I've Got Mail!

Today I received a response from Alltrax! They produce the controller I intend to use for my motorcycle. In the e-mail, Damon responded to my offer to bring some cold-ones in trade.

"Hi Jared,  Yep, we have a nickel tour, runs about a 6 pack.  Manufacturing shuts down at 3:30, if you came by around 3:00 most weekdays it would be alright. Did I mention we love authentic German brews or good local micro brews?  -Damon Crockett Alltrax, Inc."

This is great news! I wonder if they'll sip on some Ashland Amber with me...

Thoughts for the future:

• Buy beer for ALLTRAX tour.

Comment Responses:

• Thanks for the support Josh & Jill!

Found this broadcast on Brammo's website.

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Getting back to it...

Over a year ago, I returned to school to become a Mechanical Engineer. It's going well. Now I need to bring some of my attention back to my electric motorcycle.

This is an exciting time for electric vehicles (EVs). The Golden Age of Internal Combustion Engines is coming to an end. Most of the major automakers are developing 100% electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. New battery technologies are also being developed.

New EVs will be a huge leap forward, but conversions will still have their time and place. My electric motorcycle conversion is intended to be an example of how inexpensive and easy it can be to own an EV if you can't afford what's on the market.

One of the most exciting EVs that I want to see in the mainstream is the Aptera 2e. Check out the Aptera Motors website!

I recently discovered an electric motor distributer that sells a kit with the exact parts that I want to use. Electricmotodepot.com even sells an eTek-like motor for around $500 which is half of what I had found originally.

Today I e-mailed Alltrax to ask if I could tour their facility. I'm planing on using one of their controllers.

It definitely works!!!

The Hydrogen Generator was a great success!!!
To view my instructional blog check out hydrogenbyjared.blogspot.com

The previous owner of the Jeep, Joan Garuti (my mom), claimed to get 21mpg driving 50mph with the top up. With the top down she claimed to get 24mpg at best. According to fueleconomy.gov this 1998 4-cylinder manual tranny Jeep Wrangler should be getting 16 city and 18 hwy miles per gallon. I guess the question is... who can drive 55? I could at the beginning of my trip, but after a few days I realized that I needed to be back to Oregon much faster.

My findings...

At best, the mileage I got was 26.78 MPG traveling at 55mph. A Jeep Wrangler getting almost 27 MPG... amazing! On average, at speeds between 55 and 75mph, I got about 25 MPG. Speed makes a huge difference in how much gas you use. I also noticed that as the wires corroded my MPGs went down. A good generator will have easily replaceable wires. I'm hoping after a few upgrades and skillful driving that I'll be able to make 28 MPG.

I installed the hydrogen generator in New Hampshire with help from my brother Joshua. His garage is full of project left overs and tools that I'd never seen before! What a great spot to get creative...



The cage that supports the jars is made from some french drain pipe left overs, cable ties (fluorescent colored of course), automotive brake lines and an old cd rack. It's easy to remove the jars for maintenance. The rack will detach easily as well. Fortunately the jeep has a nice spot to slip this hydrogen generator into, some other vehicles may not be so lucky. If you're hurting for space... take out your air conditioning system! Come now, do you really need it?



This is what it looks like installed. Later I added an off switch in the dash and an air pump. The problem with hooking up the power to your generator from an accessory power line is that it turns on when you park up at the look out and switch on the radio for some mood music. Draining your battery and filling your air intake with hydrogen es no bueno! A simple 20 amp switch did the trick. The air pump helps keep a steady flow of hydrogen into the intake. There wasn't enough of a vacuum for the engine to pull in the hydrogen on it's own.



The Bubbles! The bubbles are mine!



Gross! Look at all that corrosion and mineral depositization! This picture was taken in Illinois and the unit was still working great. It just looked like a dirty fish tank so I cleaned it out and added new water. John Colwell, who was a chemist back in the day, suggested I try distilled water with a small amount of salt instead of tap water. Once I build my new generator I'll switch over and hopefully the electrolysis process will be a little cleaner and more sustainable.

Thoughts for the future:

• I'm going to start a second blog for this hydrogen project. It'll be an instructional blog that follows my progress building a new setup. I've got some great ideas for a few upgrades! Hopefully it will help anyone feel confident enough to build their own. It's cool to have better fuel economy!
  

Comment Responses:

• It's not a bomb Jay! :-P
  

Update & Hydrogen Generators

Currently, I'm still stuck waiting until I have enough cash to purchase the PMG-132 Perm Motor. It's the most expensive part and unfortunately, one of the first things I need to really get building.

I'll be taking a trip soon and driving a Jeep across the country. I know... horrible gas mileage. To help save some cash, give myself a project, and try something new... I decided to try building a supplemental Hydrogen Generator to increase my MPG. These babies are also suppose to decrease your emissions!

I'd been reading about them for a while, but I didn't feel convinced enough to try one until my friend Jay Armstrong sent me a link to this blog... IT WORKS! — TechCity

A local Ashlander built that one and is getting a 25% increase in gas mileage! It's time to try it for myself.

Search for plans on the internet. There are lots for sale, but if you look carefully you will find some free ones. The plans I used are detailed and straight forward, but I think there are some needless extra steps and components. I mostly stuck to the plans. ;)

Once I've installed it I will post my results.

Here's a video of the unit in action...




My housemate Carrie looks impressed...



That's it for now. I hope you're having a great summer! Don't worry, we'll have this motorcycle done by next year. My goal is to have it drivable by July 4th, 2009.

Mind if I cut in?

TIME~ 00:45 (hh:mm)
COST~ $0.00

TOOLS~

• Hacksaw
• File
• Gloves
• Mask

Now that I know the bike is 100% mine, I can start making some room for the motor. I made a cut on each side of this bar that crosses the frame.



It was one of the engine mounts, but the motor won't fit onto the swingarm unless I remove it. There are lots of different tools you can use to cut metal. If I had the cash I would probably use a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade. My friend Dustin may be able to loan me one. That would come in handy, especially for the smaller mounts that are hard to get to. It'll save my arms and a lot of time too. It took me 40 minutes to make these cuts! I did take a few breaks. A cooler blade cuts better right?



Wearing some gloves will help protect your hands. A mask may be a good idea since you're going to create a lot of metal dust.

After I finished cutting I used a file to dull any sharp edges still sticking out of the frame. That will save some skin later.

Thoughts for the future:

• I think I'm going to make a fake motor out of wood so that I can start welding on new mounts and get the sprockets figured out. I may decide on a different medium like plastic or cardboard. However, I want this to be an exact and solid piece.
  

Comment Responses:

• Mom, thank you for your input. I have a dream, but you actually have electric motorcycle dreams! I'd rather not have a trailer for regular driving, but I was considering a range extending trailer. I figured I could have one that contains a bunch of charged batteries or a diesel generator. I could convert the generator to run off of vegetable oil. This would be great for long trips. What do you think?
• Mark, thanks for the compliment my friend. When are you going to draw my motorcycle as a comic book hero?
  

He's alive and he owns the bike!

TIME~ 00:20 (hh:mm)
COST~ $1.04

TOOLS~

• Shipping Materials

Wow! I got an e-mail asking me for a pulse. It's been a while... here's the scoop!

I sold the directional lights today. Someone in Washington viewed my craigslist ad and decided to contact me. I gained $12.91 from the transaction, but I also had to pay up on $13.95 of ebay fees. So I'm down $1.04

I've been revamping my garage and spring cleaning. I organized my tools and that will definitely enhance this project.

I received the signed title documents from Joseph Perry. I had to wait a while because he was trying to get some sort of compensation from the business that had illegally gained possession of his bike. They wouldn't budge and the sheriff's department decided against pursuing the issue. So Joe signed it over to me anyway and has even offered to help me weld! I decided to list him as a sponsor since he basically gave me his bike. I just wish I had the chance to buy it from Joe in the first place.

Joe told me that what I described in my sprocket dilemma is called an 'Idler Sprocket'. As a fabricator he's replaced a lot of sprockets in his day.

One of my clients, Matthew Walker, suggested that I talk to someone at Motion Industries in Medford, OR. He said that they may already have a simple solution for me.

Another client of mine took the time to explain to me the importance of aerodynamics and how to test your fairing shape with water or thread as an alternative to a wind tunnel. He used to work for Bruce Meyers, creator of the Meyers Manx, designing motorcycle fairings. After talking with him I'm thinking of making a shell-like fiberglass body around most of my bike. I've been working on some more design drawings for it.

Now that I legally own the bike I'm going to start chopping it up!

Between my sponsors and I, we've saved up $335.65 towards the bike! I can't believe the support I'm getting for this project. Thank you everyone.