BattleBots: Witch doctor v Pandemonium (Bots IQ 2011)

You KNOW I like to mix it up here, and I’ve got some friends into some sick and twisted behavior.  I’m tempted to say that electric powered vehicles make strange bedfellows, but that sounds, well, dirty…  but here’s my friend RemoteContact, and his team’s robot Witch Doctor quite literally ripping up some boy’s little toy ‘bot.  Somewhere his momma is crying.  The best part is the robot happy dance at the end…

RemoteContact is a quiet, unassuming young man, currently working on some top-secret projects I’m dying to tell you about…  but RC lets his, uh, creations speak for him.  He’s been very active over the years on the Miami Battlebot scene, here’s a little sample of the banter that goes on around that event, on the IQ Miami forum.  He’s all over Endless Sphere and ElMoto, and has at least one electric motorcycle to his credit.  If I can find his build threads I’ll update that here…

As with the r/c helicopter community, the battlebot guys are pushing a lot of envelopes that us motorcycle and EV guys are only mildly aware of…  LiPo battery care and handling, ultra-powerful ultra-small brushless motor technology, multiple motors, multiple controller configurations, and some stuff I can’t even talk about.  Cause I don’t understand it.  These guys have led a lot of the manufacturers by the nose, by creating a demand for refinement and further development of their products.  It’s fair to say, without the battlebots and the helicopters, I wouldn’t be able to consider using Turnigy batteries for something I’m going to try to ride on…  safely anyway.

Great work, RC, and congrats to the whole team!

And here…  drum roll please, is the MAN hisself:

Thanks to Caro De Freitas ‎(carodf.tumblr.com) for showing us RC in his natural habitat. Crushing the competition.

Dancing Guy and Lessons on Starting a Movement

We’re trying to start a movement, here…  make no mistake.  The “End of the ICE Age” Movement…  and as I’m sitting down trying to formulate a real outline of what I’d like to accomplish I remembered this video that I think first appeared on www.TED.com.  It was by Derek Sivers, and is titled “Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy“.

 

There are several points I take away from this, which Sivers makes in his narration:

• A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he’s doing is so simple, it’s almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!
• The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader.
• As more people jump in, it’s no longer risky. They won’t be ridiculed, they won’t stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd. Over the next minute you’ll see the rest who prefer to be part of the crowd, because eventually they’d be ridiculed for not joining.

Here’s what’s interesting.  At first, when the leaders are out there alone – the lone guy and the “first followers”, people are reluctant to join in for fear of ridicule.  The second stage is the “tipping point”, where people join quickly to become part of the “cool” crowd, so that’s not about fear of ridicule, that’s motivated by the desire for notoriety or prestige – for “cool” status themselves.  Ultimately the “crowd” joins in, again, out of fear of ridicule but now for not being a part of the movement.

So how does this translate into what I’m trying to accomplish?  Simple.

I’ve said repeatedly that early adopters of emerging technology need to make a leap of faith.  New technology is based as much on a promise as on results, and often the promise simply doesn’t deliver.  Yet.  Early adopters need to have faith that, even though their investment of time and money is substantial, and their results may not immediately justify that investment, that it holds a promise for ultimately meeting, and exceeding their expectations.

To make that leap, early adopters need to feel confident in the principles of the technology, that is, they have to understand the core of the technology and be convinced it’s a viable solution.  This requires education.  (That is, they need to feel like they know how, or can learn, to dance with the Dancing Guy. “Be easy to follow”.)

They need to feel that they are not going to be left helpless with a huge investment that is unworkable.  This means they have to know that there is support available, there will be help if they need it, that they can solve, or get problems solved in spite of the fact that the solutions to these problems may not yet be developed.  (They need to feel like, once they are out there dancing, they’re not going to be left suddenly alone, exposed, and embarrassed.)

They need a sense of community.  Look at early adopters as the second and third guys to join the leader – they are forming a community, they have the support of peers, indeed, the earliest become leaders themselves within the community they help to form.  (They need to feel confident that others will join in dancing with them, that they are a part of a growing group and can learn and teach within that group.)

This is all about supporting early adopters once you’ve got them hooked.  But how do you hook them?

Simple.  Inspire them.

Whatever inspires them, whether it’s being “green”, saving money, experiencing the thrill of electric power…  it doesn’t matter what, but you have to have them by the heart, not the mind.  As a friend of mine is fond of saying, you don’t go on a date with a resume…  You’re not going to convert the masses by quoting facts and specs.  You’re going to get to them by appealing to what makes them live and breathe.

…which brings me to my second favorite video…  what motivates people, how to pull them by their heartstrings. Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose.  Between these two points is the Secret of Evangelizing Electric Transportation and Sustainable Energy…   People will adopt emerging technology because they want to, because they feel it gives them uniqueness, control, identity, Autonomy.  They’ll do it because it’s a chance to master a challenge, it’s not laid out for them, it’s a puzzle that needs solving – Mastery.  Think the “Purpose” part of the equation is simple?  Not at all… it may be the most difficult to put your finger on.  My sense of “Purpose” surrounding EVs includes as diverse factors as saving money, saving the Earth, reducing noise, as well as the feel of strapping my bony white ass onto a powerplant that has a straight-line powercurve…  and trying to change people’s ideas of what motorsports is all about.  You can’t get more “gear-head” than that.

 

Brammo Enertia on the TEEVEE News!

Just saw a clip from the CBS News last night, check the whole thing here- a great story on energy and gas prices, but guess who makes a little cameo?  Thass right, a leetle Brammo Enertia!

Here’s my edit, hopefully the Spiders of CBS won’t find me and kick my sorry ass:

Tuck and Roll

Nope, no relation to “duck and cover”, “tuck and roll” is a time-honored hot-rodder upholstery technique.  I thought I remembered how to do it, but after finding this great tutorial, I remembered how awesome it really is- and a far cry from the stitch-over-foam crap that passes today.  Take a look at this example of the finished piece from the Hotrodders.com Tuck-and-roll tutorial, by DanTwoLakes, the moderator:

I’m a little torn, cafe seats are sort of an afterthought, a board with some foam and a cover, and making them too snazzy is kind of an affront to all that is cafe.  But I’m old.  I want a little cush on the tush.  So…  for me, it’s off to the alternate workshop:

 

Design Notes: Awesome Cafe Tanks

OCD being what it is, after going around in circles a few dozen times, I’m getting to the point of starting to actually make tanks.  I say “tanks”, because I’m just honest enough with myself to know I’m not probably going to stop at one…  Here are my tank notes- collected via Facebook, and naturally, I didn’t have the presence of mind to note where they came from.  Dammit.

I’m going to start with an early Honda roadracer- I saw one of these in the shop where I bought my first bike, a Honda CL100, and apparently it damaged me forever.  Enjoy…  if you have any identification info, please don’t hesitate to share, but I can tell you most of these probably came from my favorite site, BikeExif.com.

OK, let’s wrap up with the 917 Rider from SilenceTV:

Predator Drag Bike and the “Burnout with the Twins”

ENOUGH with the scooters already!  I need to cleanse my palate.  What better than to watch a kickass dragbike video, featuring the “Twins”?

Read the whole story here, complete with blood, sweat, joy and tears, but the Predator is a bike that Electrafunk Racing is rebuilding with a couple of motors that none other than Shawn Lawless donated:

“Dice,
Motors are on their way. They should be good for 400 HP plus. I can’t wait to see the Predator on the track with GE power! AGNS managed 9.95 @ 128 MPH with one of these motors and AGM lead. ANGUS bike ran 8.60′s @169 MPH with a crappy chassis and two of them. Predator should hit the 7′s with the right battery pack. 2011 is going to ROCK!!!

Shawn”

“Dice” is Jeff Disinger, and if you want to follow the fun, here’s his YouTube channel.

And now…  without further ado, the “Burnout with the Twins”!

Here’s a little informal bio on Jeff:

“i have been building fast vehichles car/bike… whatever….lol..my whole life. a freak of nature in need of speed.i grew up with some really brilliant and awesome fabricators in my town. outside the box thinking lead me this point in my life.i own a 1970 mustang tube chassis pro-mod with a blown small block ford(first car i ever owned @15) a 1969 mini cooper panel van dropped on a honda crx platform…blower/nitrous, a 1969 valkyrie/gt-40…22 point tube chassis rear engine small block ford with blower/nitrous…220 mph car…the list does go on! my point?….i would rather be racing my electric dragbike…the predator! 20 years ago i concieved this bike,and it’s here and now! because of what we all believe in now. i love my ice toys…but i’m here to help turn as many that will listen…ELMOTO rules!”

WAIT!  There’s MORE!  Jeff is the owner, proprietor and head artist at Skin Funk Tattoos, in Cicero, NY.  He’s won numerous awards over the years such as the Syracuse New Times Best Tattoo and Piercing Studio -’98-’99, and 2nd Place at AMJAM for Best Female Backpiece-’99-’00, his Airbrushed Graphics have been the feature of many articles from the Syracuse Post Standard 12/2005, to Miniworld a European magazine devoted to the minicooper.

So THAT’s the face under the Predator helmet…

…wait, what’s that you say?  Scooters?  What’s a scooter?  (it’s WORKING!)

Vectrix VX-2, the Background

What’s the deal with the Vectrix VX-2?

As far back as 2008 we saw reports of the VX-2.  Here’s a story in DealerNews.com, for example, back before the doors closed at Vectrix.   It was a simple deal, really, Vectrix, with a large, expensive scooter needed something to hit the market at the $5000 mark, the 50cc scooter class, to open up it’s base a bit. “In addition, for summer 2009, the company also plans to introduce an entry-level model called the Vx2. The Vx2 will be a smaller and more compact electric equivalent of a 50cc internal combustion engine (ICE) bike. The company expects to add additional power profiles to this product up to the electric equivalent of a 150cc ICE motorbike.”

Forward to mid-2009, and you have the massive layoff, and subsequent bankruptcy.  All bets are off.

Now…  February of 2010, we start to see rumblings of life.  Everybody’s chatting about how the battery giant that bought out Vectrix, Gold Peak Industries, intends to continue to make scooters to support the EV channel.  At the 2010 International Powersports Dealer Expo Vectrix announced their “relaunch”, but, at that point, had nothing but spare parts to ship to existing dealers and owners.  Although the press seemed to support the company, there was a great deal of skepticism…

In November we started getting some rumblings again, and with the January announcement and appearance at the February show, it seems that Vectrix is off and running with some real products.  They aren’t, however, particularly new products.  The VX-3, touted at the show, has been  bandied about for a few years now.  Then there’s the VX-2.

The only thing about the VX-2 that’s kind of funny is that, in mid-2009, if you look hard enough you’ll find reports of the Australian company VMoto entering into agreements to manufacture the VX-2.  Indeed…  from the VMoto Annual Report:

“On 24 June 2010, Vmoto announced it had signed an agreement to supply its VX2 model electric scooter to Vectrix Corporation (“Vectrix”), North America’s largest and most reputable electric scooter manufacturer and distributor. The initial order of 144 units is valued at over USD 500,000 and the first shipment is expected to take place in October 2010.”

Naturally, the forums were buzzing with claims that the VX-2 was just a repackaged emax 110-S.  Not only the forums, but a few sites too…  Hell for Leather, notably.  Well, I can’t really tell you the score back in 2009, but here’s the dish from Vectrix LLC about the 2011 VX-2:

“Regarding VMoto, Vectrix has contracted VMoto to manufacture the VX-2 using Vectrix core technology and components like the patented Vectrix Regenerative Throttle, Interface Control Module (ICM), Battery Management System (BMS), and Body Panels made by Vectrix and Vectrix-approved suppliers.”

So unless I’m mistaken, the VX-2 is manufactured by VMoto to Vectrix specs, using Vectrix technology- hardly a simple case of repackaging…

The specs on the two, however, are pretty much the same: top speed of 30mph, same battery chemistry and capacity, same voltage, same 4000W hub motor, like that.

Is this unusual?  Not in the least…  just take a good look at any vehicle manufacturer, and the byzantine manufacturing channels you see in, say Detroit, make this look like a dime novel.  Does it make sense?  From where I sit, completely.  Stick to the knitting, develop the technology, and have a manufacturer build it for you- at least at the outset of a company re-organization.  You do what you’re good at, and have others do what they’re good at, too.

Quantya Announces New Scooter- vRone, Charging Stations- Electrant

Via their Facebook page, Quantya let slip some exciting teases:
“We’re pleased to present you the new scooter “vRone” and the charging station “Electrant”, resulting of close collaboration between QUANTYA SA and vonRoll Industries.“

vonRoll, described on their site as a “Holding organisation specialised in industrial casting, infrastructure and IT-services” shows no indication of previous work with charging stations, though “vonRoll represents 200 years of industrial and …economic tradition “Made in Switzerland”.

So this looks like a Spring ’11 release, and between scooters and charging stations, Quantya sees it as a “mass-market” foray.

I know, not too much, but keep an eye out, I’m sure there’s going to be buzz aplenty on this one.

Some more details, via cars21.com:
“vRone: Developed by Von Roll and Quantya, the vRone was presented at SWISS-MOTO for the very first time to a broader audience. With a maximum speed of 100 km/h, a 100 km driving range on one charge and more than 1,000 charging cycles, development and manufacturing are “Made in Switzerland”. The manufacturer claims that the model will be fully recyclable. First units will be delivered to the Swiss market as from April on.”

More, from m-way (I have no idea how reliable this is, for the record):

Price (advance notice): about CHF 8’000.- (inc. VAT)
available from March 2011
Technical data

Maximum speed	100 km/h
Range	100 km (combined)
Battery	Quantya Lithium Polymer
Motor type	Belt drive
Motor output	7 kW
Suspension fork	Paioli
Suspension	Paioli
Brakes	Front: 220 mm disc brake/ rear: drum brake
Charge time (standard charger)	4.5 hours (slow) for maximum range 3 hours (normal) for maximum range 2 hours (rapid) for maximum range
Vehicle category	single track motor vehicle
Driving licence class	A1 from age 18
Weight	112 kg

Even more at PlugBike!  (natch…)

Green Job Search Advice: Paul Grana

Looking for work in the “Green Sector”?  Yeah, me too.  I was just sent a link to a great story on finding a job in the clean energy industry, here: Green-Job Search Advice: How to Maximize Your Opportunities.

Paul Grana is: ” a solar industry professional, where I work on DC power electronics (Tigo Energy), and have previously worked on the module side (Abound Solar). I also maintain a solar-focused blog: http://thegreenstalk.com/.”

Along with some key bullets he lists, he gives some very interesting details…  such as, point #1:

“Burn the boats

If you’re not all-in on the industry, then your odds of success are really low. I’ve known a bunch of people who were half-trying to get into solar. Their success rate so far is 0%. Stop considering jobs at McKinsey or Google. You have to live and breathe your future industry, or you won’t get traction.”

Funny…  that is just about what I decided this weekend.  On my Facebook page I posted: “OK. I’m officially going balls-out, full throttle, take-no-prisoners to find a career in Electric Vehicles, Green Tech, Alternative Energy. If you have any ideas, send ‘em this way. That is all.”

Anyway, there’s a lot there, as well as a podcast to listen to (at work, with your volume turned up…  burn the boat, right?).  Thanks Paul, and I’m looking forward to more installments… and in the meantime, if you know a job for someone who’s completely manic about electric vehicles and renewable energy, can take pictures pretty good, string a few words together and is handy with videos, (as well as around 25 years in Marketing) well send ‘em on over!

Vectrix 3-Wheel VX-3 Li+

Will my Vectrix obsession stop?  Who knows…  but here’s a slick little ride that they coyly are saying “Coming Soon” on their site.  Here are the specs:

VX-3 Li+ version:
42 Amp Hour 5.4 kWh LiFePO4 battery
0 to 50 mph: 8.25 seconds
Range: 50 to 80 miles
Recharge time:e 4-6 hours
Batteries rated approximately 1,600 cycle charges (at 80%) for an estimated lifespan of 10 yrs or 50,000 mi
Peak power:  21 kW at the motor shaft
Rear hub motor
Maximum Continuous Power: 5.1 HP (3.8 kW)
Maximum Torque: 65 Nm
Maximum Continuous Torque: 23 Nm.
Curb weight: 525 pounds
MSRP: $14,995.00

I’m told the articulated steering mechanism is patented for scooters and motorcycles (by Vectrix LLC, presumably).

I’ve still got some questions out, and I’ll update the post when the answers come in, but apparently this was shown as far back as November 22 2010 at the COPSWEST trade show, via a post and photos I found in Policemag.com, and is currently being tested by the LAPD.  Which would mean they have working production models.

The fleet sales approach, especially to Law Enforcement, is particularly brilliant, in my opinion.  For one thing, it kind of eliminates one of the conundrums of selling electric scooters and motorcycles- the dealer network – by selling direct.  Vectrix isn’t missing that point, have a look at their Fleet Sales page to see the pitch, here.  Some interesting points…  indoor use, the flexibility of a bicycle, high top speed, good range…  all that good stuff.

Most importantly, it’s kind of cool looking.  Not tricked-out-Dodge-Charger-RoboCop cool, but a lot cooler than those guys sweating around town on their Smith and Wesson bicycles and shorts.  Three wheels, some radio whips and lights and all, painted black?  It could just work…

It looks like Vectrix is building up a good, solid line of products with real features and real delivery dates. (Update: Vectrix confirms they will be accepting orders as soon as April.)