When I was doing
electric cars in the 70's, I tried to get phone numbers of companies I had heard about. I wrote for their literature,
waited impatiently for things to come in the mail, and once I drove to D.C. to test drive an electric, the
"Citicar", which I later owned for years.
When the time came to share my ideas, I typed up smudgy mimeos, hand cranked
a machine, sent them to about 40 others for a dollar, and published an article in crackpot central, The Mother Earth
News.
Thirty years later, I'm dizzy and excited by the difference.
Going to the web for ideas in the evenings during the planning and building process, was entering a wonderland of instant,
free information.
This is the world I so love, and naturally want to contribute to.
Here are three fun sites
to get started.
Microcarmuseum.com This will give you a great history
www.scootcoupe.com 3 wheeler, made in far east, sold in Florida $5200 I looked at one while in Santa Barbara.
The dealer didn't think much of it, having had many replacement problems. Two cycle engines are pretty dirty.
www.suntrike.com This is probably a better bet than the scootcoupe. Their 150cc version is now out and imported from Uraguay
through Miami FL. The engine is a CPI clone of the Honda GY6 engine. I hope to drive one in Miami in April 2007.
The Europeans already have high-MPG cars, called "vehicules sans permis" , also known as quadri-cycles.
Here are three:
micro-car.co.uk
ligier-automobiles.com
aixam.com
All cost about $11,000, get 70 or 80 MPG, use a two cylinder Kuboto diesel and variable speed drive.
And, as far as I know, can't be imported to the USA without safety standard modifications.
If you are thinking of building a Moonbeam, you need to do homework on motorscooters. Doug
Simpson's website is a great place to start: www3.telus.net/dougsimpson
As you surf around his site, you will see info on the Honda Elite 125/150/250 which is the scooter
I chose.
Microcars are already a dime-a-dozen in present-day China. see made-in-china.com and, if you
have time and don't mind spam, go through the frustrating log-in procedure. Then, search "tricycles". About a
dozen passenger-carrying microcars, both gas and CNG! About $1200-$1800 FOB China. I Haven't found any which pass
EPA and DOT certification. See my page, "Why three wheels?"
A very important
site is rqriley.com As you surf around that site, you'll come to "how-to information" and "technical papers" and
there you've stumbled into a real mother lode! Riley also has a helpful book, "Alternative cars for
the 21st Century", which I hope to borrow.
I originally was going to sell Moonbeam plans for a twenty dollar bill,
and try to recoup the car's cost. But that soon became absurd amid the generous sharing of so many websites,
like this one.
Riley's website will help you at least partially engineer your project.
I am far too impatient to truly engineer a car. Moonbeam is beginner's luck and hand-me-down Honda smarts.
Riley will teach you how tricky light-car suspension is. Moonbeam
rides rough, plunging into potholes with its tiny tires and jouncing you mightily with the large 'unsprung
weight' compared to its paltry 400 pounds.
Does it have to be so? Drive Citroen's 2CV. Just over 1000 pounds
and it floats you along like a baby carriage, swaying, diving. Large tires, enormous suspension travel, big soft springs
linked to trailing and leading arms, no shocks, bungey-cord seats. It would be fun to try such engineering.
One very interesting link to look at as you think about which fuel to use
to propel your microcar is
Here you will see a side-by-side comparison of all the fuel possiblities.
Bio-diesel and Natural gas look very good. Electricity too, although battery amortization cost may not be added in,
and the electricity needs to be cleanly produced.
You might look at teslamotors.com to look at lithium-ion battery technology,
and revopower.com to see drivetrains engineered into wheel hubs. There, too, is the excitement of putting
your ideas right out there to inspire others' thinking. Full speed ahead!
If you're really at ground zero, look into engines using the bourke cycle. bourke-engine-project.com
You can learn a lot by studying what the bike people are up to, such as at bikelist.org
and the human-powered people, at ihpva.org. also lucabike
theres tons of stuff on continuously variable transmissions, fluid drive, etc. which I'll send along
in time. But, as a hammer-and-tongs mechanic, my advice is not to get too far out, but dream a dream you can actually
build, something shockingly simple. Henry Ford was a complex guy, but is well worth following in this regard.
A good video on alternative fuels can be found by googling Google videos
under the title "better than ethanol?" the actual site is video.google.com/videoplay?docid=363807137347714545&hl=en
See if you can figure out what BTL is. These California guys are pretty sure plug in Hybrids using bio-diesel are the
next step.
You might also investigate the exhibitors at the upcoming alternative car exposition
in Santa Monica at altcarexpo.com
