B.O.B. and all of us at EV4U Custom Conversions would like wish you a safe and happy New Year.
We hope that 2012 will see you in an electric car with miles of gasoline free driving.  Realizing the beauty of clean, efficient and reliable electric transportation.  Enjoy the EV grin.

Three day Hands-on Workshops

Coming Spring 2012
EV4U Custom Conversions will be putting
on a series of three day Workshops that
will give participants both classroom and
hands-on experience.  Participants will
take a running gasoline vehicle and
convert it to an operational electric
vehicle.  All supplies and materials will
be provided.  Visit our website at
www.EV4Unow.com for more information.

Revenge of the Electric Car

Traveled to Sacramento to view the movie "Revenge of the Electric Car"
with the Greater Sacramento EAA group.  My wife and I both thought it
was a much better movie than "Who killed the Electric Car".  The movie
spotlights the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf, the Tesla Roadster, and a
conversion shop in Southern California.  The movie is as much about
the men behind the cars as it is about the cars.  The conversion shop
and the couple that own it would not have been my choice to represent
the conversion industry.  Watch the movie and you will see what I mean.
I'm sure they are in the movie because of who they know, and that is the bottom line.

How-to Series

EV4U Custom Conversions is producing a video series called How-to Convert to Electric.  We just completed episode three.  The videos feature the conversion of a 1974 VW Karmann Ghia.  In the latest video we discuss motor choices and adapters.

An issue with the VW motor installation is the length of the motor.

We discuss the ImPulse 9 and WarP 9 motors from NetGain Motors.

We also talk about different types of Adapters and Couplers.  Check out our YouTube Channel for all of our videos.

Award Winning Bug for Sale

For sale is our award winning Battery Operated Bug (B.O.B.)  After three years on the show circuit, it is time for something new and fresh.  B.O.B. is a 1974 VW Standard Beetle with four wheel disc brakes, custom suspension, custom fenders and running boards, custom lights, tires and wheels.  A 156 volt, 500 amp DC conversion featuring brand new batteries (20.3 kwh), complete instrumentation, custom interior, and a beautiful paint job.  This is a beautiful electric classic that wins awards and is always a crowd favorite.  Yours for $32,000.  Visit EV4Unow.com for photos and more information.

End of the season...

After more than a dozen shows and thousands
of miles on the road, B.O.B. is home till next
season.  Now we need to get busy on Karmann,
our 1974 VW Karmann Ghia, and see if we can
have her ready for next years show season.
Always on the look out for new events, so if you
have any suggestions let me know.

National Plug-In Vehicle Day, Davis, California

 B.O.B. and I were in Davis, California for the National Plug-In Day event.  B.O.B. was a big hit as always.  I test drove an electric motorcycle, a Nissan Leaf, and a Mini E.

 Mitsubishi was there in a big way, large display and several cars to test drive.  I did not get a chance to drive one.  Little funky looking for my taste.

Cool Davis Cruise

 Took part in the Cool Davis Cruise and Festival on Friday, October 14th, in Davis, California.  Electric cars and marching bands, not something that happens everyday.

National Plug-In Vehicle Day

Join B.O.B. at the Veterans Memorial Center in Davis, California on Sunday, October 16, for National Plug In Vehicle Day.
On Friday, October 14, Richard van Wyhe, founder of EV4U Custom Conversions will be attending the 2011 Cool Davis Festival and EV Show in Davis, California.  This will be a Cruise and Show & Tell event.  Mr. van Wyhe will be there with an electric Porsche and answering all your questions regarding electric vehicles.

Not Going Back

It was time to replace the tires on one of my cars, so I took it to America's Tire.  I have been buying tires from them for over twenty years.  I purchased four new tires with a wait time of almost two hours, this was Saturday afternoon.  Monday morning I was going to drive the car and noticed the left rear tire was nearly flat.  Upon inspection, no visible damage.  I removed the tire and wheel and took it back to America's Tire.  An hour and a half later they get to my tire and in two minutes show me a damaged bead.  It was damaged upon installation.  They can't get me a new one until Wednesday or Thursday.  Not acceptable, so I asked for a refund so that I could get the tire elsewhere.  They did not want to do that.  After the salesman spends ten minutes in the office he tells me they can have one first thing in the morning, 8:00 AM to be exact.  Are you sure, yes he's sure.  See you tomorrow at 8:00.  Tuesday morning at 8:15 I am told they do not have my tire, maybe 11:00 or noon.  You're kidding me!  I told him to call me when the tire was mounted and ready to go.  Got the call at 11:45.  It took three trips into town and hours of my time, because of their mistake.  An apology, not even close.  This is the third time in a row that I have had an issue with America's Tire in Redding, California.  Strike three, I'm not going back.  Plus this is a word to the wise.

One Tough Battery

Seen in the photo on the right are 44 GBS 100 Ah Lithium Ion cells, their normal voltage is 3.2 volts per cell.  We recently had a customer completely discharge their pack to a cell voltage of 0.7 volts.  Bad...but wait, there's more...they were left in this state for a month.  D.O.A., right?!  Well, we charged them to a minimum voltage, balanced them, then charged them as a pack.  They held voltage, so we road tested the vehicle.  A couple of hundred miles without issue.  Forty miles at 65 MPH in a 2630 pound vehicle, took the pack down to 50% state of charge.  Not too bad.  I'm sold.  No way of knowing the life cycles this will cost the owner, but at least they did not have to replace the pack.

The Coolest EV?

That's right, B.O.B. received an award for being the "Coolest EV" at the 39th Annual EV Show and Rally in Palo Alto, California on Saturday, September 24, 2011.  But those who know B.O.B. already knew he is the Cooolest.  Approximately 40 Electric Vehicles were on hand for the Event which featured free rides in Teslas, and the T-Zero.  Plus there were factory EVs on display also, such as the Nissan Leaf.  The weather was perfect this year, but show attendance was down, as there were a lot of other events going on locally.                                                                                                                                         Sunday on the way home, it rained, getting the truck and trailer filthy, fortunately B.O.B. was tucked away clean and dry.  The Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield is a must stop, the down side, I ate a pound of jelly beans before the day was over.

EV Show and Rally

This is what B.O.B. looked like the last time he
attended this show.  Think anyone will recognize
him now that he has had cosmetic surgery?
This years event is again at Palo Alto High School
in Palo Alto, California on Saturday,
September 24, 2011.  Hope to see you there.

B.O.B. at Green Drive Expo

 The weather was perfect on Saturday, September 17, 2011 in Richmond, California at the Craneway Pavilion.  B.O.B. was one of only four electric conversions.  Most of the vehicles were factory produced, and most were hybrids.  Very disappointing.  This is the only indoor event that we have done, at least no sun screen needed.

 The public attendance was low, not sure if it was the location or the lack of promotion.

 Out of all the shows that B.O.B. has attended, he was

touched the most at this show.  I got tired of saying please do not touch the car.  One gal even opened the door and was going to sit in the car.  I asked her if it was her car, she said no, I told her it was mine and to please not touch.  Some people just do not have a clue.

Green Drive Expo

B.O.B. is on the move again.  Saturday, September 17 he will be in the VIP area of the Green Drive Expo being held at the Craneway Pavilion, in Richmond, California.
The following Saturday, September 24, B.O.B. will participating in the EV Rally in Palo Alto, California.  Stop by one of the events and say hello.

Chico Concours d'Elegance

Sunday, September 11, 2011 found B.O.B. at the Chico Concours d'Elegance for the third year in a row.  This was a nice gathering of about 200 vehicles at the beautiful Butte Creek Country Club.





                                                                             

The beautiful young lady by the $205,000 AMG is a Chico State student who was babysitting this fabulous car.  I think B.O.B. was a little jealous he doesn't have gull wing doors.  But he did manage to win a First Place Award.  Seems the Battery Operated Bug is a winner in any crowd.

Electric Racing

One day we will be watching cars race around the track and there won't be the deafening roar of engines or the smell of exhaust fumes.  EV4U is preparing to be involved with road racing.  Drag racing was never my favorite, but throw in some twists and turns, a nice straightaway and lets get racing.  The photos are from a recent trip to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.









The Miata Spec races were really fun to watch, but not as much fun as cruising up Hwy 1 in our own Miata.

Check this out!

A friend of mine is selling his 1963 VW Pushbutton Notchback.  This car would make a great conversion.  Nice gasoline engine that could be sold to help offset the purchase price.  Check our website www.EV4Unow.com under EVs for sale for more information.

Another Visitor

Started the week off with a visitor from Folsom, California.  Gary Morton, founder and CEO of Classics Gone Green drove up to Shasta Lake to visit our shop, pick my brain, discuss the EV industry, and the conversion business.  Gary is specializing in classic Mustang conversions, and is a member of the Greater Sacramento Area Chapter of the EAA, which is where we met.  Gary is an interesting guy who brings a diverse background in engineering to the conversion industry.  I enjoyed our visit.
It seems that being smack in the middle between Seattle and Los Angeles makes us "on the way" for most folks passing through.  That and being located only a couple of miles from I-5 means we have a lot of visitors, and it seems that the rate of visitors is steadily increasing.  We are going to have to clean things up a bit if we are going to continue to entertain visitors.  If you would like to stop by and visit, please contact us first as Gary did and we can set up an appointment.  As always, we appreciate the interest in EV4U Custom Conversions.

What's wrong with this picture?

This 1974 VW Beetle required a lot of body work, some fiberglass work and a change of color inside and out.










$4,200.00 later this is what you end up with.












To make this 1970 Bug look like the red one above, we were quoted $6,800.00  Understandable.











This 1974 Karmann Ghia is in beautiful condition, requiring the very minimum of body work, no rust and as straight as can be.  Paint quote, over $9,700.00  The prices are from the same shop and less than two years apart.  Seems to me something does not add up.  Too bad, our cars are displayed in shows, publications, TV, and the internet.  Great advertising for a paint shop.  But at $9,700 no way!  Some other paint shop will be getting my business and advertising.

An Electric Car?

Disturbing!  And they weren't there to wash the windows.

Now this is an Electric car.  No Gas Allowed!

You know, I've always seen things fairly black and white.  Pickup trucks have a bed, cars have four wheels, diesel should cost less than gasoline, and so forth. On my way home from a car show in Sacramento I saw something that bothered my black and white outlook.                           Perhaps one day I will explain the disadvantages of a hybrid car.  But for now, let me give you the black and white of it.  How can you tell if it is an electric car?  Electric cars do NOT use gasoline!

Another Award

Seems I was busy answering questions and talking with folks about B.O.B. and did not hear them call my name at the Flashback Cruz car show in Bend, Oregon.  We won a Sponsors award, in which they place a ribbon on your windshield to let you know you have won.  You then go and pick up your award at your leisure.  However, the "Best Of" awards were announced over the P.A. system, and we were located at the far end and could not clearly hear what was being said.  Probably messed up my last name so as not to be recognizable anyway.  Well received a phone call from the gal in charge of the show to let me know that we had won the Best in Class award and that they were shipping me the trophy. 

Flashback Cruz

 Well, made it back from another show.  The Flashback Cruz Car Show in Bend, Oregon, is one of my favorites.  Held at Drake Park, the show setting is beautiful.  This is a well attended show, with an impressive number of participants and spectators, especially considering there was a fair going on the same weekend.

 The drive from Shasta Lake to Bend is not the most enjoyable however.  In addition to it being two lanes for a good portion of the trip, there was road construction this year, with a couple delays.  Still managed to make the trip in six hours though.

 Had I known how long we were going to be stopped for road construction, I would have gotten out and stretched my legs.

 After turning off I-5 on to Hwy 97 through Weed, CA and Klamath Falls, OR, you travel through high desert.  Bend itself is at approximately 4,000 foot elevation.  Bend is a small town of approx. 80,000.  It is a clean and inviting community.  Very nice downtown, but also a lot of attractive shopping centers spread throughout the community.

 The scenery is pretty, but it is a lot of the same thing mile after mile.

 I was by myself this trip, so I was not able to take many pictures at the show.  Busy answering questions and visiting with the extremely friendly folks of Bend.

The weather was perfect, sunny and in the low 80's.  A couple of times, between waves of people, I got a few photos.

 B.O.B. even won an award.  We attend these shows to market our conversion business and to share the benefits of electric transportation.  But winning awards is fun too.