The Th!nk City has improved heat!

Yet another reason to be Thankful - Think NA upgraded our heater under warranty!

I sent this email to a fellow Think driver:

Well all we had was the heater upgrade but Kevin and I were thrilled. We have been keeping records of charge and mileage on the Think:

Last week - Up to Eurostar battery starts at 100% ends at 45% for 40 miles with no fan or heat.

(I'm alone going up in the Think - large portion of this is highway at 65mph)

Tonight - Back down to Bowie same trip we start at 102% and end at 48% for 40 miles with heat on the whole way.  (and it's 20 degrees colder then the drive up last week when I dropped it off and Kevin is an extra 160 lbs sitting next to me.) With heater/fan dials on LOW we were toasty!

You have to understand - maybe the winds were more favorable etc. but in the Leaf turning on the heat cannot be mistaken - range ALWAYS drops - first for the cold and second for turning on the heat. I generally only use the seat heater unless I need to defrost windows. 

That is hot!

Dave

Thanksgiving and EVs.

Like past Thanksgiving's this November 2012 has plenty to be grateful for. This blog is about the return of Electric Vehicles in the US and we'll look at what is good there.

First the election was probably better for renewable energy and EV's. Why conservatives have taken the positions they have on climate change and new vehicle technology is odd - given that long term neither of those make sense. Nor is the liberal side perfect - I see very little low carbon commitment there but at least they are supporting renewable and EV development subsidies.

I personally am thankful for the range of EV's available and that many are being made in the US. We are still awaiting Nissan's new US made Leafs. All indications are of improvements and less expensive models but the US 2013 models are still awaiting announcement and specifications.

I'm grateful Nissan was able to fix my Leaf - squirrels got in the engine compartment and chewed up the air filter and blower. Not grateful for the squirrels though. Thanking the tiny remaining Think USA company for replacing the heater in the Think with a more efficient heater unit under warranty.
 
Finally on the manufacturers side, I want to also thank Tesla. I can't afford one, but Elon's dream and drive have really jumpstarted the EV and kept the other manufacturers in the game. Car of the year for the model S is very nice.

On the user side the various regional and national organizations have done a great job with National Plug In Day. In our area both EVA/DC, also Mark Czajka and MD Volt have done excellent work with meetups and other events. Below is a Tesla S attending the last MD Volt meetup.

Happy Thanksgiving !!