To support the introduction of the Low Volume Vehicle electric vehicle standard, the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) is training a small number of certifiers in the assessment of systems and components that make up an electric vehicle conversion. The aim is to provide the certifiers with sufficient knowledge to ensure that a certified electric vehicle is safe and that all EVs are of comparable and satisfactory build quality.

Certifiers will be spread geographically and training will be held centrally in Wellington. In order to ensure that the certifiers are trained effectively, LVVTArecognises that the training will be enhanced by the support of the electric vehicle community. LVVTA seeks a qualified electrical engineer experienced in electric vehicle technology to provide expert input and co-present the material. The training will also be enhanced by the availability of examples of components, good and bad.

If anyone is interested in contributing, either on the day or by loaning components, please contact Dan Myers at LVVTA. dan@lvvta.org.nz

I would just like to start off by saying Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all of us at EV Builders. Also a big thank you to everyone directly involved for all there help with the project this year. We have reached some major milestones this year such as Winston battery coming on board to sponsor our EV Sera’s lithium battery pack. Also we have had a number of smaller contributions such as Unitec Institute of Technology who's financial support allowed us to purchase our charger for our EV from Peter Young at Pro Tech New Zealand, and our open source 500 amp controller kit which Pro Tech also put together for us.

This year we have met some great people and made valuable working connections which really all started after we ran our first EV Builders expo in Auckland at TAPAC in May of 2011. It was a small event but a success all the same. Through running the expo we managed to raise money towards our EV build and made some great connections with fellow EV builders as well as making a connection with Nick Smith our battery box engineer who has been helping us with building our EV ever since we met. We are planning to run another expo in 2012 hopefully with the help of the newly formed APEV, which we are member of.

Our EV Sera is very close to completion with wiring of the engine bay very close to being finished. Our next step now we have some brilliant battery box designs by Nick Smith we will be installing battery box in our EV early 2012. Followed by vehicle testing and certification. We are planning to have an open garage day early 2012 so keep your eyes open on the website and we will let you know a date once everything is confirmed.

In regards the documentary series we started editing and are currently aiming to have a ruff cut of the first episode of our four part documentary series finished in by early 2012, with the finished series to follow once our EV is on the road.

If you have not already noticed we have a new mobile web page, as well as this we are in the process of rolling out native apps through the respective apps stores. Currently you can download the native Android EV Builders app by going to the android app store or you simply go to the Www.evbuilders.com from your mobile device will be pointed in the right direction.

Last but not least I would also like to say a few special thank you too Robin Gee, our production manager. Konstantin Tanner, and Venusi Junior Taumopeau our tireless cameramen who have are always keen to be on call to film since the beginning of the project. Another big thank you to Lyonel Grant for his friendship and support, with out Lyonel believing in the project we would not have a garage to build our EV. Also thank you Nick Smith for your great ideas. Also last but not least to my partner and family for putting up with me constantly talking about EV's. Don’t worry team have nearly finished my first conversion… not saying more wont follow.. ha ha.

Thank you everyone else I have forgotten who helped us out in 2011 there has been a lot of you.

I am very much looking forward to finishing the EV Builders project in 2012 and hopefully will lead to some more interesting projects. Maybe we could build an electric motor bike next who knows.

SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR.

Cheers

Theo Gibson

PRODUCER: EV BUILDERS

The idea is to spend $4000 next year and buy lifepo4's, either 48v, 72v or 96v electric motor, charger, dc-dc converter, bms, controller and control software. Project to start around may 2012 hopefully

On Thursday, August 4, the NZ Clean Energy Centre is hosting an Electric Vehicles workshop, the key purpose of which is to accelerate the advancement of EV's in NZ. The workshop will also: 

• Provide a valuable networking opportunity for those involved in the EV industry
• Identify specific hurdles or challenges being faced, and determine what role the NZ Clean
• Energy Centre should play in accelerating the uptake of EVs in NZ
• Introduce the NZ Clean Energy Centre and what it's all about

The workshop will start at noon on Thursday August 4 and will conclude at around 5:30. The draft agenda is as follows:

 12 noon: Light luncheon at the NZ Clean Energy Centre, introductions and tour of the facility
1pm: Rob McEwen: NZ Clean Energy Centre overview
1:15: 2:15  Soichiro and Hideaki Fukutake, SIM-Drive Corporation: “The opportunity to lead the world in Electric Vehicles”
2:15: Philip Court, Greenstage: “Synergies between EVs and the smart grid”
2:45: James Brown, CEO, Chargepoint. “The new paradigm shift in transportation”
3:15: Andrew Rushworth, Zero Emission Vehicles: “The business case for the electrification of commercial vehicles”
3:30: Afternoon tea
3:45 – 4:00pm: Peter Young, Progressive Technologies: “High powered battery chargers for EVs”
4:00 – 4:15: Vic Alder, Voltmotive: “EV Conversions”
4:15 – 5:00: Discussion: “Where do we go from here?”
5:00 – 6:00: Networking, drinks

Cost: $50, payable upon arrival

RSVP:  Call Rob McEwen on 021 728 875 or emailrmcewen@nzcleanenergycentre.co.nz

http://www.nzcleanenergycentre​.co.nz/electricvehicleworkshop​.php

Got to see the Nissan Leaf today. Was nice to see the car in person. Looks nice a spacious inside but sadly was locked up tight. It apparently is the first one in the country. They are expecting delivery of more in decemeber 2011. The Nissan staff knew nothing about the car which was frustrating, also they would not let us sit in it or look at charge points. Bit pointless having it on show really. But nice to know New Zealanders will be able to purchase them soon. On that note the Nissan staff also did not know how much they would cost but speculated 60k to 70k. So is still much cheaper to do a conversion.

Cheers

Theo

Here we have a little clip I put together on request from our camera man. This explains the reason why we recently had to have our front bumper repaired after the EV Builder Expo 2011.

Cheers

Theo Gibson

$25,000 AUCKLAND to WELLINGTON ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONTEST

Ross Edward is offering a $25,000 prize for the first NZ made road legal electric vehicle to go with two adults ~650 km between Auckland and Wellington (in his race planned for spring 2012) on a single charge within 24 hours using on board batteries only, no solar panels, regen is ok. 

They can be made from an existing motorbike/trike/car/van/ute or scratch built. 

The max weight is 1000 kg loaded for a motorbike/trike and 1500 kg unloaded for a car/van/ute. 

Refundable entry fee is $2500 and 10+ validated entries are required for the race to go ahead. 

A converted Daihatsu Mira recently went over 1000 km on a single charge, so get building! 

http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1047993_what-range-anxiet

y-daihatsu-ev-does-623-miles-on-one-charge 

- Lithium Battery technology is widely available and has dramatically increased the range of EV's. 

- At 65% NZ is a world leader in generating clean electricity from renewable sources. 

- The Govt has removed Road User Charges from EV's until at least 2013. 

- Environment Minister Nick Smith drives an EV as his everyday vehicle. 

- EV's would help promote our clean green image around the world. 

- EV's use excess night time electricity capacity to recharge. 

- Rising fuel prices make EV's an economical alternative. 

- Boosting the NZ EV industry increases employment. 

- The high NZ dollar reduces imported parts costs. 

- EV's help the environment by cutting pollution. 

- Quiet EV operation limits suburban noise. 

- EVs have been to Mars and the Moon! 

- Worlds fastest EV goes 515 km/h.

Well the first ever EV Builders Expo has come and gone I think for our first event was a great success. We didn't really raise much money for our conversion as we had a bit of clash with mothers day,  but we made some new friends and valuable connections and think we converted a few members of of the public to the idea of driving an electric vehicle here in New Zealand. It's a start! Let's live up to that marketing campaign New Zealand and keep it green.

First off I would like to thank our two sponsors for the day Waiwera Artesian Water. Thank you very much.

And once again thank you Steinlager Pure for supporting us also.

And last but not least congratulation Rhed for winning the EV Builders first Expo Raffle! You have a EV Builder's T-shirt, a dozen Steinlager and a DVD of What is the Electric Car on it's way to you. Thank you to everybody who entered and we hope to see you at our next event.

FOR MORE INFO ON THE DAYS EVENTS CLICK HERE

The unofficial EV Builders website update on what we have been doing for the last four months since we moved into our garage. 

I am just sitting down to write some update's on our EV construction and have just finished watching a brilliant documentary about  Water.

So I thought I might  give you a bit of a list of environment based documentary's you can watch, in no particular order.

Who Killed The Electric Car (2006) 

Director: 

Chris Paine

An Inconvenient Truth(2006)

Director: 

Davis Guggenheim

Food, Inc. (2008)

Director: 

Robert Kenner

Food Matters (2008)

Directors: 

James Colquhoun, Carlo Ledesma

Fuel (2008)

Director: 

Joshua Tickell

Gasland (2010)

Director: 

Josh Fox

Garbage Warrior (2007)

Director: 

Oliver Hodge

Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008)

Director: 

Sam Bozzo

The Age of Stupid  (2009)

Director: 

Franny Armstrong

And last but not least I haven't seen it yet but looking forward to it being released.

Revenge of the Electric Car  (2011)

Director: 

Chris Paine

Happy viewing, 

Cheers

Producer: Theo Gibson

After many months of negotiations with the New Zealand fire service, being sent from one person to another we have finally got an answer.....NO!

Let's go back a bit and I will fill you in. A few months ago the EV Builders team started to brain storm about finding a venue which could (a) house the Toyota in a dry open space where we could convert the car and (b) service as a studio and base of operations during the conversion. We came up with the idea of the old abandoned MT Roskill fire station which seemed to be in disuse. We got in touch with a chap in Wellington who supposedly managed the station and he said yes we could use it he would just need to track down the keys, Hey then never got back to us. When then hunted round the fire service contacting several different people trying to get a straight answer, till we where given a chaps number from a fireman friend who is based at the new MT Roskill fire station. This chap Kevin was the real deal and new everything about the station. Two very important things. One being that the Station inside was structurally unsound and two it was was part of a Waitangi treaty land dispute! 

So after several months we got our answer. No!

Now we are back to square one. We need to find an enclosed garage, a big single or double, big enough to fit the car, people, parts and filming equipment. A small warehouse or storage space would also work. If anyone one can help us out or if you know of anyone who has a space we can use it would really help us out. We currently have no budget for renting a space but are open to negotiations regards advertising rights for our possible wonderful benefactor. Plus you get the buzz of being involved in a really exciting project.

In the mean time, while we wait to hear about grants we have applied for and continue to  round up support I have decided to get the Toyota Sera road worthy. To do this we need to replace the front CV joints, and get the engine running smoothly. Currently the Sera is smoky beast and we think it needs new oil rings. Once she is running we will get a warrant and registration we will then get a bit of sign writing done on her advertising the project, So you may see on the road soon. So keep an eye out for her before she is reincarnated as a clean green driving machine. Sadly this may have to come out of my own pocket but I think it should save us money in the long run as we will not need to get the car towed to her conversion venue and our supporters can see her on the road.

Well that is all for now. I just thought I would fill you all in. Thank again you for your support.

Cheers

Theo Gibson

Producer 

http://doyourthing.co.nz/2010-02171/theo-gibson

and

http://www.purefutures.co.nz/theo-gibson.aspx