Updated Info Links for 2022

Date By joe Category Vendors Comments 0

I reviewed all the links to vendors and sites that you can see from the "Links" section on the lower right panel of this site. I posted a note for each with the status as of April 2022. I also updated some of the links where the site still existed but had changed URL.

Sadly, many of the DIY EV specific suppliers are no longer around.

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Moving On

Date By joe Category Vehicle Comments 0

What happened to this vehicle? Obviously I haven't updated this site in several years. For the benefit of anyone who might stumble across this site, here is a 2021 update.

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Wiring Diagrams

It has now been a few years since I did all the electrical wiring in the truck. At the time I created some wiring diagrams for myself so that I would have a map to follow. While not very complex, it is still a lot to just keep in your head. Anyway, I always intended to post my wiring diagrams in case someone else finds them useful. But I did not ever feel like they were presentable and I wanted to clean them up some before making them public. I never did that and recently someone asked me about my wiring diagrams. So I decided to post what I have.

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Jump Start

This past weekend I was out doing some errands and I could not "start" my truck because my 12V battery went dead. This is kind of a funny situation to be in because the vehicle has a large traction battery with plenty of charge to power the vehicle, and yet I can't use it because the 12V lead acid battery is dead.

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Switch to O̶c̶t̶o̶p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ Pelican

Date By joe Category misc Comments 0

(Update 2014-11-03) I liked the Octopress concept a lot but since it used ruby so much it was hard for me to customize or deal with any issues that turned up (I don’t know ruby). Also, I didn’t like the fact that every site you want to use with octopress is a clone of the repo. I switched from octopress to Pelican, which is python based. I found it much easier to understand and maintain. The plugins make sense and I was able to make my own modifications to plugins and themes after using it for only a short period of time. Everything I wrote below about reasons and advantages of switching from wordpress to static site generator still apply.


I recently changed this site from Wordpress to Octopress. Wordpress was getting to be a hassle to maintain, especially with needing to worry about constant security updates. I think I actually had the site hacked once and I had to rebuild the site to get it cleaned up. Then you have to keep a security plugin ... I just got tired of maintaining it.

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2009 Smart Passion Cabriolet for Sale

Date By joe Category misc Comments 1

Post edited to indicate that the car was sold.


2009 Smart Passion Cabriolet
2009 Smart Passion Cabriolet

Price: SOLD

Contact:

xxx@xxx

Details

  • 2009 ForTwo Passion Cabriolet (convertible)
  • Red body panels, Silver Tridion
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One year anniversary, 5000 electric miles

Date By joe Category misc Comments 0

This weekend I got the truck inspected for a safety inspection (there is no emissions test).  This means I have been driving it for a year as electric.  I looked at the mileage and I am just shy of 5000 electric miles.

I wasn't sure what to expect for the …

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Range Test

Date By joe Category misc Comments 0

When people ask me what is the range of my electric truck, I tell them 40-50 miles.  Now that is an estimate based on how many Ah per mile I use and 80% of capacity of my battery pack.  I consider the full use to be 80%, always keeping 20% in reserve.  The 20% reserve serves two purposes.  First it give me additional "emergency" range in case I get in some situation where I have to drive more than planned, and secondly, it extends the life of the battery pack to avoid fully discharging it routinely.

Up to now, I have never actually measured the range, only estimated it.  Short answer is 60 miles.  Click below to read the details:

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How much am I spending on electricity?

Date By joe Category misc Comments 0

People sometimes ask, and I have been wondering myself, how much am I actually spending on electricity for my electric truck.  I have made some estimates but it would be nice to actually measure it.  I do not have a separate meter for my truck, but I do have historical usage data for my house back to 2007.  See the chart below:

Average daily electric usage (per month) in kWh
Average daily electric usage (per month) in kWh

Click below to read more:

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