feedback-hyundai-tucson-fcev-owners/ fcv Refueling Takes Longer Than Advertised http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/05/12/solar-impulse-2-takes-renewable-energy-clean-tech-to-new-heights-says-pilot/ Solar Impulse 2 eplane takes renewable energy and clean tech to new heights, says pilot http://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/solar-batteries-toyota-em4820/ Solar And Old hev Batteries Powering Yellowstone Campus http://bikeportland.org/2015/05/12/first-look-yubas-new-spicy-curry-electric-assist-cargo-bike-143114 Yuba’s new ‘Spicy Curry’ electric-assist cargo bike http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/12/india-rolls-out-ev-incentives/ India Rolls Out EV Incentives for scooters,motorcycles,cars,buses, + http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/14/smith-electric-signs-deal-with-fdg-electric-vehicles-for-new-joint-venture/ Smith Electric,FDG-EVs.cn JV Deal, cn to the rescue again http://evobsession.com/smith-electric-vehicles-signs-agreement-with-chinese-partner/ http://www.dogonews.com/2015/5/1/german-car-manufacturer-audi-creates-fuel-from-air-and-water OT: Audi creates Sunfire fuel from CO2inAir+water+RE> use in a pih http://www.power-eng.com/marketwired/2015/05/14/envision-solar-completes-further-successful-deliveries-of-ev-arc-tm-solar-powered-transportable-ev.html Envision Solar Completes more EV ARC solar EVSE Deliveries http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/14/solar-ev-charging-via-advansolar-crowdfunding-opp/ Solar EV Charging via Advansolar (Crowdfunding Opp) + EVLN: Open Source Street-Legal affordable long-range EV for the masses {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Manowitz-Builds-a-clutchless-Electric-Roadster-in-Manhattan-NY-tp4675581.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)
