Mitsubishi iMiev All Electric Concept Vehicle Review

Black 2012 Mitsubishi iMiev

What an opportunity I had, to see this car at the Dallas Car Show on March 6th 2010.

My first look at the vehicle in person made me think of a big Smart Fortwo Car with the same curving back hatch and belt line, but the iMiev has 4 seats! It is a practical designed commuter car, but when I sat down in it I was amazed by the room. I am near 6 feet tall and I could have been wearing a hat, and not touched the ceiling.

This particular car was made for left driving roads, so the steering wheel was on the right side but every thing was well laid out. Just backwards for me.

No test drives where offered. But it was a real working car. I wish I would have asked the sales lady if I could have at least turn the car on. Wow that was a weired thing to write about a car, “turn it on”

Two Years, Two Months Pass….

 

I am driving down a local street and what do a spot..

Yes a iMiev for sale at the local Mitsubishi dealer ship. I gotta stop.

They have two, a white one and a black one. Beautiful cars, WOW! Much more refined than the car two years ago. This is real, and ready to sell. MSRP $32,250.00 plus TT&L.

Oh and yes the steering wheel is on the left this time.

On the sticker… 112 MPGe You save $9,850 in 5 year on fuel, my gosh. It is the winner on the cleanest car sold, 10 of 10. It does not get better than that.

 

I just do not see any marketing for the car. Can you not just communicate this to the buying public. Yes every day you get the privilege to plug it in. AND never visit a gas station again!

As reported from http://insideevs.com/may-plug-in-sales-volt-1680/

Mitsubishi i: President & CEO Yoichi Yokozawa touted,“Mitsubishi i sales continue to grow every month,” which sounds good, until one realizes entering last month they had only sold 210 cars since its launch last fall.  For May the little Mitsu sold 85 copies.

Good new for all EV sold for May was up in all brands except the Prius. The Volt is leading by 1,680 units then Plug-In Prius 1,086, LEAF at 510, i-MiEV at 85. We can now start counting Focus at about 5 in it’s very early roll out.

Are EV going to survive at these numbers? The volt is a Chevy halo car that got GM out of it’s great depression, and after the 2nd generation comes out with possible battery options. I think it’s sales will grow, as long as no major defects start showing up with the technology, as age start to set in. All report about driver satisfactory have been 5 Star.

Here is a post that proves the Volt’s battery is NOT burning after a crash… http://insideevs.com/volt-vs-camry-no-spontaneous-fires-ensue-at-least-from-the-volt/

The Prius is not going anywhere. The 2005 is still selling for over $7000 with 180,000 miles. Some Prius go up to 300,000 mile on them with only minor repairs.

I look forward on how Ford does, they know how to sell cars.

That to me is a real selling point for simple, all electric EVs, they have so few parts. Batteries are still the biggest factor in the EV game. God I wish the capacitor cell would have been viable. Like EESTOR. OR…

http://bariumtitanate.blogspot.com/2012/02/envia-systems-arpa-es-greatest-success.html

…very interesting…

Posted by: Ron G.

Part 11 HHO Project – Arduino Intergration

This is a continuation of the first post – Is It Possible To Build A Computer Controlled Feedback Circuit For HHO Generator? My personal discovery of the invention developed by Stanley Meyers, a Voltage Intensifying Circuit with very low amperage.

I have 750 lines of sketch code started that will operate, read and control the cell. I have sensors connected to the board that read water levels, pressure, temperature and magnetic fields. I have outputs sending information to a LCD screen, LED showing status of the unit and a relay board that controls power supply lines and a pump.

And it is the hard part of the project where there are no results, only build a little and test, reprogram and test, buy the wrong parts reorder and retest. Time goes buy and you wonder if all of this is worth it. All is going out, and nothing coming in. Complexity is undeniable.

Success is measured only by looking back at where you have come from.

I have never be so please at the robustness as Arduino has been to me, even when I may have put a wrong wire in once or twice, Bless you. I am using a Mega 2560 and the monumental day when it went on internal power. I still use the USB to communicate back to the desktop computer. and using a program call processing write code to see data on that buss.

Someday I would love to build a custom shield, but for now the Radio Shack PCB that has the same pins as a breadboard is working for now. I like that I can easily plug and unplug the Arduino from the project. If you do your own project remember to give yourself a little more length than you think you need. Mine are a bit short. I have revised my wiring diagrams so many times on notes, that I wish I would update the drawn version of them in the computer.

I have to keep telling myself that this, is unknown territory. The parts have never been tried together this way. That is a very strong part to the force that keeps me going, and the fact is I am enjoying what I am doing. I love building and tinkering, scrounging parts, learning and solving puzzles. It is all very good to keep your mind after a hard day of some other kind of mental or physical labor.

Anyone who has trouble at math I would encourage you to look at Processing language. It is not a user interface type programming language it is more graphical. So plotting X-Y points and lines can be seen from the math problems and it really helps. Search tutorials on YouTube. Download the free program and get started.

From the RobotShop I got RB-Cyt-53 a pack of Straight Break Away headers and soldered a section on to the board and that my homemade shield, that is it. From that it lets me setup my port and solder in a wire to the sensor or output.

Thinking that the Arduino needs to be far away from the high voltage. I am sending all of the tank sensors out a 9 pin DIN.  Which will go down a 10 foot cable over to the tank. There a box will break out he lines to the right sensor. There is a supply tank level switch, a high and low cell water level switch, a cell temperature thermistor, a cell pressure sensor the flux sensor for the coil and the pulse output line. As well as a 5vdc and ground lines all equal 9 pins. I was looking inan old supply bin of cables and found a serial cable said that one thing I do not have to buy, yea! 2 hours later after testing bad lines and realized it was a full duplex handshaking type cable. The wires cross on the inside and it only has 7 wires on the inside, man what a learning experience!

That is what it is all about learning and new understanding, and boy does it fulfill that.

Dive into the water and have some fun, and good luck with yours.

Posted by: Ron G.

SpaceX Lights Up The Picnic In McGregor, Texas With Elon Musk

This passed Saturday at just around noon at the a community public picnic from SpaceX, a Merlin C1 rocket engine come to life, and gave a 45 second show for the crowd.

The fuel RP1 is ignited, and as close as we were, you can feel the roar. SpaceX sunglasses, and earplugs were handed out for everyone for safety. It was my first time to be at a real rocket engine test, and it was a trill to see, and hear.

This is the same test stand where all 9 engines have gone thought final check, ran for real total launch time, and cleared for flight.

15 seconds before it lights, 4 rings of water sprays under the engine, then the value is opened, and a green flash pops, and the engine is running. The green flash is a chemical that reacts with oxygen and burns instantly, it is the perfect starter fuel for the RP1.

The test stand is getting a make-over to reduce sound even more. It is a must to keep happy neighbor. The Heavy Falcon test will have 27 combined engines, and with the modification it will only sound like 9. Sound travels differently is different weather conditions. Factors like the wind and cool, clear air can let the blast sound go for 40 miles.

The event had Bar-B-Que sandwiches, drinks and rocket shaped cookies. There were bounce houses and games for the kids. Plus a great band played in the background.

Just before the test, a special appearance from Elon Musk and R-Texas senator John Cornyn.

Mr. Musk was introduced, and made a short speech for the event. A comment was made about him wearing cowboy boots in Texas, but he was quick to answer, and let us all know, that he had them for a long time. He was very lad back and easy going.  He announced the 30 percent growth of the company in McGregor, Texas, and the  importance of research and testing of rocket technology.

Many employees were there, and eager to talk about the excitement of working with rockets. A lot goes on there, they even test the engines in a large vacuum chamber to simulate the space environment.

The location of McGregor has a lot of history in rocket testing with the company, Rocketdyne or Astrodyne  going back into the 50’s

In 1978, Rocketdyne sold its Solid-Propellant Rocket division at McGregor, Texas, to Hercules Inc.

see “www.boeing.com/history/bna/” for more info.

My Meeting With Elon Musk

After chatting with an engineer about the complexities of engine design, I said I may not get to talk to Mr Musk, but I just want to tell you how proud of SpaceX’s work here, then he said that he is standing right over there.

After waiting in an impromptu short line, I got to talk briefly and shake Elon Musk hand.

I said ” just want to tell you personally how proud that you are putting America back in space.” He said “Thank you.”

“You know about http://www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com/ ? and he said “Yes, I am in it!”

“Have you  gotten a chance to see a final cut of the film?” Elon said, “Yes, have you sean it? ”

“No not yet, but do you think it promotes electric car well? “Yes I do.”

And is Tesla doing well? Yes, It is!”

I said “Thank You so much to meet you.”

I have to say I was very nervous and wondered if I made any since to him, but I felt like he was a great man, and was very personal with everyone. He took his time and I was encouraged for the future with such a visionary as he is.

Posted by: Ron G.

Part 10 – HHO Project – Intro To Arduino

This is a continuation of the first post – Is It Possible To Build A Computer Controlled Feedback Circuit For HHO Generator? My personal discovery of the invention developed by Stanley Meyers, a Voltage Intensifying Circuit with very low amperage.

Well, I have made the big commitment, and I am lovin’ it so far!

I ordered off for my Arduino from SparkFun, and it came well packed and fully assembled. Plug it into a USB printer cable, and after a detailed install, that worked the first time, my first test program started perfectly.

I have begun to get a handle on how it will interface with all of what I have all ready built. My original direction was to use a Velleman USB Interface card and use desktop computer to make all of the calculations and send it back though to the relays, sensors and coils. So I bought and put together the Velleman Relay Card K2633. You can look back at that build in Part 8.

The job of the Relay card is to turn on a pump to fill the fuel cell as need from a supply tank, and a safety control connection to the main power to the cell.

Now I did some Googling, and could not come up with a clear connection to an Arduino. I found each side, so I combined them.

Protecting the Arduino is very important,

and making 5 volts talk to 9 volts is easy if you know the trick. It comes in a neat little 6 pin dip package with a long name. Opto-Isolation, a reliable barrier that can also handle the translation of signal problem. It is also simple in the construction which can not be seen. Inside is an LED that shines on a NPN Photo Transistor, with no physical electrical connection.

I picked a NTE3045, not because I truly understand the requirements of the load from the relay card, and there may be a better one for the job, but as I have hooked it up, and looked at the easy wiring, loads and robustness, and I like it. To make an LED work on the Arduino side you just put a resistor in the siginal path to control the load and that it. I am using a 680 ohm resistors, and it is giving the nominal 1.8 volts to the Opto-Isolator input.

Now for the all important hook up on the relay side, don’t be disappointed in the simple. I just grounded the Darlington on the 9 volt ground and sent the other side to the input pins of the card. Boring wasn’t it? The card, like it should, is taking care of all of the rest of the circuit. It is wonderful. So after getting confident in the bread board I built a permanent one to handle all four signals, and make it clean, easy to test,and terminal screw downs for the wires over to the other boards. The photo only show one Opto and one signal wire, the other three are not here yet.

Connecting a relay to the Arduino could have been done many other ways, but I all ready had the Velleman card, and I got the strong bonus of the isolation, that I will need to dive deeper into as I go.

Understanding the software has been a joy of simplicity. It has been so easy to make real programming happen with the great examples built right in the program of the compiler language. Built around C the structure is familiar and logical to follow. YouTube leasons are plentiful with a fully stocked website of current projects. I all ready have the LCD readout, the float switch and a temperature sensor working. More details later.

Make Magazine loves it the Arduino, and you should see what every one else is doing with this little micro controller. WOW! and Open Source! You can even sew one into your cloths.

It is like I am building a house, one nail, one board at a time, but I see the vision on where I am going, and it is looking good.

Posted by: Ron G.

Part 9 – HHO Project – Power Supply Rebuild

Arduino Mega 2560

This is a continuation of the first post – Is It Possible To Build A Computer Controlled Feedback Circuit For HHO Generator? My personal discovery of the invention developed by Stanley Meyers, a Voltage Intensifying Circuit with very low amperage.

It has been a long time since I have made a post for this project, it has not been forgotten. I have been in a troublesome house remodel, and it is now complete, so I can get back to my life again.

As I looked back, and figure out where I was on my hho progress, it gave me new light on some problems I had run into. That is OK, this is a new learning territory, and revisions are part of figuring out what does not work. I wanted an amp meter to read the draw of power on the whole system, and had made a fundamental mistake in the drawing and wire up. This amp meter can only read DC.

A restructuring of the power supplies pc board was necessary to get a DC out and back in to the board to read the correct loads. A simple cut of the copper lines,a new tie down, a new retest and I am good to go.

Good Time To Think

Not having unlimited money, can force you to really think what to put funds into. Originally I was going to buy a Velleman USB controller, but now I am going with an Arduino Mega 2560 micro controller. It is a fully programmable standalone computer designed for input and output interfacing. Specs include: 256 KB of flash memory for storing code, 54 digital pins that can be used as an input or output ports by just programming them that way, 16 analog inputs, each of which provide 10 bits of resolution, and a very fast clock speed of 16 MHz.

After uploading the program from the desktop computer you can then unplug it and Arduino run the code all by it self, The Velleman that I was looking at, used the desktop computer to run the software and had to be connected.

The other part of the decision was the Arduino philosophy that I liked. It was designed “Open Source” which means if you see a way to improve the details of the board feel free. The results are astonishing, and it has made an wonderful impact on school kid, who now can afford to experiment with electronics.

In Good Company

I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I like the road I am on, it is going to give me plenty of bumps and pot holes. It is not paved yet, and nether was any of the inventors discoveries of objects and concepts we use in our everyday lives.

Who know if any of this will work, so let us find out…

Posted by: Ron G.