EVCCON 2014 - Day 3

Today was "fun day" at the Cape Girardeau airport, inside and just outside Jack's hanger.  Since the day is mostly pictures and video, just enjoy.

Jack owns two DC 3s, two helicopters, a biplane, a LearJet and a number of MGs that all still run on liquid fuels.  Maybe someday we'll convert a DC 3 to electric?

This is the cockpit in the DC 3.

Here are the passenger seats in the DC 3.  Much more comfortable than today's planes!

Here's his Huey.  His daughter Jennifer is a certified helicopter pilot.

The next series of pictures are some of the cars lined up for weighing before the drag racing started.  This is a 1960s Datsun pickup truck.

This is the custom-built "Seven" car that came second in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition.  They would have won but their clutch blew up in the acceleration test at the end.

A hand-built AC Cobra replica, a TVR and Fred Behning's MG.

This is one of the few new second-generation Toyota RAV4 electrics.  This has the Tesla battery pack and drive train, a product of their technology partnership that has now been dissolved.  The blue thing on the back requires some explanation.  It's a VW Beetle with the body and front wheels stripped off, so it's now a self-powered trailer.  When he's cruising down the road, he turns the RAV4's lights on, and this causes the Beetle engine to start, pushing the RAV4 and trailer down the road.  When he sets the cruise control on the RAV4 and the trailer pushes faster than the car is set for, it goes into regen mode and actually charges the battery as he goes down the highway.  When he taps on the brake, the Beetle engine shuts off.  He drove all the way to Missouri from Utah in this manner and actually used it on his dragstrip runs.  Unconventional, yes.  Wile E. Coyote ingenious, yes!

Nabil's Bradley GT, the quintessential kit car of the 70s, now in full electric mode.

The Mazda Miata makes a great conversion platform - light with great handling, and the transmissions can handle strong electric motors.

The Karmann Ghia in the morning sun.

Jeff Southern's VW Thing.  I got a ride home to the hotel one night in it and we stopped at CVS.  One of the checkout ladies had to run outside and check out the Thing.  He gets that a lot!

Miata, pickup truck, Miata, Jack's Porsche Spyder and Jack's Porsche Speedster, all electric.

All lined up, ready for drag racing to start.

I named this Swamp Thing.

John Metric's world record Miata.  He recently did a segment for MotorWeek, the PBS car show and it should be aired later this fall.  Check out his dyno videos below.

Under the hood, twin 2000 amp Zilla controllers.

This is the business end of a converted 911 from Montreal.  That's 3 HPEVS AC35 motors connected together with belt drive.  The motors were updated with titanium shafts and cases.

This is the inside of the motor controller in the newly completed Smart car.

And here is the Smart, completed and driven over to the hanger from the EVTV workshop.

The Smart now has a JLD404 meter in the coin shelf on the left side, and a state of charge meter in the original round housing on top of the dashboard.