This weekend - I had the Electricfly 'In Tow' behind the Aerocap to downtown Toronto (East Side) to the Eco Wheels Show in the Distillery District!
It was there as a reference Vehicle for the presentation of the Electric Vehicle Society of Canada, Along with our Tent, and Banners, as provided by our President - Howard Hutt.
We were positioned by the main entrance gate, and I parked my Aerocap Dakota in the back parking lot.
Over the Course of the two days - over 90 people stoped and asked various question about the vehicle, and took some information home with them!
Honestly speaking - many people might not have been there for the show - as the Eco Wheels Show was held in an active entertainment area, and there were even a couple Weddings there on the Saturday! Also - restaurants and bakeries were popular venues in the district! As Such - we did not have a total focused autdience comeing through the show, so I think we did OK!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Aerocap Gets (to) the Captical!
This Past Saturday, I drove the Dodge Dakota with the Aerocap on it up to Ottawa, and ... I towed the Electricfly the whole way!
Nearly 1,000 Kms for the trip with the Electricfly in tow - and only one casualty - the Magnetic Trailer Lights were blown off somewhere between Odessa, Ontario, at my Gas Stop, and The Ottawa Science Center - where I was taking the Electricfly up to EV EXPO 2010! (Anyone know how to keep the Magnetic base Trailer Lights attached? Or - is there some speed limit not listed on the package?)
The Tow Bar that is for the car - is not really designed for towing with a bumper ball - which is all I have on the truck at this point, since it is still a lease! On tighter corners - there is a bit of touching and chipping of the paint on the bumper at the drop down.
For pictures of the EVent - I will be posting them on my electricfly blog.
Nearly 1,000 Kms for the trip with the Electricfly in tow - and only one casualty - the Magnetic Trailer Lights were blown off somewhere between Odessa, Ontario, at my Gas Stop, and The Ottawa Science Center - where I was taking the Electricfly up to EV EXPO 2010! (Anyone know how to keep the Magnetic base Trailer Lights attached? Or - is there some speed limit not listed on the package?)
The Tow Bar that is for the car - is not really designed for towing with a bumper ball - which is all I have on the truck at this point, since it is still a lease! On tighter corners - there is a bit of touching and chipping of the paint on the bumper at the drop down.
For pictures of the EVent - I will be posting them on my electricfly blog.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AeroCap Does Detroit Auto Show!
Well, at least I drove the AeroCap Truck, my 2008 Dodge Dakota to Detroit to SEE the Detroit - excuse me - North American International Auto Show (NAIAS 2010) this Past Weekend!
The Show seemed to have a whole new Flavour, in part to the Absences, and in large part - to the new players: No Porsche exhibit, just one Ferrari, I saw no Bentley, (might have missed that one), and new - a whole section - Electric Avenue, with a focus on the participants in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize Competition, and new Electric Vehicle Companies exhibiting!
Kokam America - is now Owned by Dow Chemical, showed a booth downstairs beside the EV-Ride Pavilion, and one presenter in the X-Prize Area - SSI Racing - Showed their car powered by A123 Systems 26650M1 Cells!
The Battery Pack was in a Clear Polycarbonate Case for show!
It seemed like the show was almost dominated by either EV's or Hybrids, with a push towards higher end Hybrids, and smaller EV's but also Plug-in Hybrids were hinted at! Even Mercedes had a couple of Hybrids out for show! Nearly 1/3rd of the show seemed to focus in this direction!
I saw no mods, or even variations that were obviously targeted at making Pickups more Aerodynamic, less Blunt or draggy, or even cleaner and tigher in their cheet metal, but I might have missed it if it was there - as I was quite excited about the Electric Avenue portion of the show. Anyone else notice such things at the show for Pickups?
The Show seemed to have a whole new Flavour, in part to the Absences, and in large part - to the new players: No Porsche exhibit, just one Ferrari, I saw no Bentley, (might have missed that one), and new - a whole section - Electric Avenue, with a focus on the participants in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize Competition, and new Electric Vehicle Companies exhibiting!
Kokam America - is now Owned by Dow Chemical, showed a booth downstairs beside the EV-Ride Pavilion, and one presenter in the X-Prize Area - SSI Racing - Showed their car powered by A123 Systems 26650M1 Cells!
The Battery Pack was in a Clear Polycarbonate Case for show!
It seemed like the show was almost dominated by either EV's or Hybrids, with a push towards higher end Hybrids, and smaller EV's but also Plug-in Hybrids were hinted at! Even Mercedes had a couple of Hybrids out for show! Nearly 1/3rd of the show seemed to focus in this direction!
I saw no mods, or even variations that were obviously targeted at making Pickups more Aerodynamic, less Blunt or draggy, or even cleaner and tigher in their cheet metal, but I might have missed it if it was there - as I was quite excited about the Electric Avenue portion of the show. Anyone else notice such things at the show for Pickups?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Boat Tail Mod shows 15% measured improvement!
Just a couple days back - there was a recent story: DIY ‘Boat Tail’ Gives Little Car Big Fuel Economy - By Chuck Squatriglia, Autopia, about Darin Cosgrove, an aquaintances Geo Metro Aero Mod package!His Car - a Pontiac firefly - Like the same one I am using for my Electricfly, but newer, has had simple but practacal testing done - and recorded by Video camera and Tuft Testing to measure flow and turbulence, as well as multiple driving runs to test with mods on and off, to verify the differences, has shown at least a 15% improvement on an already very fuel efficient vehicle.
He Says - “I’ve driven with the tail on for about 300 km in total, mostly at highway speeds up to 100 km/h,” Cosgrove told us. “I didn’t notice any change in handling. The only effect on driving is I have to watch out for rubberneckers in other cars. Seriously.”
The Article mentions "The tail joins the rear wheel skirts, bellypan and other mods he’s made to boost aerodynamic efficiency. The result isn’t much to look at, but it boosted Cosgrove’s fuel efficiency by 15.1 percent at 90 km/hr (56 mph)."
These are all elements to show - that - a vehicle which usually gets below 5 Litre per 100 km, and is now getting below 4 litres per 100 km range - means that's now about one less trip needed to go to the gas station each month or so, so there is a time saving portion to the result as well as a money saving part!
Follow the story to see the Video he posted at the end.
Just think - what would you save if you cleaned up the bottom and rear of your vehicle? Also - if it's done right - you gain a large rear end cruple zone to protect your self and your fellow occupants!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas to you all!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and may your feet not freeze over the winter, and your nose not be red from Alcohol while driving!
Please take a moment to Enjoy a good Christmas Song and share it with others!
Are you staying home this Christmas - or Traveling to Visit Family, Friends? If your Traveling - Safe Journey and return Home Safe, and all the better for the relationship in your life!
We are going out to a Christmas Dinner at one of our Favourite Restaurants in Richmond Hill this time! (No cooking, no dishes, no leftovers! More time to try our hand at some candy and special baking projects we want to do!)
the AeroCaps project is on a bit of a hold with the cold weather an no shop, but it is still generating interest - I can tell by the web traffic!
A Special thank you to my new visitors. Please book mark the site and stop in once a month or so - more often in warmer weather! Feel free to let me know what you would like to see more - in the comments you leave!
Merry Christmas to you all and may the winds of change treat you well in the coming new year!
Please take a moment to Enjoy a good Christmas Song and share it with others!
Are you staying home this Christmas - or Traveling to Visit Family, Friends? If your Traveling - Safe Journey and return Home Safe, and all the better for the relationship in your life!
We are going out to a Christmas Dinner at one of our Favourite Restaurants in Richmond Hill this time! (No cooking, no dishes, no leftovers! More time to try our hand at some candy and special baking projects we want to do!)
the AeroCaps project is on a bit of a hold with the cold weather an no shop, but it is still generating interest - I can tell by the web traffic!
A Special thank you to my new visitors. Please book mark the site and stop in once a month or so - more often in warmer weather! Feel free to let me know what you would like to see more - in the comments you leave!
Merry Christmas to you all and may the winds of change treat you well in the coming new year!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Boat tail reduces truck fuel consumption by 7.5 percent
On November 5, 2009, Darren Quick put up this post in Gizmag, about how a Boat Tail on a truck saves fuel. Even though it was not smooth and graceful, but rather slab sided and boxy - it still turned in "fuel savings of 7.5 percent".
He goes on to say - "The fuel savings, which also means a cut in emissions, were realized by the boat tail dramatically reducing the drag caused by the lower-pressure effect that occurs in the wake of a vehicle." The key thing is the trailing edge or tail end of the vehicle, is the moree critical aspace for airflow control, and wake managment.
He Shows that these were not just one-off, random tests, but long running hard comparisons, averaged out over time - with various changes to the Boat Tail length: "The lorry was driven for a period of one year with a boat tail of varying lengths and one year without a boat tail. The improved aerodynamics were dependent on the length of the boat tail, with the optimum length found to be two meters (6.5-feet)."
In his story, he also points out the many other aero-structures that Trucks have added to them today to save on fuel: "Trucks already sport a range of modifications designed to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle, such as side panels, aerodynamic mudguards and mirrors, and roof deflectors. Of these only side panels are more effective at cutting fuel consumption (9 percent) so it’s hard to imagine we won’t be seeing trucks on the roads with a little extra junk on their trunks in the near future."
However - there are a few things I have discovered by attending a presentation at the University of Toronto, on Vehicle Aerodynamics - putting small vortex generators on those cab side panels causes the air to spin up and tighten up the air flow over the gap between cab and trailer that still exists, and cuts the interference drag at this area caused by air trying to escape from between the trailer and the cab, making a new wall of air, so the air stays attached - from cab to trailer.
He goes on to say - "The fuel savings, which also means a cut in emissions, were realized by the boat tail dramatically reducing the drag caused by the lower-pressure effect that occurs in the wake of a vehicle." The key thing is the trailing edge or tail end of the vehicle, is the moree critical aspace for airflow control, and wake managment.
He Shows that these were not just one-off, random tests, but long running hard comparisons, averaged out over time - with various changes to the Boat Tail length: "The lorry was driven for a period of one year with a boat tail of varying lengths and one year without a boat tail. The improved aerodynamics were dependent on the length of the boat tail, with the optimum length found to be two meters (6.5-feet)."
In his story, he also points out the many other aero-structures that Trucks have added to them today to save on fuel: "Trucks already sport a range of modifications designed to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle, such as side panels, aerodynamic mudguards and mirrors, and roof deflectors. Of these only side panels are more effective at cutting fuel consumption (9 percent) so it’s hard to imagine we won’t be seeing trucks on the roads with a little extra junk on their trunks in the near future."
However - there are a few things I have discovered by attending a presentation at the University of Toronto, on Vehicle Aerodynamics - putting small vortex generators on those cab side panels causes the air to spin up and tighten up the air flow over the gap between cab and trailer that still exists, and cuts the interference drag at this area caused by air trying to escape from between the trailer and the cab, making a new wall of air, so the air stays attached - from cab to trailer.
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