NEXT MEETING: Friday, July 15, at 6:30 in Ed Myer's hangar, 216 Sunshine Drive, Bolingbrook (See Location map in this newsletter)

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Cookout: No scheduled program but there will be OPEN TOPICS time to discuss whatever you wish, and the dragster group will display their vehicle.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Any person interested in electric cars is welcome to join the FVEAA.  The cost for a full year's dues is $20 which will entitle the member to receive our monthly Newsletter that contains useful information about electric car components, construction, policies, and events.  Dues for NEW members joining in July will be $8.

To obtain information about the FVEAA, you may contact either President Woods or Vice President Shafer:

Our July meeting will be different.  We will have an early start for hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, soft drinks, chips and all the makings.  There will be no charge for the food thanks to George Hamstra and the seven members of FVEAA who also are part of NetGain Technologies (Dragster group) for picking up the tab.

Ed asks that you bring along a lawn chair in your trunk to use for hangar seating.  It would probably also be a good idea to have mosquito repellent.  A map of how to get to Ed's place is included in this Newsletter. Road construction on the Stevenson Expressway (Route I-55) eastbound narrows to two lanes for a short distance west of LaGrange Road.

There will be time for open topics, an opportunity to bring up any subject you wish about FVEAA or our activities.

KEN

The meeting at the College of DuPage was called to order at 7:32 by President Woods.  Twelve members and one guest attended.  The meeting started with a round of introductions.  Ted Lowe of Wheaton, a guest, joined the FVEAA.

The minutes were approved and Treasurer Corel's report was accepted.

George Hamstra gave a report on Dragster activities. The vehicle was not ready for Joliet use on May 15th.  It was trailered to Colorado the following week for the next racing event.  During frantic final preparations the night preceding the race one of the two T-Rex controllers blew out wile they were attempting to balance output.  This required rewiring the system to run the vehicle on one controller and one Kostov motor.  Work was completed at 3:30AM on the day of competition.

The vehicle passed safety inspection and was brought to the line where the second T-Rex self destructed.  The two failures were traced to a lack of current limits on the T-Rex controllers.  Damon Crockett is addressing the problem.

Back home in Joliet the crew substituted a Godzilla controller and expected to run the vehicle at the Joliet track during the National Drag event at the US 66 Strip.  Late registration prohibited this, but on June 15th they were finally able to make a 1/4 mile pass at 12.24 seconds and 99.99 MPH.

You can stay abreast of the latest Dragster information at:

http://www.ameritech.net/users/hostage/dragster.htm

President Woods reported on the Electrician Training Unit in Alsip.  This facility replaces the Washburn Trade School in Chicago were union electricians were formerly trained.

The Alsip facility is owned by the Electrical Workers Union.  There are 15 persons on the full-time staff.  The facility is installing a four Kw solar panel on the roof to be used for training.  It also has an auditorium, shop space, and lots of parking.

Ken recommended that the FVEAA rent the facility for a FVEAA exhibit and tutorial.

The last event was held at the College of DuPage.  Other events have been held in five-year intervals at Triton College, Fermilab, and Argonne.  Members selected September 11th. as a tentative date for the event and authorized Ken to contact the Union facility for a rental price.

Member Shafer conducted a discussion of using crossed field connections for two series-wound motors to obtain balance in parallel operation.  Bad Amplitude, the Joliet Dragster, has two Kostov motors coupled in series running through a shifter to a locked differential.  The technique does not apply.

Member Shafer presented an update on cost records for his RX-7.  His conclusion was the total cost for the conversion was less than half that required for a new Ford Escort driven 4000 miles of short trips (20 miles per day for 200 days per year).  He was questioned on the low amount for repairs over the six years of use.

He noted there were two omitted items.  There could be an annual $150.00 salvage value for electrical components that could be recycled into another conversion.  Second, his calculations did not include the value of life extension for his engine-driven car resulting from substitution of the electric for short trip driving.

Bill said he felt justified in laughing all the way to the bank now that his $7000.00 conversion cost was recovered in just four years.

The meetings was adjourned at 10:45PM.

Submitted by Secretary Dave Aarvold.

Suck Amps. Wired, March 1999, pages 124-129.  The articles's subtitle is "How a bunch of speed-hungry, rubber-burning, adrenaline-pumped environmentalists get their "kicks", pretty much summarizes the content.  It starts out describing how the author drove John Waylan's Blue Meanie wile listening to a Bach Fugue on the car's stereo.  The converted Datsun does 0-60 in about nine seconds when he stomps the accelerator.  he notes that John and a group of renegade backyard engineers are determined to present their vehicles as sexy consumer items.

This concept is vastly different from conventional wisdom.  John notes, :Environmentalists don't want you to have fun.. They want you to drive a three-wheeled cockroach that goes 35 mph and if you are hit by a motorcycle - your dead".  John converted his 1980 salvaged Datsun in 1980.  When he tried to back it out of the garage the available torque twisted the driveshaft, broke a motor-mount bolt and cracked the transmission case.

In the 1990's the rest of the world started to catch up to him.  In 1996 John entered his "White Zombie" in the 1993 electric vehicle race in Phoenix.  In 1996 John bested GM's EV-1 by two seconds.  A year later electric drag racing achieved respectability with the formation of the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA).

Author Charles Platt describes the 1998 NEDRA races in Woodburn Oregon.  This is where White Zombie and Dennis Berube's electric rail humiliated the Dodge Vipers.  He also describes driving the dragster around the pit area.

He also notes the last day of the event was dedicated to electric vehicles.  He chatted with Bob Boyd, the 78-year old proud owner of a converted Toyota MR2, shiny as the day it came off the showroom floor.  Other electric car builders at the event give pretty much the same pitch; "EV's can function every day for limited-distance trips.

John Wayland and Rod Wilde agree that electric race cars have a novelty appeal, but are unlikely to get much airtime on ESPN.  There is no visual appeal in their silent operation, no insanely powerful, nitro-fueled monsters that shoot jets of flame out of their exhausts.  They note that auto manufacturers lag far behind the hobbyists in terms of performance, price, and practically in spite of manufacturer's spending huge funds for electric vehicle development.

Clean cars get Real.  NY Times 5/29/99. Author Matthew Wald covering the Tour de Sol event writes the race field was so crowded this year that some entrants were turned away.  This reflects the emphasis on a new class of vehicles, the hybrids, as probable direction auto manufacturers will take for vehicle development.  Five hybrid vehicles were entered in this class.  NESEA chief, Nancy hazard, noted the original event eleven years ago emphasized electric vehicles.  Hybrids were then perceived as too complex and costly.  Now hybrids seem to be the likely means for manufacturers to improve gas mileage and emission reduction.  The public has not responded well to commercially-built electric vehicles, perceiving them as range-limited and too costly.  Electric vehicles now are back in the hands of the hobbyists where they are used for short-trip driving and found to be cost-effective.

Tour de Sol results. NESEA news release 6/3/99.  Solectria once again topped the electric vehicle class, winning the first three top positions in the Production Class.  The winner in the commuter catergory was a purpose-built vehicle with NiMH batteries.  Close behind in this class was the Shadow Mountain High School Class from Phoenix with their Electric Bull, a converted Porsche 914.  Most of the entries in this class were high school projects, including a new entry from Cinnamonsen (NJ) High School with their Olympian, a converted Ford Escort, that placed fourth.

The Solar commuter category was won by the University of Maine team with a Chevy S-10 conversion haing a 96-mile range.  First place in the one-person category was the NFA Sol Machine II, a solar powered vehicle and top car from New York High Schools.  The Newburgh High School built the machine is a two-year project.  A solar motor scooter from Singapore took second place.

Run-Run Runabout. Chicago Sun-Times, June 28, 1999 (Autotimes Second, front-page).  Editor Dan Jedlicka reprinted the Wall Street Journals's article about microcars that was reviewed in an earlier FVEAA Newsletter.  The article was accompanied by photos of Corbin's Sparrow, Bombadiers's NEV, and a delightful photo of what appears to be a pro wrestler on a Buzz, an electrified scooter built by Huffy and available from Sears for $649.00 or directly from their website www.getabuzz.com for $50 less.  Another scooter, ZAPPY is mentioned.  Info on this vehicle can be found ob website www.zapworld.com.

BILL