Fwd: [calcars-news] Digest Number 717
4 views
Skip to first unread message
Timothy Hitchcock
Sep 13, 2011, 1:29:35 PM9/13/11
to ecars-no...@googlegroups.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <calcar...@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 1:15 AM
Subject: [calcars-news] Digest Number 717
To: calcar...@yahoogroups.com
There is 1 message in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Wondering What CalCars Has Been Up To?
From: Felix Kramer
Message
________________________________________________________________________
1. Wondering What CalCars Has Been Up To?
Posted by: "Felix Kramer" fkr...@calcars.org felixkramery
Date: Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:34 pm ((PDT))
Here's an update on how CalCars (and FelixKramer and Ron Gremban as
well as Andy Frank) have been keeping busy, on some awards we've
received, and several events where we're presenting in the San
Francisco Bay Area in the coming weeks -- plus a promising national
conversion conference we want everyone to know about.
(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)
STAYING CURRENT ON PLUG-IN VEHICLES: You haven't gotten an email from
CalCars in some time....That's in part because these days, there are
more and more ways to get information on plug-in vehicles. Beyond the
growing general consumer, business and technical media coverage of
plug-ins, we rely on the specialized sites you'll find at
http://www.calcars.org/partners.html#media . Since they, and our
partnering advocacy groups, do such a great job, these days, we feel
the need to chime in on broad topics only occasionally.
We believe we were on the right track when we "declared victory" back
in October 2009 http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1078.html --at a
point when we knew PHEVs were definitely coming to market. As we
cautioned then and since, that triumph is just a first step. The
success of PHEVs (and EVs) is far from guaranteed, and there's so
much more for us all to do. And now, with limited time and resources,
CalCars-News will no longer chronicle every important new development on PHEVs!
WE'RE STILL PROMOTING "THE BIG FIX:" We continue to campaign for,
highlight news about, and offer our perspective and analysis on at
least one urgent topic you won't easily find elsewhere. We're talking
about CalCars' chief continuing objective: To scale up a giant new
global/local industry converting tens of millions of existing
internal combustion vehicles to safe, warrantied, affordable EVs and
PHEVs. It's an uphill change. But we're increasingly sure it's
essential in order for vehicle electrification to have a significant
impact on fossil fuel use within the next 15 years -- and therefore
on greenhouse gases and energy security. See
http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html for more.
NEWS FROM CALCARS' FOUNDER: FELIX KRAMER continues to advocate for
plug-in vehicles in general, and do all he can to foster the success
of individual companies building gas-guzzler conversion businesses.
He and his family enjoy driving a Chevy Volt and a Nissan Leaf, and
he is advising several plug-in-related companies. In the face of
daunting national and global developments threatening the progress of
plug-in vehicles, cleantech, and responses to climate change, he's
active in groups including Environmental Entrepreneurs
http://www.e2.org (see below), the reincarnation of the Alliance for
Climate Protection http://climaterealityproject.org/ (watch on Sept.
14) and the global campaign sparked by Bill McKibben
http://www.350.org . He's also about to relocate from the San
Francisco Peninsula to North Berkeley, remodeling a home within
walking/biking distance of everything, including great mass transit.
There he has hopes to demonstrate several green innovations!
NEWS FROM CALCARS TECHNOLOGY LEAD: RON GREMBAN continues to monitor
and analyze the latest advances in battery technologies, and to
promote the value of converting millions of the one billion vehicles
now on the world's roads to plug in so they can drive some or all of
their future miles on electricity. He sees the main current
challenge for all environmental progress as the new, increasingly
powerful and combative anti-science wing of U.S. politics. With
CalCars running on fumes, he makes a living as a vehicle
electrification consultant -- he's available! He's on the Green
Flight engineering team http://www.beyond-aviation.com/, working with
Cessna and partners toward a commercial electric airplane. Along the
way, he's become an electric motor expert. He's a founding member of
startup Swift Tram http://swifttram.com/, a personal/group rapid
transit with autonomous suspended monorails. He's been investigating
credible evidence of LENR (cold fusion), has a couple of quieter
projects in the works, and always has more to do than there are hours
in the day.
NEWS FROM PHEV INVENTOR: ANDY FRANK has wound down his four-decade
long academic career, most notably as Professor of Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering at UC Davis:
http://www.calcars.org/history.html He was recently named an Alumnus
of the Year for Excellence in Achievement by the UC Berkeley Alumni
Association, and was one of the Automotive News "Electrifying 100."
He says he's now down to "one job" as co-founder and Chief of
Technology at Efficient Drivetrains Inc.
http://www.efficientdrivetrains.com/. EDI recently announced an
important contract for a project in China. And, in a Goliath-vs-David
moment, Toyota has pre-emptively sued EDI over its intellectual
property: a portfolio of fundamental patents on
hybrid/drivetrain/electronics. (Few outlets other than
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/toyota-involoved-in-hybrid-patent-infringement-case-with-efficie/
noticed this news. We've often heard it said that over the past
decades, "Andy has solved problems that other companies didn't know
existed." DISCLOSURE: Felix is an advisor to EDI.)
THREE EARLY VOLT OWNERS' LIFETIME PERFORMANCE: Since getting their
cars in December http://www.calcars.org/photos-plugins-arrive.html ,
in order of lowest gasoline use:
* Ron Gremban, driving mostly locally in Marin County and the San
Francisco Bay Area, 4,729 miles, 151 MPG of gasoline. (His partner
continues to drive the CalCars first Prius conversion, with a new
pack from PlugInConversions.com, getting 100+MPG of gasoline most of the time.)
* Andy Frank has driven mostly in the Sacramento area, 8,900
miles,107 MPG of gasoline.
* Felix Kramer relies on the Leaf for local driving, with the Volt
reserved for second household trips and beyond-Leaf-range driving.
That includes 10 round-trips (each 450+ miles) to Lake Tahoe and
dozens of 80+ mile trips in the Bay Area. Hence the 11,269 miles at a
still-high 62 MPG of gasoline. This reflects over 6,000 miles as a
standard hybrid (once the battery is depleted). GM, determined to
meet its end of 2010 deadline for the Volt, focused on optimizing EV
mode and pulled in an off-the-shelf Austrian GM engine, getting
35-40PG. We expect that the customized second-generation design of
the 2013 Chevy Volt will perform significantly better, as did the
Prius over time.
CALCARS ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
* ELECTRIFYING 100: As part of a conference, Automotive News put
together its list of movers and shakers in the plug-in world. Felix
was included
http://www.autonews.com/article/20110613/ELECTRIC100/306139959/-1 as
was John Thomas of conversion company ALTe. See the complete list
with links to writeups at
http://www.autonews.com/article/20110613/ELECTRIC100/306139959/-1
* BREATH CALIFORNIA AWARD: CalCars received a "2011 Clean Air Award"
from "Breathe California" (the organization formed in 2006 to
continue locally the work of the American Lung Association). CA State
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg was the keynoter. For the
dozen winners see http://www.cleanairawards.org . Hear a three-minute
on-the-spot audio interview
http://events.ggbreathe.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Clean_Air_2011_Winners#californiacars
* FAMOUS PRIUS PHEV#8 GETS NEW OWNERS: The iconic white CalCars Prius
seen on many images in the media and at
http://www.CalCars.org/photos, veteran of a historic trip in 2006 to
Washington DC, is now owned by Catherine and Peter Fox, plug-in fans in San Francisco. (Felix Kramer and Rochelle
Lefkowitz no longer have to apologize for owning three plug-in cars.)
The vehicle, still sporting its "100+MPG" and CalCars signs, mostly
drives locally in the Bay Area. See photo of the new owners at
http://www.calcars.org/photos-groups.html .
MAKING UNEXPECTED INROADS IN WASHINGTON DC: A few months ago, when a
bit more of a nonpartisan spirit prevailed, Felix Kramer joined a
delegation of several members of Environmental Entrepreneurs from
around the country with teams that visited dozens of Senators,
Representatives and key agency officials and their staffs, making the
case that investing and spending on efficiency, renewable energy and
a low-carbon economy can generate jobs, save money, and improve
economic and strategic security. The role of plug-in vehicles figured
significantly in almost every meeting. See Felix's and other
delegates' "talking points" for meetings at
http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docName=dc2011webDelegateTPs . His report:
Our delegation came to DC with something different: tales that
short-circuited preconceptions. Those we met with were all ears when
we described jobs created and security benefits from clean
technologies ready to go. Even those who had opposed loans to
automakers were glad to hear about our broad nonpartisan's
coalition's success in bringing plug-in technologies to Detroit.
Their response: give us more stories we can use!
The biggest and most gratifying surprise was the reception we
received at the Pentagon. The Defense Department and all the branches
of the military are focusing on renewable energy to improve logistics
and operations. A retired general and a retired SEAL opened doors for
us. See E2's newsletter describing the trip and listing the officials
visited at
http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docId=25888&anchorName=DCAdvocacy_Spring2011
DON'T-MISS EVENTS: See http://www.calcars.org/events.html for
details on all these (and a long list of our activities going all the
way back):
* Post-Petroleum Transportation Panel this Thursday in Berkeley
* Green Drive Expo: all-day San Francisco Bay Area event this Saturday
* EV Conversion Expo: an intriguing conference Sept. 21-25 in Missouri
* EV Rally: CalCars' fifth year at this Palo Alto event Sept. 24
* The Networked EV: Greentech Media conference in SF Oct. 20
Thanks for your interest and support and for continuing to spread the word
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkr...@calcars.org
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Messages in this topic (1)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/
<*> Your email settings:
Digest Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
calcars-n...@yahoogroups.com
calcars-news...@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
calcars-news...@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: <calcar...@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 1:15 AM
Subject: [calcars-news] Digest Number 717
To: calcar...@yahoogroups.com
There is 1 message in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Wondering What CalCars Has Been Up To?
From: Felix Kramer
Message
________________________________________________________________________
1. Wondering What CalCars Has Been Up To?
Posted by: "Felix Kramer" fkr...@calcars.org felixkramery
Date: Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:34 pm ((PDT))
Here's an update on how CalCars (and FelixKramer and Ron Gremban as
well as Andy Frank) have been keeping busy, on some awards we've
received, and several events where we're presenting in the San
Francisco Bay Area in the coming weeks -- plus a promising national
conversion conference we want everyone to know about.
(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be
viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can
add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)
STAYING CURRENT ON PLUG-IN VEHICLES: You haven't gotten an email from
CalCars in some time....That's in part because these days, there are
more and more ways to get information on plug-in vehicles. Beyond the
growing general consumer, business and technical media coverage of
plug-ins, we rely on the specialized sites you'll find at
http://www.calcars.org/partners.html#media . Since they, and our
partnering advocacy groups, do such a great job, these days, we feel
the need to chime in on broad topics only occasionally.
We believe we were on the right track when we "declared victory" back
in October 2009 http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1078.html --at a
point when we knew PHEVs were definitely coming to market. As we
cautioned then and since, that triumph is just a first step. The
success of PHEVs (and EVs) is far from guaranteed, and there's so
much more for us all to do. And now, with limited time and resources,
CalCars-News will no longer chronicle every important new development on PHEVs!
WE'RE STILL PROMOTING "THE BIG FIX:" We continue to campaign for,
highlight news about, and offer our perspective and analysis on at
least one urgent topic you won't easily find elsewhere. We're talking
about CalCars' chief continuing objective: To scale up a giant new
global/local industry converting tens of millions of existing
internal combustion vehicles to safe, warrantied, affordable EVs and
PHEVs. It's an uphill change. But we're increasingly sure it's
essential in order for vehicle electrification to have a significant
impact on fossil fuel use within the next 15 years -- and therefore
on greenhouse gases and energy security. See
http://www.calcars.org/ice-conversions.html for more.
NEWS FROM CALCARS' FOUNDER: FELIX KRAMER continues to advocate for
plug-in vehicles in general, and do all he can to foster the success
of individual companies building gas-guzzler conversion businesses.
He and his family enjoy driving a Chevy Volt and a Nissan Leaf, and
he is advising several plug-in-related companies. In the face of
daunting national and global developments threatening the progress of
plug-in vehicles, cleantech, and responses to climate change, he's
active in groups including Environmental Entrepreneurs
http://www.e2.org (see below), the reincarnation of the Alliance for
Climate Protection http://climaterealityproject.org/ (watch on Sept.
14) and the global campaign sparked by Bill McKibben
http://www.350.org . He's also about to relocate from the San
Francisco Peninsula to North Berkeley, remodeling a home within
walking/biking distance of everything, including great mass transit.
There he has hopes to demonstrate several green innovations!
NEWS FROM CALCARS TECHNOLOGY LEAD: RON GREMBAN continues to monitor
and analyze the latest advances in battery technologies, and to
promote the value of converting millions of the one billion vehicles
now on the world's roads to plug in so they can drive some or all of
their future miles on electricity. He sees the main current
challenge for all environmental progress as the new, increasingly
powerful and combative anti-science wing of U.S. politics. With
CalCars running on fumes, he makes a living as a vehicle
electrification consultant -- he's available! He's on the Green
Flight engineering team http://www.beyond-aviation.com/, working with
Cessna and partners toward a commercial electric airplane. Along the
way, he's become an electric motor expert. He's a founding member of
startup Swift Tram http://swifttram.com/, a personal/group rapid
transit with autonomous suspended monorails. He's been investigating
credible evidence of LENR (cold fusion), has a couple of quieter
projects in the works, and always has more to do than there are hours
in the day.
NEWS FROM PHEV INVENTOR: ANDY FRANK has wound down his four-decade
long academic career, most notably as Professor of Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering at UC Davis:
http://www.calcars.org/history.html He was recently named an Alumnus
of the Year for Excellence in Achievement by the UC Berkeley Alumni
Association, and was one of the Automotive News "Electrifying 100."
He says he's now down to "one job" as co-founder and Chief of
Technology at Efficient Drivetrains Inc.
http://www.efficientdrivetrains.com/. EDI recently announced an
important contract for a project in China. And, in a Goliath-vs-David
moment, Toyota has pre-emptively sued EDI over its intellectual
property: a portfolio of fundamental patents on
hybrid/drivetrain/electronics. (Few outlets other than
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/07/27/toyota-involoved-in-hybrid-patent-infringement-case-with-efficie/
noticed this news. We've often heard it said that over the past
decades, "Andy has solved problems that other companies didn't know
existed." DISCLOSURE: Felix is an advisor to EDI.)
THREE EARLY VOLT OWNERS' LIFETIME PERFORMANCE: Since getting their
cars in December http://www.calcars.org/photos-plugins-arrive.html ,
in order of lowest gasoline use:
* Ron Gremban, driving mostly locally in Marin County and the San
Francisco Bay Area, 4,729 miles, 151 MPG of gasoline. (His partner
continues to drive the CalCars first Prius conversion, with a new
pack from PlugInConversions.com, getting 100+MPG of gasoline most of the time.)
* Andy Frank has driven mostly in the Sacramento area, 8,900
miles,107 MPG of gasoline.
* Felix Kramer relies on the Leaf for local driving, with the Volt
reserved for second household trips and beyond-Leaf-range driving.
That includes 10 round-trips (each 450+ miles) to Lake Tahoe and
dozens of 80+ mile trips in the Bay Area. Hence the 11,269 miles at a
still-high 62 MPG of gasoline. This reflects over 6,000 miles as a
standard hybrid (once the battery is depleted). GM, determined to
meet its end of 2010 deadline for the Volt, focused on optimizing EV
mode and pulled in an off-the-shelf Austrian GM engine, getting
35-40PG. We expect that the customized second-generation design of
the 2013 Chevy Volt will perform significantly better, as did the
Prius over time.
CALCARS ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
* ELECTRIFYING 100: As part of a conference, Automotive News put
together its list of movers and shakers in the plug-in world. Felix
was included
http://www.autonews.com/article/20110613/ELECTRIC100/306139959/-1 as
was John Thomas of conversion company ALTe. See the complete list
with links to writeups at
http://www.autonews.com/article/20110613/ELECTRIC100/306139959/-1
* BREATH CALIFORNIA AWARD: CalCars received a "2011 Clean Air Award"
from "Breathe California" (the organization formed in 2006 to
continue locally the work of the American Lung Association). CA State
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg was the keynoter. For the
dozen winners see http://www.cleanairawards.org . Hear a three-minute
on-the-spot audio interview
http://events.ggbreathe.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Clean_Air_2011_Winners#californiacars
* FAMOUS PRIUS PHEV#8 GETS NEW OWNERS: The iconic white CalCars Prius
seen on many images in the media and at
http://www.CalCars.org/photos, veteran of a historic trip in 2006 to
Washington DC, is now owned by Catherine and Peter Fox, plug-in fans in San Francisco. (Felix Kramer and Rochelle
Lefkowitz no longer have to apologize for owning three plug-in cars.)
The vehicle, still sporting its "100+MPG" and CalCars signs, mostly
drives locally in the Bay Area. See photo of the new owners at
http://www.calcars.org/photos-groups.html .
MAKING UNEXPECTED INROADS IN WASHINGTON DC: A few months ago, when a
bit more of a nonpartisan spirit prevailed, Felix Kramer joined a
delegation of several members of Environmental Entrepreneurs from
around the country with teams that visited dozens of Senators,
Representatives and key agency officials and their staffs, making the
case that investing and spending on efficiency, renewable energy and
a low-carbon economy can generate jobs, save money, and improve
economic and strategic security. The role of plug-in vehicles figured
significantly in almost every meeting. See Felix's and other
delegates' "talking points" for meetings at
http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docName=dc2011webDelegateTPs . His report:
Our delegation came to DC with something different: tales that
short-circuited preconceptions. Those we met with were all ears when
we described jobs created and security benefits from clean
technologies ready to go. Even those who had opposed loans to
automakers were glad to hear about our broad nonpartisan's
coalition's success in bringing plug-in technologies to Detroit.
Their response: give us more stories we can use!
The biggest and most gratifying surprise was the reception we
received at the Pentagon. The Defense Department and all the branches
of the military are focusing on renewable energy to improve logistics
and operations. A retired general and a retired SEAL opened doors for
us. See E2's newsletter describing the trip and listing the officials
visited at
http://www.e2.org/jsp/controller?docId=25888&anchorName=DCAdvocacy_Spring2011
DON'T-MISS EVENTS: See http://www.calcars.org/events.html for
details on all these (and a long list of our activities going all the
way back):
* Post-Petroleum Transportation Panel this Thursday in Berkeley
* Green Drive Expo: all-day San Francisco Bay Area event this Saturday
* EV Conversion Expo: an intriguing conference Sept. 21-25 in Missouri
* EV Rally: CalCars' fifth year at this Palo Alto event Sept. 24
* The Networked EV: Greentech Media conference in SF Oct. 20
Thanks for your interest and support and for continuing to spread the word
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkr...@calcars.org
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Messages in this topic (1)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/
<*> Your email settings:
Digest Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
calcars-n...@yahoogroups.com
calcars-news...@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
calcars-news...@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Living from the heart is really very simple. It is about connecting to your heart’s desire, your true joy, and daring to act upon it. <Jeshua>
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages