That NOISY EV

Reuters - 14th November.

The U.S. government on Monday finalized long-delayed rules that will require "quiet cars" like electric vehicles and hybrids to emit alert sounds when they are moving at speeds of up to 18.6 miles per hour (30 km per hour) to help prevent injuries among pedestrians, cyclists and the blind.

The rules, which were required by Congress, will require automakers like Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O), Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) and Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) to add the sounds to all vehicles by September 2019. The U.S. Transportation Department said it expects the rules would prevent 2,400 injuries a year by 2020 and require the addition of alert sounds to about 530,000 2020 model vehicles.

It looks like I'll be installing that EV SoundRacer in the Vogue before too long.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-autos-regulations-idUSKBN13923M

Range vs Temperature by Day

Since I have noted temperature to and from work and charge temperature for the past three and a half months I can now verify that 15 degrees C is the magic number. Above 15 degrees and I go above (or close to) 80km projected range.

September is an excellent example (colder than last year).

October is a bit more scatty as I did a couple of "don't care about range" trips but the trend is still evident.

November has warmed up and just about every day's drive home is above 15 degrees so projected range is following.

Month by month so far for 2016.
You can see the unusually cold October.

Compared to last year.

Renewable Energy attack after Storm in S.A.

Sorry I can't embed this video.
https://www.facebook.com/Senator.Sarah.Hanson.Young/videos/1204537329569759/

Range and Temperature

I have collected temperature data this year in an attempt to understand a little more about what effects range the most from summer to winter.

I have logged my drive to work temperature, drive home (From Work) temperature and charge temperature.

It looks like the highest correlation with projected range is the drive home. That may simply reflect the daytime temperature of course.
Temperature is in degrees C.

(Edit: 27 Sep 2016 Updated - again)

More Robot Dogs

I love this stuff - it scares me a little but it's fascinating.
(I reckon they classify as EVs.)
Make sure you watch the last few seconds....

Dark Red Nissan Leaf

I followed a dark red Leaf through the back streets of Scoresby for a couple of kilometers today.
Anyone?

Getting cold in Melbourne. In winter range territory now.

Battery Charger Repair

As I've posted a while back, I have had some charger failures during the time I have been driving the Vogue.

To racap. TheVogue has 12 sub-packs each with 32 cells in it arranged as 2P16S (2 cells in Parallel and 16 cell pairs in series), making about a 53 VDC sub-pack. Each sub-pack has its own 3A charger.

The chargers cost me around AU$36 each - they were cheap. That said they are pretty well built and I am not absolutely sure that it's not partially my fault that they fail (my modification described here may cause instability in the current limit due to the proximity to the toroid). (Update 15th Nov 2016 - I'ts not my fault. I checked a charger that was running at 4.2 Amps and moved the daughter board around - it made no difference. They just drift up!)

It's also worth noting that I didn't have any failures from April 2014 to March 2016 - two years.

Generally the main power transistors fail (FJP13009) but in two of the chargers the switch mode power transformer has failed with shorted turns. I've been "sitting" on the first failure of this nature for over two years - mucking about with rewinding it (it worked but I couldn't fit enough turns on the core so I only got 3A up to 48V - I needed 59V).

Disassemble...

So when the second charger failed in April this year (2016) with the same transformer fault I got my act into gear and actually bought the correct enamel wire to rewind the first failed transformer.

So last night the repaired charger was included in my nightly charge and worked fine.

I really can't imagine why anyone would wind these transformers as a hobby (folk who play around with 12V to 240VAC inverters etc) - it's difficult.

Anyway, I have found a source of cores (the ferrite stuff) and bobbins (the plastic bit you wind the wire around with pins to terminate them) on eBay so I can make up some spares.

WHY DO THEY FAIL?

Over three years driving and charging and fixing this stuff and I finally have some understanding of (and a method of predicting) the failures.

The most recent failed charger was on pack #7. I had noted that pack #7 had been charging faster than the remaining 11 packs in the car and calculated it at over 4A charge rate. The chargers are really pretty maxed out at 3A - heat wise. I knew that I should pull it out and back it off  - but I deferred - too cold outside recently.

So it wasn't too much of a surprise when the charger for pack #7 failed - now I know more.

It's also notable that the Vogue draw slightly but measurably more power during charging (energy monitor logging overnight) when a charger has become unstable (more on that another time) - so I can see it within a couple of days and take action.

400ppm CO2 Threshhold About to be Crossed

Cape Grim in Tasmania, Australia is about to be the first place in the world where the CO2 content in the Earth's atmosphere is measured at 400ppm.

"The following chart, compiled by CSIRO researchers using atmosphere and ice core readings, show how CO2 levels have risen over the past 2000 years."

"Cape Grim's readings are significant because they capture the most accurate reading of the atmospheric conditions in the southern hemisphere and have records going back 40 years."

The 400ppm figure has been temporarily exceeded in the past but this time there will be no going back.

More here: Age Article

Oh, and the Vogue just passed 23300 Electric km on the Odometer.

The Wedding Pictures are in!

The professional pictures are now available. Emma just made this short montage (just over 3 minutes) available for Tammy and Matt. The Vogue features a lot.
Link to Vimeo version.


Tammy and Matthew from emmawisephotography on Vimeo.

More wedding pics

I had a special spot in the shade reserved for the Vogue during the ceremony.
It was a 10AM ceremony and 12 Midday reception. It worked out well for the non-air-conditioned Vogue's occupants. A pleasant 40 minute drive to the Chapel with temperature at about 21 degrees C. A tad hot at 12:10 PM when we moved again but it was only a four minute drive to the reception.

About to leave home for the drive down to Brighton. The Man of Honour (son) travelled with Laurel (wife) in her car so it was just Tam and me.

The Bride and Groom were picked up from the reception in a Tesla.

Daughter gets Married - the Wedding car?

My daughter Tammy was married yesterday and it was my honour to provide the wedding car at her request. She and her husband (sounds weird) began serious dating in 2009, just around the time I started the Vogue restoration and electrification.

A Tesla took them from the reception to a city hotel so she travelled entirely electric for the big day.
More pictures to come...

Summer range, Getting 90km predicted

I'm getting 90km predicted range on my normal drive to work now that it's warmer weather again. My previous post showing just past 20,000km was a bad day with a few little trips. (Even EVs don't like those sub 5km local trips.)

I don't get much time to take my logging picture in the morning a we are usually in a rush to get my daughter to the station, but I did get a second shot when I saw the bad light reflection.