[ref http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Manzanitamicro-s-Mad-MacGyver-Scientist-Rudman-on-History-Ch-TV-tp4672959.html ]
That off-road-4x4 reality-TV-show has nothing to do with plugins, but it does star Rudman who has had a long history with the EV-community. Let's turn the clock back and let me tell you some EV-History (EV-grandpa style from what I remember, so corrections/comments welcome ... ) Way-way back (circa 1990's), long before 2010+ Production plugins, there were next to nil production EVs (there were no pih), but plenty of EV conversions as there was a lively business for EV conversion businesses. There were several of them located across the N. America, from the East to the West coast, and on up into Canada, etc. - at the time the eaaev.org had a list of converter businesses, back when I was their webmaster). This about the time I decided to step into an EV though I had no garage to build my own, but had plenty of cash from being over-Hitech-worked so I sought-out a SF local converter (now defunct) to build an EV for me http://brucedp.150m.com/blazer/ Originally my S-10 Blazer EV conversion had off the shelf EV components of the time, one of which was a huge and heavy (90+lb) transformer type L1 charger. Later, after I had learned more about EVs, I pour more money into my EV with several upgrades. I had that clunky-inefficient charger yanked, and 6 chargers installed with their outputs tied together, and each of their AC inlets mounted where the front grill used to be. This EV configuration was very radical for its day as everyone had told me not to make such a huge EV, and that I should cram my huge big-n-tall body into a tiny sedan (envision knees in the air on each side of the steering-wheel), and it should only charge 'slooooowly' overnight off a L1 source using a cheap, inefficient automotive-style charger. So, I was on my own (bucking their EV-advice), pushing the envelope with this Big-EV for a Big-Guy with a flexible charging ability that could operate from as low as a L1-overnight, up to a L2 22+kW recharging ability in 1+hours (more-power Scotty!). After the upgrades on my EV had been completed was about the point on the EV-History-timeline that the fine folks at nedra.com were making and racing hi-performance EVs, breaking records left and right at various raceways across North America. It took a while before the Oil&Auto-advertizer-paid-media took a time-out from ranting how bad/useless/wimpy/expensive/etc. EVs were, to eek-out a few news items of the good-EV-deeds the Nedra racers were doing (they were shocked that an EV could perform so well) http://www.dragtimes.com/images/7519-1979-Mazda-RX-7.jpg http://www.nedra.com/images/leapin.jpg On those rare times I could get time off from work, work, work, I would sometimes drive my EV up to a Nedra EVent to push the long-distance charging envelope a PbSO4 conversion could do, but also to hang-out with the racers and enjoy the experience (it was a heck of a lot of fun). At one Nedra EVent at the Sacramento CA raceway http://brucedp00.0catch.com/saced00/ is where I got to see Rich Rudman's pfc chargers whom he mainly was selling to the Nedra racers. At the time he had only a pfc-20 (0-20A DC output), and a pfc-50 (0-50A output) models. I could envision/see his pfc chargers were just what was needed to let conversion EV utilize the growing (Avcon) public EVSE network. At the same time, I was able to get an eaaev.org member to build an Avcon to 14-50 adapter-box http://www.ebeaa.org/graphics/avcon1450t.jpg and later sell them on the eaaev.org site (now discontinued). I went ahead and bought a pfc-20 and later a pfc-50 trying it with the Avcon adapter-box. The pfc-20 did not draw more than 20A AC so it worked just fine. The pfc-50 had to be set correctly so as to not draw more than 30A AC, else trip the AC breaker supplying the EVSE. I suggested to Rich Rudman that what was really needed was a pfc charger model that was in-between his pfc-20 and pfc-50 models that would not draw more than 30A AC. This would make using the public Avcon EVSE a no-brainer as way-too many times, drivers would not have their chargers set correctly and would trip the AC breaker that was feeding/powering the EVSE (causing headaches for the host = not a good thing to do). In talking to Rich, at first he was not convinced. Everyone is different and has a different way of thinking. At the time he was more of an engineer, and less of a businessman that saw the market opportunity I saw. Later something or someone must have convinced him, as his company later began offering a pfc-30 model http://www.manzanitamicro.com/downloads/category/15-chargers?download=69%3Apfc20-30-40-spec-sheet Once I had one of these, I was quite pleased that it was a perfect solution when used with an Avcon adapter-box. This model is applicable for today's uses with the j1772 public EVSE as again, it will draw no more than 30A AC. So, though Rich may be enjoying himself in a non-EV-related reality-TV-show, I think he has earned having some fun outside the EV-community. For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html#nabble+template%2FNamlServlet.jtp%3Fmacro%3Dsearch_page%26node%3D413529%26query%3DEVLN%2Bbrucedp2%26days%3D0%26sort%3Ddate {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Manzanitamicro-s-Mad-MacGyver-Scientist-Rudman-some-EV-History-tp4672968.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
