Electric car? yeah I think so

So I've decided that I'm going to build an electric car in the spring/summer.
I'm going to sell off the parts and computer for the CNC machine to help fund part of the car. I can always buy a small CNC kit or 3D printer later on if I want to get back into it. So if anyone is wanting to buy some good, never used motors, controller and computer pre-setup to drive it let me know.

The sales plug aside, I'm looking at a mid to late 90's BMW 5 series, Audi A4 or Mazda Miata hard top.
The reasoning is an electric car should be cool and the problem with most of the current new electric vehicles is one or all of the following.
- They looks like a child's toy.
- They have a tiny wheel base and look cheap and flimsy.
- They cost far to much for what you are buying.

Obviously there is the Tesla, but not many people have well over 50K to put down to be on a waiting list. There is also the Chevy Volt but good luck getting one of those as well.

Next up we have the gas-electric conversion
The problems with most conversions are.
- They are generally built on the cheapest worst platforms, think rusted out 1991 Mazda 323 or Ford Festiva.
It's not a good way to promote going electric.
"Here buy this old junker that should have been scrapped, but hey it's now an electric junker so it's better right?" Wrong!
- The customized conversions look like something someone built in their garage out of paper mache based off a crayon sketch their kids drew.

So that leaves spending a little extra money and fixing up an older mid range luxury car/sports car to the point of it being something you'd want to drive on gas and then dropping an electric engine in it.
Here are the reasons for choosing this.
- I want it to look like a normal car anyone would want to drive.
- A solid platform that will perform and handle well.
- Something that has the fit and finish to look like a proper fun car to drive.
- It is a great way to promote electric conversions and could possibly become a side job doing conversions for people once they see what is possible.

So with all this I started looking at the legality of it and the MTO has a form for converting a car to electric. It's just that simple. Fill out the form, hand it in and off you go to the insurance company.
Here is a link to the MTO's information.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/emerging/conversions-faq.shtml


Next I called my insurance company to see what they can do for me and I was pleasantly surprised.
My broker loved the idea of it and she is going to look into what options I have and is going to try to get me a policy that will cost the same as the gas version of the car.
So now I wait and see what info she can get me.

It's time now to choose a motor and controller and start pricing out the needed parts for the conversion.

More to come,
-Colin.

3rd place is better than no place.

In other news I've just won a pile of Live points from Microsoft.
I'd entered a random Subway contest before Christmas and I've just received an e-mail from Microsoft saying I won 3rd place.
Pretty cool, now all I need is an xbox 360 to use with it.

-Colin

Updates and updates and SOPA? W...T....F...?

Well it's been apparently far too long since my last post. It looks like I need to get back into the swing of things. What's new, just doing stuff with Amelia. She'll be 7 months in a few days. That basically sums up all of my free time. I do have our basement half finished. Sub floor is in, walls are up and electrical is half done and when I get it cleaned up I'll post some pictures of it. Shouldn't be too long now.

In non personal news, SOPA & PIPA.
Dear lord what are things coming to? When a dying collapsing business model is failing and people can't let go of the old ideas and welcome a new platform of content delivery they use their billions of dollars to lobby politicians to enact policy's that will stifle a global public platform for learning and discussion and cat pictures so that it will let them grip on for a few more years. Bad form!
This entire situation is liken to a badly balding man hanging onto those last strands of hair and slicking them down to let himself retain the memories of his youth. You aren't fooling anyone and you look ridiculous! Shave it and embrace a new look and a new life.
This is what the large media conglomerates need to do. Look at the successful start ups that are raking in the cash with a new model of media content delivery and either buy them out, hire their employees/developers or copy what they are doing and chances are they will have the best year of financial success that they've had since the 80's. People will pay a reasonable price for what they want, provided a simple means of attaining it is there.
I'd have no problem paying $5-20 to download a DRM free season of The Simpsons or Dr.Who or whatnot, provided there was an easy way of doing it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd agree with this.
It's all about price and means of delivery and that it be DRM free.

As a Canadian and well as anyone in any country using the Internet this will greatly affect everyone. It's a shame that one country's policy could have such an affect on the whole world but if it does pass then maybe it will generate more innovation on the Internet and spur on some positive change. In either situation it's only a matter of time until the media giants realize that this sort of clamp down won't stop piracy, if anything it will cause more of it to happen.

Well hopefully the web site blackouts today in protest have got enough people to notice and the whole stupidity will get canned.
Next step after this, airport security.... yeah, that shit show of bad policy. That whole mess needs to chance and chance fast.

Enough ranting about it.
To learn more about SOPA and PIPA check out the wikipedia link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopa

Cheers,
-Colin.