San Francisco Bay Electric Auto Rally 1995 report

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Otmar said he would tow the MG with his electric chevy S-10 pick-up if the generator that was on order came in. The generator would extend the range of the truck so that we could make the distance. In fact, the generator had been acquired by several local EV owners for just that purpose; Otmar and I had bought into this venture and would be the first ones to test it out.

Thursday before the rally, Otmar called and said the generator would be in Friday afternoon. If all went well we could hook it up and go for a test run that evening. I had been trying to line up an alternate tow vehicle all week and finally got a backup, just in case, a propane powered truck. Robin from Bay Area Action said he could do it, but would not be disappointed if Otmar's truck was available; He was not excited about the early start on Saturday morning. I said I would let him know by Friday night.

When I got to Otmar's shop Friday evening the generator was in a big box on top of the truck. The generator was a 16hp Briggs & Strattan gas engine attached to a 8,000 watt generator that would produce 120/240 volts AC at 33.3 amps. We had chosen this generator for its economy and "whisper quiet" operation. I sifted through the paper work and the instruction manual to make sure there were no gotchas in starting this thing up.

After looking the generator over, we decided that the best way to hook it up was to wire an additional 240 outlet that came straight off the main breaker. This was the only way we could get the full power out of the generator to the truck. Otmar wired up a starting battery with jumper cables so we would not have to use the pull starter. We strapped the generator to the truck and were almost ready. All we had to do was to fill it with noxious fluids; oil and gas; and we could test it out.

We drove the electric truck over to a gas station to fill up the generator and made jokes about not filling up the truck; its first trip to a gas station for *gas* since it was converted. We got down the road aways before we started up the generator. The "whisper quiet" operation was so loud that we decided it was prudent to run it only when we were on the freeway, so as to avoid having to explain why an EV made more noise than a regular car. We drove over to Bob's house (one of the partners of the generator) to demonstrate the "whisper quiet" operation, but he was not home.

The next thing to do, was to hitch up the MG and go for a test tow. I went home to get the tow bar, that the project had made, and to catch a bite to eat. Otmar called Bob, and over the roar of the generator told him that the "whisper quiet" generator had arrived and was working fine, except for the "whisper quiet" part. The eventual plan was to use an old catalytic converter and muffler from an EV conversion and put the generator on a trailer as a range extender for the partners in this venture. But for now - for this test - it will have to run without these improvements.

I got back to the shop and we hooked up the MG to Otmar's truck. We had to fix up the tail light wiring as is required when ever you tow anything; it's never right. Check the hand brake, steering lock and make sure the MG is in neutral. I did this twice as I had seen the results of leaving the MG in gear once before; it had destroyed a motor. Otmar ask if I had checked all these things, I said yes and then checked them again. The test tow went well and we were ready for the next day's EVents. The rally started at 10:00am so I said we should leave by 8:30am. It was 12:30am when I finally found the rally registration form that said we should be there by 8:00am to register. Oh well, I guess we will be late.

I plugged in the MG and went to sleep only to wake up at 6:00 am to the sound of rain. I met Otmar at the shop at 8:30 and we were on our way. We stopped just before the freeway to turn on the generator. Otmar notice that the truck was not going into regen. This meant that the batteries were topped off and the generator was keeping it that way. This was a good sign.

The trip was uneventful until just past the SF airport when the generator circuit breaker tripped. This meant that the batteries were now low and the generator was trying the make up the difference and could not keep up. We pulled over and let the generator run for awhile, while Otmar connected up the data acquisition system so we could see what the battery voltage was. Yep, it was low all right. We managed to get up near Candlestick park before we decided to pull off again and let the generator run and charge up the batteries The load of the truck towing the MG was more then we had figured on.

It was twenty of ten when the CHP pulled up and told us that this was not a parking place and we should move on to the Candlestick exit, if we could. We said sure, and headed up to the Stick (now 3Com park). This had the advantage of going around the first hill into the city. We found a place to let the truck sit and charge up, away from any houses that might complain. I was feeling a little anxious to get to the rally even though I might miss the start. Otmar said he did not mind waiting for the truck to charge up if I wanted to get to the rally. So I dis-connected the MG and stowed the tow bar in the truck and was off.

I felt as if the second part of the journey, plan B if you will, was put into place and that I was going to make a solo attempt on the summit, so to speak, on my own. I drove off through the industrial area around Candlestick trying to find my way back to the freeway and looking for signs to the Golden Gate bridge. The route was relatively flat and the car was fully charged, so there should be no problem getting to the rally. Still, the thought of getting lost and having limited range certainly heightened the sense of adventure.

I found the freeway with no u-turns, and made my way into the city. Up over Van Ness and Lombard to the Presidio. Signs marked the route to the start of the rally, and I could see that all the EVs were still there! I pulled up, last in line, and saw all the familiar EV faces and cars. Bruce Parmenter met me and showed me where to register and get a technical inspection before the rally start. I explained that we had trouble with the tow vehicle and that I had driven eight miles to the start, so I would be doing the short route.

The route consisted of the Golden Gate bridge, the San Refael bridge and the Bay bridge forming a large loop, with a list of trivia questions to be answered along the way. There were stops at the north vista point of the Golden Gate bridge, Sausalito and Emeryville. The cars were to stop and plug in (for show only) at Sausalito and Emeryville. The short route, for the range challenged EVs, was to go to Sausalito and then back over the Golden Gate bridge to the start/finish. My short route would be to turn around at the north vista point and come back. This would avoid the big hill coming out of Sausalito and back up to the bridge.

The technical inspection was quite simple, turn indicators, horn, emergency shut off, seat belts, license, etc.. The kind and make of cars were from the MG to two chevy blazers, a City car to an old restored four seater triumph, not to mention the Ford Ecostar and Honda's proto-type EV. Both the of the later cars are part of PG&E test program.

With the *Click* of the key switch and the sound of tires only the parade of 25 EVs were off and rolling. Down and around the Presidio to highway 101 that lead us across the Golden Gate. The weather had lifted a little and I could not resist putting the top down for this historic first SF BEAR. At the north vista point EVs, drivers and cameras were every where. Not too different from any other tourist day in the city, the Golden Gate bridge shrouded in clouds and fog, a few boats on the Bay and the city skyline in the background; truly San Francisco.

All the EVs at the vista point gave the tourists an added attraction. I answered the usual questions about range and top speed, how long it takes to recharge etc., and then headed back over the bridge to the Presidio. As I approached the toll both I wondered if I could talk my way out of the toll; there should be an exception for zero emission cars. When I got back to the Presidio I was glad to see that the only other EV there was Otmar's pickup. He had let the generator run for about 40 minutes and had been able to make it the rest of the way to the rally. As Otmar and I were the only EVs at the start/finish, we had the honor of giving rides to representatives of the American Lung Association which this rally would benefit. This turned into a good photo opportunity and the riders were quite impressed with the smooth, quiet and clean operation of EVs.

After the official rides Otmar and I headed over to the charging area. This was foremost in our minds if we were going to make it back to Palo Alto at the end of the day. Back at the rally site, the EVs began to roll in. The scoring for the rally was based on several items: amount of pledges up to a certain amount, number of bridges crossed, score on trivia questions and a rolling resistance test given at the end. Inbetween the EVs rolling in and the rolling resistance test, rides in various EVs were offered to the public as well as show and tell of the EVs not giving rides. An aide to the mayor's office presented a proclamation of endorsement to the Electric Auto Association for having the rally in San Francisco. Although the MG was not a high scorer in the rally I did win second prize for the highest amount of pledges raised for the event. All in all the event raised $6,800 for the American Lung Association. This was a truly fun EVent and I look forward to next years SF BEAR.

Otmar and I hung around until about 6:00pm, when the truck was fully charged, brfore we started off for Palo Alto. We turned the generator around on the truck so that we could start it by reaching though the cab window instead of having to pull over to start it. Wondering if we would have the same trouble on the way back I asked Otmar if we would make it all right. He said he thought we would since according to the map it was south and it would be downhill. The real answer was that we would not be driving so fast (Otmar's normal driving) and we would probably make it ok. The trip was uneventful and the generator ran the whole time we were on the freeway. We had enough battery power to turn off the generator as we came to the first light off the freeway and silently make our way into Palo Alto and to Otmar's shop. Another interesting day in the life of the clean and sometimes not so "quiet" EV evolution.

David Coale is the project leader for the Electric Vehicle project at Bay Area Action, a local environmental group in Palo Alto. Otmar Ebonheoch is developing controllers for EVs out of his shop in Palo Alto. Ben Comptom was the main organizer of the SF BEAR EVent and is president of the Peninsula chapter of the Electric Auto Association.

copyright 5-5-95 David Coale.

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