Tuesday 19 March 2013

back to it!

Well, here I am back again after a long hiatus.

For a while I got quite discouraged from the EV project due to difficulties in finding information about suppliers of parts and shipping to middle earth! in many cases the shipping was to cost more than the item itself!

A couple of things got my motivation Mojo flowing again.


  1. About a month ago I had the privilege of riding in a Nissan LEAF, loaned to a local electrician on the island to be shown off as part of the 'tread lightly tours' that I did some photography work for.
  2. Whilst in Sydney for a holiday I read a report (whose title and source escapes me now) that predicted petrol prices would likely reach $4.00 per litre by 2018, meaning $5+ here on Waiheke
  3. I realised that some of my friends had the relevant skills that I lacked in the metal fabrication and mechanical arts,
  4. I found this new supplier, Earthling Environs, who could potentially supply me with the EV parts I needed. 

Great thanks to plugin.org.nz, an initiative of APEV, the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles for providing this resource.


So now all that remains is for me to pull my finger out!

I have pretty much decided on a 120v system, with LiFePO4 batteries, in a light car with a good amount of under bonnet space, no power steering and no air conditioning. for my first project.

I need to find the perfect donor car, and organise a workspace (as where I live has none.)