Electra Meccanica (three Wheel Electric) Email-11/2/15

[3wheelin]

This one runs my Motorhome just fine..............AND I also use it during power outages
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Champion-Watt-Generator-Weekender-Package/909433.uts

That could be perfect except it's a little too big too heavy! I think we might see "in the future" a Li-ion charger about the size of a shoe box or maybe even twice the size which can be plugged in place of the cigarette lighter and off you go for 10-15 more miles in emergency situation.

 

[Samalross]

Problem. Vehicle automatically "shuts off" when it's charger is plugged in.
So you would have to stop to charge the vehicle anyway.

The same would be true with solar panels. They would only charge the vehicle if and when it's turned off.

I know that with hybrids that's not the case, but Electra Meccanica's CEO sounded like...
It would take major re-engineering to get this vehicle and it's charging system to act that way.
Does anyone know if you have to make sure a hybrid is shut off in order to charge it from a outlet?

Thanks Did not know that . Too bad

 

[Samalross]

...that'll be a poor man's version of the Chevy Volt!

Use a diesel generator and it would be a poor man's Electro-motive

 

[BrianRosenthal]

These will bring a smart phone back to life in minutes. At 20watts max output how long will it take to recharge a EMV ?
https://www.k-tor.com/pedal-powered-generator/

Solo's batter is 16000WHr, so

16000WHr/20W = 800 hours, assuming 100% efficiency, which it isn't.

Probably better off to carry a folding bike and pedal that.

 

[Sethodine]

My original thinking on this is, if I ever get in a situation that I don't have enough juice on the battery for the trip back home, that's when I stop and park at a gas station, a rest area, etc. and then charge it with the portable generator while enjoying a cup of coffee.

I have a picture somewhere of my wife getting an emergency charge on her Leaf at a gas station. We just asked if we could plug into an exterior wall outlet and they were fine with that.

 

[3wheelin]

I have a picture somewhere of my wife getting an emergency charge on her Leaf at a gas station. We just asked if we could plug into an exterior wall outlet and they were fine with that.

Hey Seth, I know you've been enjoying your used Nissan Leaf so what model year is it and how many miles are you still getting out of the battery? Also, how much is it to replace the battery? I've been looking at some certified pre-owned Nissan Leaf and the price is hovering around 15K for 2015-2016 models and really low miles plus it still have the 7yr 100K warranty on batteries so it's really tempting. I guess because the previous owners decided to gave theirs up while it still have low miles to wait and buy the upcoming Chevy Bolt or the Tesla 3 for just 5K more. (2017 Nissan Leaf is around 30K so all of a sudden they have a better competition).

 

[acentre]

Solo's batter is 16000WHr, so

16000WHr/20W = 800 hours, assuming 100% efficiency, which it isn't.

Probably better off to carry a folding bike and pedal that.

2000 watt generator, 16 kilowatt battery 8 hours to charge....
I am sure a Brompton will fit in the back of the Solo

 

[3wheelin]

2000 watt generator, 16 kilowatt battery 8 hours to charge....
I am sure a Brompton will fit in the back of the Solo

There you go!

 

[Sethodine]

Hey Seth, I know you've been enjoying your used Nissan Leaf so what model year is it and how many miles are you still getting out of the battery? Also, how much is it to replace the battery? I've been looking at some certified pre-owned Nissan Leaf and the price is hovering around 15K for 2015-2016 models and really low miles plus it still have the 7yr 100K warranty on batteries so it's really tempting. I guess because the previous owners decided to gave theirs up while it still have low miles to wait and buy the upcoming Chevy Bolt or the Tesla 3 for just 5K more. (2017 Nissan Leaf is around 30K so all of a sudden they have a better competition).

We actually have 2 Leafs now.
The battery in our 2012 is degrading within projected margins, so it probably has a max range of 60 miles (approximately 72% of the original 84-mile capacity). The battery health bar is at 9 bars, out of the original 12. When we bought it in 2015 the sticker price was $14,000.
We recently picked up a 2013 as well, and it's battery is significantly healthier than the 2012. It still reads a full 12 bars on the battery health meter, and can probably still do 80 miles if conditions are right. With hypermiling, I regularly get a reading of low-90's on the range guess-o-meter. We bought it this January for $10,000. (This one is an SV trim with the DC Fast Charge port; I've seen 2014/2015 base-models going for around $7k)

Real life example: We recently visited my parents, who live 54 miles away according to google maps. They live a couple hundred feet elevation above our home, so it was on-average uphill the entire way and downhill the way home. Driving in the dark, in the rain, with defrost on as often as needed, we arrived with 3 bars of battery and 16 miles on the guess-o-meter. Stayed the night (recharged) and went home the following night. The return journey was also dark and rainy, with approximately the same need for defrost, and we arrived home with 3 battery bars and 22 miles left on the guess-o-meter. Average range for those two trips: 73 miles. If it was a nice sunny summer day, I'd bet we'd have averaged 80 miles of range. But based on these numbers, I'm expecting that we're very soon going to lose the first bar on the battery health meter.

As to battery replacement: I really don't think it is necessary. The battery degredation curve is such that it levels off after 5 years, so our 2012 will still be good for our needs through 2022. Nissan has said that to buy a replacement battery is $5500 with core-exchange, but battery technology is advancing so fast that I doubt that will be the case by the time it needs replacing. Either a replacement battery will be much cheaper and will have many more miles of range, or else we will simply buy a newer model that has a higher range battery. The 2018 Leaf will have two battery options, one of which will get 200+ miles, so we might just pick up a used 2018 Leaf around 2022

 

[3wheelin]

I have this idea of spending

We actually have 2 Leafs now.
The battery in our 2012 is degrading within projected margins, so it probably has a max range of 60 miles (approximately 72% of the original 84-mile capacity). The battery health bar is at 9 bars, out of the original 12. When we bought it in 2015 the sticker price was $14,000.
We recently picked up a 2013 as well, and it's battery is significantly healthier than the 2012. It still reads a full 12 bars on the battery health meter, and can probably still do 80 miles if conditions are right. With hypermiling, I regularly get a reading of low-90's on the range guess-o-meter. We bought it this January for $10,000. (This one is an SV trim with the DC Fast Charge port; I've seen 2014/2015 base-models going for around $7k)

Real life example: We recently visited my parents, who live 54 miles away according to google maps. They live a couple hundred feet elevation above our home, so it was on-average uphill the entire way and downhill the way home. Driving in the dark, in the rain, with defrost on as often as needed, we arrived with 3 bars of battery and 16 miles on the guess-o-meter. Stayed the night (recharged) and went home the following night. The return journey was also dark and rainy, with approximately the same need for defrost, and we arrived home with 3 battery bars and 22 miles left on the guess-o-meter. Average range for those two trips: 73 miles. If it was a nice sunny summer day, I'd bet we'd have averaged 80 miles of range. But based on these numbers, I'm expecting that we're very soon going to lose the first bar on the battery health meter.

As to battery replacement: I really don't think it is necessary. The battery degredation curve is such that it levels off after 5 years, so our 2012 will still be good for our needs through 2022. Nissan has said that to buy a replacement battery is $5500 with core-exchange, but battery technology is advancing so fast that I doubt that will be the case by the time it needs replacing. Either a replacement battery will be much cheaper and will have many more miles of range, or else we will simply buy a newer model that has a higher range battery. The 2018 Leaf will have two battery options, one of which will get 200+ miles, so we might just pick up a used 2018 Leaf around 2022

I really appreciate the info. Seth. I researched a bit about the Leaf and Nissan actually used their Versa's flatform and extended it a bit. But it weighs about 3500 lbs. The battery alone weighs about 600 lbs. I'm thinking if I decide to buy a used one, say a 2015 model year, I'm gonna trim it's fat, less weight equals longer range. Starting with removing the back seat and making it just a two seater, replacing the wheels with the lightest one available (except the expensive carbon fiber). I can change the whole carpeting with lighter materials too. Can you think of anything else??? Oh, I almost forgot, my wife and I have to lose some lbs. too.... I think moving to electric starts to make much sense to me. Drive electric, be healthy!