Messages In This Digest (2 Messages)
- 1.
- Fw: How one inventor wants to boost EVs From: ::-eSpAcE 9808-::
- 2.
- Fw: Negara Ni Bapak Ah Long Yang Punya? From: ::-eSpAcE 9808-::
Messages
- 1.
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Fw: How one inventor wants to boost EVs
Posted by: "::-eSpAcE 9808-::" rienacom@yahoo.com.sg rienacom
Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:24 am (PST)
----- Original Message -----
From: ::-eSpAcE 9808-::
How one inventor wants to boost EVs with a towable turbine
By Marco R. della Cava
San Francisco's De Young Museum is a modernist copper-and-glass statement that challenges the eye and mind to think beyond the quotidian. The same can be said for the funky car and its oddball trailer parked just across the street in the heart of Golden Gate Park. If you thought the all-electric Nissan Leaf was a step into the future, Phil Sadow would like you to think again.
"What you're looking at is a propane-powered Capstone turbine engine that spins at 100,000 rpm, but has only one moving part and can help electric vehicle owners get around the lack of quick-charging stations," Sadow says, launching into a flurry of scientific jargon that is the Bay Area engineer's natural language. "It can provide up to 30 kilowatts to supplement the Leaf's own battery pack when you're ."
Hang on. Let's press rewind.
When Nissan unveiled its Leaf EV last year, the wedge-like machine lifted the spirits of any motorist disgruntled by the Who Killed The Electric Car? era. None more so than Sadow, who grew up criss-crossing the country thanks to his father's job with the electric golf cart giant, E-Z-Go.
"You can say I got bit by the EV bug early, around the age of 7," Sadow says.
Fast forward a few decades, and that kid is now an electrical engineering whiz who has become consumed with making this incarnation of the electric car live.
"My goal is to make the EV a success, because it's the only thing that's going to save us," he says. "Our culture is based on cars, so that's not going away. But when petroleum becomes scarce, our economy is going to tank given our dependency on foreign oil. I just hope what we're doing isn't too little too late."
Sadow is part of a growing group of savvy enthusiasts who are eager to improve upon whatever alternative-fuel vehicles auto manufacturers can produce. In many ways, this brainy group of renegades are not unlike the garage-based computer geeks who, in the early days of the PC, hacked around in an effort to find more efficient ways for the machines to run.
Hacker, however, is a term that make Sadow wrinkle his nose. "We are making professionally engineered products," he says. "We're not hacking things together."
The battle within
Although Sadow himself drives a heavily modified Prius -- powered by a 6.5 kilowatt-hour battery pack and monitoring system of his own devising -- he knew that Leaf owners would benefit most from his brainstorms. His first revelation had to do with the Japanese EV's 120-volt power cord, which can re-charge the Leaf in around 20 hours, "which is just far too long to be practical."
Teaming up with fellow EV enthusiast Mark Dutko, EVSE Upgrade was born. The online company sells re-engineered Leaf power cords for $240, which can be plugged into 240-volt connections -- what most homes have for a washer/dryer or hot tub -- thereby reducing re-charge times to around seven hours. Another $25 buys a Quick-220, a forked adapter that allows the Leaf to charge off two separate 110-volt outlets.
Dutko won't release sales figures, but he says EVSE Upgrade has put plugs into the hands of around 15 percent of the nation's 7,000 Leaf owners. Nissan has not endorsed Sadow's invention, something he finds vexing.
"It's certainly easy for people to be scared," he says, referencing the fires some Chevy Volt owners confronted as a result of that plug-in hybrid's power cord issues. "But I think overall there's too much misinformation out there."
Sadow says he has heard no reports of mishaps from his customers. That's given him the impetus to try and further upgrade the Leaf. Next up is a $150 tweak to the car's climate controls. In its as-delivered state, the Leaf's heater -- a significant power drain, since it doesn't have an internal combustion engine generating spare heat -- cannot be shut off with the press of a button, much the way in a conventional car the power-sucking AC can be shut down with one touch.
"With what we're developing, the Leaf owner can very simply shut off the heating unit," says Sadow. "What we find is that with most EV owners, an obsession develops around mileage. People want to go as far as they can off a charge, and don't want anything to get in the way of that quest."
Sadow proudly announces that he hasn't put gas in his Prius since last March.
How one inventor wants to boost EVs with a towable turbine
By Marco R. della Cava
Tinkerers vs. corporations
"I wanted a way for people to recharge without the need for city inspections and major electrical rewiring projects" - Phil SadowSuch obsession is part and parcel of any new technological boom, says Andy Frank, the plug-in hybrid pioneer whose transmission system innovations created while he was at the University of California-Davis have been licensed to a new firm he's overseeing, Efficient Drivetrains, Inc.
"If you look back in time, the dawn of any new technology has found people tinkering, from the Model T on up," says Frank. "I played with hot rods as a kid. The same is going on now with plug-ins and hybrids. It's part of American culture."
Frank salutes innovators such as Sadow, but, as a passionate Volt owner, is convinced that plug-in hybrids have the best chance of starting a real automotive revolution due largely to the vexing issue of recharging EVs, whose range typically tops out at around 100 miles.
"For short drives around town, my Volt runs only on electric," says Frank. "But if I were an EV owner and had to go from Davis to San Francisco and back, I'd have to rent a car."
That sort of talk gets Sadow's motor running. In fact, he was partly driven to action by EV owners' frustration over both how slowly electric recharging stations are being rolled out and by the price tags - $6,000 or more - of in-home recharging units.
"I wanted a way for people to recharge without the need for city inspections and major electrical rewiring projects," he says.
What promptly followed suit was the Leaf's upgraded plug, its optimized HVAC system, and -- arguably his most impressive if as yet not scaleable invention -- a portable electrical powerplant that gets towed behind the Leaf.
It's this contraption that has Golden Gate Park motorists slowing and cyclists stopping.
"Uh, what is that thing?" asks a biker as he pulls a pair of buds out of his ears.
Sadow doesn't need to be asked twice; in seconds, he's off and running with a science-heavy explanation of how he fabricated a tow-hitch to pull a micro-turbine fed by propane that can be used to charge the car from zero to 80 percent in around 30 minutes (the last 20 percent takes another 40 minutes), or used on-the-go thereby extending the range of the EV for as long as the propane lasts.
"This is a proof of concept, and we're still tinkering," says Sadow, explaining how the somewhat bulky package could eventually be streamlined into a sleek tow-able oval. He sticks he head over the turbine's exhaust and sucks in a lungful of air. "It's cleaner than most air you breathe," he says.
The cost of Sadow's portable generator is still in the prohibitive category, around $30,000. But he's determined to bring that down, as well as expand the scope of a potential market for the invention. He'd particularly like to interest traditional gas stations dotting the nation's interstates. "Not only could they help EV owners fill up, but they could likely get free heating for their garages" thanks to to the extreme heat generated by the turbine, says Sadow.
Not long ago, Sadow got to demonstrate his invention at a gathering of EV fans for Hidetoshi Kadota, Nissan's chief vehicle engineer for the Leaf. Sadow reports that while impressed, Kadota felt such innovations would only appeal to "techies, but that's not a fair description of who Leaf owners are," says Sadow. "If you go on any EV discussions groups (online), you'll wind up talking to everyone from doctors to mechanics, Democrats and Republicans. We're just people who want to do something about the planet, and think that cars are a good place to start."
Sadow shrugs. "I could make a lot more money consulting than I do with EVSE, but I am determined to help see the EV grow," he says. Then he confesses to an odd dream for an entrepreneur.
"One day, we will get beyond these habits that we've created over generations, of going to a gas station to fill up on oil so we can drive these noisy, smelly contraptions," he says. "When that day comes and there are many more EVs on the road as well as easy ways to recharge them, I'll be happily out of business."
- 2.
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Fw: Negara Ni Bapak Ah Long Yang Punya?
Posted by: "::-eSpAcE 9808-::" rienacom@yahoo.com.sg rienacom
Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:53 am (PST)
----- Original Message -----
From: ::-eSpAcE 9808-::
Apa Negara Ni Bapak Ah Long Yang Punya?
Oleh: Ak-47
Posted by KedahLaNie
SUDAH agak lama penulis ingin menulis mengenai isu ini.
Pastinya semua kita sudah lali melihat iklan pemberi wang sama ada yang berlesen atau haram (ah long) ditampal di merata-rata tempat.
Kalau dahulu iklan seumpama itu hampir tidak ada.
Namun sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, keadaan sudah amat berbeza.
Umpama kanser peringkat terakhir, pelekat pinjaman wang ditampal ikut suka hati dan di mana sahaja dalam jumlah yang terlalu banyak.sampaikan peti surat rumah orang pun jadi mangsa!
Seolah-olah sudah tidak dapat dikawal langsung.mamat rambut karat bawak stiker akan tampal ikut suka dia tanpa rasa segan atau takut.
Peliknya. kalau tak silap, semua pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) ada undang-undang yang melarang penampalan sebarang bentuk notis tanpa kebenaran di tempat awam.
KENAPA TAK MAHU AMBIK TINDAKAN?
NAK KATA TAK TAHU SIAPA YANG TAMPAL .USAH BOHONG LA.DAH JELAS-JELAS ADA NOMBOR TELEFON SIAPA PUNYA ANGKARA MENAMPAL PELEKAT TU..SILAP HARI ALAMAT PEJABAT PUN ADA.SIAP PETA LAGI!
Masalahnya.PBT kita bukan ambik tindakan pada yang menampal notis tanpa kebenaran..paling rajin pun adalah kakitangan PBT yang tolong tanggal iklah-iklan dan pelekat haram tu..itu pun jarang-jarangggggg.
Tanggal apa barang beb..puak tu tampal la balik!
Inilah masalahnya dengan PBT kita kan.
Kalau kata rasuah atau subahat dengan ah long.kang kita dikata memfitnah.
Kata pemalas pun .penulis jugak kena maki nanti.
Mungkin takut kot..takut kena sergah dengan ah long..satu hal jugaklah..tapi itu sudah tanggungjawab anda semua yang berkerja di PBT untuk banteras budaya tak sihat ni.
Takkan kita nak biarkan puak-puak ni sesuak hati menghancurkan dan memburukan negara kita.
Bayangkan kalau diri kita ni pelancong dan ini kali pertama jejak kaki kat Malaysia..
Apa agaknya yang terlintas di fikiran bila tengok notis ada lambang duit dengan nombor telefon ditampal merata-rata tempat.
Jangan haraplah orang luar tu akan ingat kita ni bangsa usahawan berjaya.
Dia orang pun sah leh pikir orang Malaysia ni bangsa loser kuat berhutang dengan ceti haram.
Kalau notis-notis ni takda, mungkin kurang sikit masyarakat kita terdedah dengan ah long.
Ni kalau notis depan mata sepanjang masa.lambat-laun mesti terjebak juga kalau asyik sesak.
Antara yang jadi mangsa dalam isu ini adalah pasukan polis kita.
PBT tido tak buat keje.makin ramai terjebak dengan ah long.kes polis makin bertambah.
Dari simbah cat merah sampai kes bakar dan bunuh..last-last fail siasatan polis yang bertambah.
Apa pun.mesej yang paling penulis nak sampaikan ialah..tolonglah banteras iklan haram ah long yang berleluasa ni.
Negara kita nampak macam negara yang mana 99 peratus rakyat dia tak sekolah dan duduk dalam hutan. Tak ropa macam negara yang ada bangunan berkembar tertinggi di dunia..sana sini bertampal ikut suka hati.kalau lepa sikit.mahu puncak menara KLCC pun ditampal."Mau pinjam luit ah?".
Satu memburukan pemandangan.dua menjebak lebih ramai anggota masyarakat kita ke kancah kurang sihat ni.
Kerajaan tak perlu nak buat kempen juta-juta dan nak nasihat berjela-jela kalau perkara dan aspek paling penting dalam pembanterasan ceti haram ini diabaikan.
Sudah terlalu lama puak ni bermaharajalela..sampai adakalnya penulis terpikir..apa negara ni bapak diaorang punya ke, boleh main tampal ikut suka hati?
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