Hello to All, Just wanted to tell everyone what a fun time we had this past weekend at the 'Gasless at the crossroads' EV show that SEVA put on. The weather was perfect, not that it mattered with the show being inside the mall :-) I have to give credit to the SEVA gang, for coming together on this, with many of their members making a special effort to get their EVs to the show. What a fun, interesting, and most importantly, educational group of vehicles for newbies to check out in person!
It was especially fun for Cheryl and I, after our rather hair-raising late night evening adventure with Eric's 'EVent', but I'll let him tell everyone all about that! Let it suffice to say, that with Cheryl and I driving in our 'Sniffer', our Insight, Vera Johnson driving her Prius, and Eric Johnson driving his Ford pickup truck hooked up to my 16 ft. trailer and towing his EV Datsun pickup and my Heavy Metal Garden Tractor (HMGT), we got to our hotel at 3:30 AM, exhausted and glad to see our respective rooms and beds. After just three and a half hours of sleep, the four of us were up to get showers, have breakfast, get the hybrids washed after the 200+ mile trip at a local spray-it-yourself type of car wash, then over to the mall to unload the HMGT and the EV Datsun pickup, all in time to be able to drive our vehicles into the mall by 8:30! Before we drove the EVs into the mall, we needed Star Bucks coffee and pastries...conveniently, there was a drive-up style one right in the mall parking lot. Geoff Shepherd was on hand, and with him at the helm of the HMGT and with SEVA president Steve Lough riding a nifty little yellow EV bike (more on this machine later), the two eco-nerds riding side by sidegot in line with the giant SUVs, minivans, and other idling gas powered cars....it was a riot! I'll let Geoff finish this tale. On with the show..... OK, I'm doing this with the help of a few digital pictures, but since I missed many of the vehicles with the camera's eye, the rest is done from memory, so if I leave anyone's EV out, forgive me....The lineup started at one end of the mall and wrapped around the corner into another section of the mall, so it looked very impressive! Mall visitors were first greeted by a Dave Cloud electric racing boat (as they walked through the double door entrance) with the strange look of twin electric motors, one stacked on top of the another and mounted to the outboard drive, then, they were 'shocked' at the sight of Eric's black electric Datsun pickup with its bed tilted back to reveal batteries, wires, and such (there's always something about an EV truck with a tilt-back bed that draws a crowd), then they saw Vera's squeaky clean Aqua Ice Pearlescent Prius hybrid, then next to it, my own Silverstone Metallic Honda Insight 'Sniffer' with its purple accented interior and competition stereo system open and in the display mode. On the window was a sign (thanks, Geoff) that said 'Honda Insight Gas/Electric Hybrid, EPA rated at 70 MPG, from Portland to this show 75+ MPG, under ideal conditions at 60 mph, 90+ MPG'...these figures raised more than a few eyebrows! Next to my car was Geoff Shepherd's immaculate white factory-made Ford Ranger EV that had a constant crowd around it. Next to the Ranger EV was my red with flamed hood Heavy Metal Garden Tractor and at appropriate times, with its stereo pumping away. Walking along, folks next came across a white electric Fiat X19 (another Cloud conversion) that was nicely presented and a great example of how inexpensively one can get into and daily-drive an EV. Next to the Fiat was a light blue electric Porsche 914, a car that many feel makes one of the best EV conversions. Walking towards the bend in the mall, the next vehicle was a dark, midnight blue bio diesel Jetta wagon, and at the apex of the corner was a sparkling clean white electric Datsun 210 wagon with vintage power electronics under the hood and a set of feisty Hawker batteries clearly viewable in the back. Making the turn down the next hall, one was confronted by Tom True's 'Silver Bullet', the record setting electric Datsun Z Car! This is not a timid car to say the least, and it's hatch full of lined-up drag batteries and the open engine bay stuffed with, count 'em, three electric motors, had gear head types stunned. Next to it, was a trio of two wheeled machines, including two of Father Time's motorcycles, the world record setting 'Dragon Rose' in bright red paint with a sign that clearly stated 'best 1/4 ET of 12.77 seconds!', and his bright yellow smaller drag bike...the third bike was a Rad 2 Go 'Vespa' sized and styled electric scooter. After the drag machine display, one found a silver electric Nissan Pulsar nicely detailed. Things get a bit blurry for me after this, as this was the end of the car show farthest and opposite from my hang-out area. I do remember an electric Renault Le Car, a very yellow VW pickup conversion, and a pair of 3-wheeled Corbin Sparrows, a blue one and a yellow one. In addition to all of these, there were various other smaller two wheelers, including yet another Dave Cloud creation (I think he told me it was his very first EV conversion) that belonged to SEVA's president, Steve Lough. It was a 60's vintage yellow Honda 50, a very small moped sized motorcycle converted to electric with a PM type Bosch motor chain driven to the rear sprocket, a real controller with a twist grip throttle, and two regular 12V car batteries. Simple as it was, I had a blast using it to tool around the huge parking are around the mall, and loved the fact that it was nearly dead silent, save for the gentle sound of the chain and gears! We had a great number of folks come through the show all day long, and I bet many will get in touch with SEVA about getting more info about EVs! I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about the wisdom of having the EV show at a mall, but I quickly learned I was wrong! First, the Crossroads Mall is unlike any other mall I've seen, in that it has a feel about it that other malls should take notice of. The food courts are numerous, but more importantly, the food is very good....Chinese, pizza, Vietnamese, pasta, Greek, breakfasts, Japanese, sandwich bars....you name it, it was there. All around this area, were tables and chairs, enough to seat hundreds, and it was centered near a stage where live bands and musicians played. I got the feeling of the old days when neighborhoods had the houses around a courtyard where friends and families could gather for food, games, and socializing. I know this sounds corny to go on about a mall like this, but this mall was different, and the collection of environmentally friendly vehicles were a natural 'fit'. The first bit of hospitality came when Steve Lough handed out food coupons that were generous and could even be cashed in! The after-the-show dinner at the nearby Red Robin restaurant was a hoot, with SEVA picking up the tab! All the usual EV characters were there, but it was Madman Rich Rudman that had us all in stitches as he'd stand up while in the middle of an EV story and actually become a plasma ball, electrical arcs, motors being over-revved, batteries exploding, etc. (those who've met him, know what I'm talking about). Cheryl and I were just one dayers, and left the next morning for home, but the EV show continued through Sunday as well. Many thanks to both Steve Lough and Mark Dodrill for working so hard to put on this show, and thanks for inviting us to be part of it! See Ya........John Wayland PS: Wait till you hear from another EVer who from this day forward, will be known as 'Jackknife'!
