Comments on: RAN at the LA Auto Show

By: Erika Courvoisier

Erika Courvoisier — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:18:42 +0000

If anyone has recommendations re. best bet for an eco-friendly bus, please post. I live in a small college town and am trying to put together a proposal to put a green shuttle bus on the road for the students. The “city fathers” are pushing for reduced cab fares for students after hours, but obviously this thinking is archaic. Would appreciate any recommendations.
Thank you for cogitating on this

By: Keith Van Sickle

Keith Van Sickle — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:10:49 +0000

OPPS forgot to comment on the Electric Dragin event. It sure looks like it would be worth the time and trouble to go. WHere do I get more information?

By: Keith Van Sickle

Keith Van Sickle — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:06:30 +0000

Yesterday I went to both the showing of the BugE at the Sofitel and the LA Auto show. The Electric BugE was far the most innovative vehicle I saw. It is a PET, Personel Electric Transporter. Ie doesn’t go too fas or too far but it works for every day commuting and errand running and is totally green. At the auto show all I saw was the same old thing with two exceptions. One was the T-rex. It too was a PET and comes in an electric version but the price was a bit steep $54,000.00 as compaired to the BugE at $8,000. The second innovative vehicle I saw was also a trike but not electric and holds three passengers. It is the American Freedom Roadster. It runs on compressed Natural Gas and is therefore much cleaner than any other ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) It was also independently produced and had a modest price of $20,000. How come it is that three independently produced vehicles are the only innovative and truely green vehicles out of the hundreds at the show? Ya think maybe there is some sort of conspricy/coersion/colusion between big auto and big oil and big government??

By: Electric Dragin

Electric Dragin — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 02:44:32 +0000

Professional conversions are available today. Not only do you gain independence from oil, but you recycle your favorite car. Want to see proof of performance, come down to our San Diego Jan 2008 Family Fun EVent and see over 50 vehicles(ranging from battery electic Mazda Miatas, Chevy S10s, even a Rolls Royce) that will get their drivers to and from work 5 days a week without stopping at a gas station.

By: Joseph Carson

Joseph Carson — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:59:57 +0000

The big automakers in their drive for profit and their cozying up to Big Oil are typical big business under the Bush Administration. Please do anything to prove how greedy and out of date they are. If Toyota does not have a hybrid, I will not buy Toyota or any other automaker.

By: Mike Talbot

Mike Talbot — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:26:20 +0000

Well, I just got back from the L.A. auto show and was disappointed just like I was with last years show… hoping to see some PHEV’s for sale. The only thing that I can figure is that the major oil companies must control the U.S. auto industry? Putting pretty women on stage next to gas guzzlers isn’t cutting it anymore at $3.30/gas to sell cars. I heard that the CEO’s had left before the start of the show instead of staying and listening to the future customers. I can’t be all that wrong when the U.S. manufactures are selling cars at 50% of the U.S. total.
If someone ever gets a chance please read what Edward Demmings wrote about U.S. car manufacturers. Mr. Demmings was sent to Japan after WWII to help turn around Japans poor quality. He succeeded. One item he mentioned was when you pay a CEO millions of dollars a year…how concerned is that CEO going to be if the car company makes it in the future? Something to think about?

By: Felix Kramer

Felix Kramer — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:31:25 +0000

This conversion, by the California Cars Initiativen was a technology demonstration, to show that the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in today’s hybrids (without the safety issues of lithium, and with demonstrated extended life) could make “good enough” hybrids for carmakers to start getting cars on the road as quickly as possible. Its expected all-electric low-speed range is about 15 miles. Of course, carmakers could do better — our goal is to get them to sell PHEVs.

Meanwhile, aftermarket options are limited and still cost >$10K. Warrantied and crash-tested options are expected next year. See http://www.calcars.org/howtoget.html This conversion is part of our open-source “do it yourself with help from an engineer” project at http://www.priusplus.org.

– Felix Kramer, Founder, CalCars.org

By: Phil L.

Phil L. — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:15:13 +0000

Anyone have further info on the Prius PHEV conversion? The pictures are interesting – but I’d like to know more.

What is the battery-only range? Top usable speed?

Cost of conversion? Any safety issues? Availability for the rest of us?

By: Pat Rasmussen

Pat Rasmussen — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:09:18 +0000

We need plug-in hybrids. Prius hybrids can quickly be converted to plug-ins. Then we can use it as an electric car to commute and use the hybrid when going on a trip. It only takes a day to convert to a plug-in. See RAN do it themselves in a day. Any automaker that says they can’t do it for YEARS could just watch them and see how it’s done. They’re not even mechanics. You can check them out at: http://understory.ran.org/2007/11/14/ran-at-the-la-auto-show/

By: Toyota exec gets into tussle with Rainforest Action Network activist and it's all on YouTube - Auto Blog Green

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:43:19 +0000

[...] Show, LaAutoShow, Protest, Rainforest Action Network, RainforestActionNetwork, RAN, Toyota, VideoReadPermalinkEmail thisLinking BlogsComments [...]

By: Toyota exec gets into tussle with Rainforest Action Network activist and it's all on YouTube » Hybrid News

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:07:51 +0000

[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments [...]

By: The Understory » Live from the LA Auto Show

The Understory » Live from the LA Auto Show — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:42:20 +0000

[...] broadcasting live online from the LA Autoshow where we’ve teamed up with Cal Cars to convert a modest Prius Hybrid into an amazing plug-in electric that will average 100 [...]

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:26:47 +0000

Doug – good idea. Watch for updates.

By: Phil L.

Phil L. — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:19:57 +0000

Elka Zwick -

Compressed air technology has been around for a long time.

But there are important reasons it hasn’t taken off for vehicle applications. In this setting, compressed air is just a battery. There’s no magic: It takes energy from one place; stores it, and make it available for use in another place. If you want lots of compressed air cars, spend some time thinking about where all of the energy to compress the air is coming from. And Mr. Thermodynamics will take his cut: Compressing air creates heat – energy that isn’t available for the vehicle.

That said, I believe there are applications where compressed air and similar technologies will make sense.

By: Doug Grinbergs

Doug Grinbergs — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:57:46 +0000

Perhaps RAN would care to share some details about the confrontation between Toyota’s sales GM Carter and RAN’s Olson. Is a video available?

By: Elka Zwick

Elka Zwick — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:29:54 +0000

It’s incredible that the French are working on a car that uses compressed air as its fuel. From what I recall, it can be driven for 600 miles before re-fueling. That sure beats today’s hybrid vehicles!

Detroit is giving the world vehicles that do not need to be driven in the city, namely, huge S.U.V.s and big trucks to haul a few bags of groceries and just the driver. It is starting to provide hybrid vehicles, because Americans are buying these cars from Honda and Toyota. It’s funny that this will soon be the old technology, AND DETROIT WILL BE LEFT ‘IN THE DUST!’

I am considering buying a “SmartCar,” because of its fuel efficiency, and reduced gas emissions. From what I saw on “YouTube” of its ability to withstand a crash, it compares reasonably well to other cars. However, I still wouldn’t want to be in a crash with one of those behemoth, idiotic S.U.V.s.

P.S. I saw this French car on a recent episode of “Modern Marvels” on “The Discovery Channel.”

By: Phil L.

Phil L. — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:59:10 +0000

Well – the PHEV Prius efforts I’ve seen cost >$10K on top of the Prius, and the result can have decent range – but can’t go over 35mph (other conversions may have other limitations).

That $10K+ conversion doesn’t include the cost of a warranty – something an OEM would have to factor in. Plus international safety and regulatory issues that the conversion conveniently ignores.

This would likely push an OEM PHEV Prius into $40K territory.

So… No surprise: It’s a nice idea, but Toyota has obviously already done their research – and decided there isn’t enough market for a vehicle in this price range with these limitations. They’ll put their research money into other technology that will make sense in the marketplace.

By: ryanne hodson

ryanne hodson — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:23:39 +0000

i’m excited to see the results of the 1 day plug in conversion! go RAN!!

By: janet curtis

janet curtis — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:14:27 +0000

Plug-ins could reduce the average American driver’s gas consumption by 85 percent!
RAN is going to covert a Prius to a plug-in in less than a day. What’s holding back the auto industry?
The big automakers, despite their claims to be green, are lobbying heavily against increased fuel efficiency standards. Every President has been controlled by the oil cartel, we MUST STOP THEM NOW. With the spills, drilling, killing, we are a planet gone mad and it has to stop right now before we as the animals and ocean marine life are poisoned, and that isn’t helping the environment nor the health of our dying planet. Get agressive and get mad and take actions to stop this addiction to oil as Pres Bush admitted, but he is under control of higher blood money profits, help stop this right away. Be part of the progressive movement to end our oil addiction and make cars that will be affordable and energy efficent. You have nothing to lose, but your home:EARTH!