[Voltswagen]

Patrick
You and I must be "Twins of Different Mothers". I had that very same idea. My kids have Computer DNA so I will ask them to download and burn a CD with the "Flubber" sound. It has to be somewhere on the Internet. If they can find it I'll have them make 2 copies and mail you one.
Roy

 

[PatricioIN]

Patrick
You and I must be "Twins of Different Mothers". I had that very same idea. My kids have Computer DNA so I will ask them to download and burn a CD with the "Flubber" sound. It has to be somewhere on the Internet. If they can find it I'll have them make 2 copies and mail you one.
Roy

thanks, I'd love it

 

[PatricioIN]

Re: Patrick Roth's zx2EV project - 4 Sale - $12,500 w/ free shipping!

OHMer has been sold.

 

[PatricioIN]

so I still have OHMer... and I still drive him just about every day. It's amazing how reliable these little homemade things can be eh? I sold off my convertible last fall, and my Rambler wagon last month.. I was thinning out the toys - until - I came across a new toy! Thankfullly, I have a very understanding husband! Oops.. I better change my sig line.

So my new toy is a '78 Mercedes 280CE in mint condition. Bought him off a 84 year old German woman who's husband always babied him. I call him Klaus. Had 75K miles when I bought him (then I drove him to Indy from Portland).

So who's thinking hard about buying a Nissan Leaf?? lol...

 

[PatricioIN]

OHMer has been sold.

 

[PatricioIN]

well.... loaded him on a truck and sent him off to his new owner in Missouri.. Seeya OHMer, it's been a blast!

 

[david85]

Congrats! Hope it went to a good home.

 

[procupine14]

Awww sad to see it go. Any plans for future EVs?

 

[PatricioIN]

LOTS of plans... lol... money? Well.... we'll see.

 

[procupine14]

Hey I feel you there that's the only limiting factor in my projects right now...I'm selling off my hot rid truck to make room for new projects right now. In the shop as well as in the budget selling the truck accomplishes both

 

[PatricioIN]

a friend stopped by unexpectedly last night with a friend of his own.. who just happens to own a Tesla! Beautiful roadster. Took me for a spin and stepped on the accelerator, or as it should be called, the "warp speed initiator"! Man, that thing FLYS. Not to mention the fantastic sound of an electric motor whirring at speed! Great to finally see one up close and get a ride.

 

[PatricioIN]

Wow, I haven't posted anything to this thread in over a year! I miss OHMer! Ah well I have a red Nissan Leaf on order and it should be in sometime in November. I really wanted a Focus EV, but Ford isn't releasing ANYTHING on it as of yet, so looks like Nissan will earn my business. I've moved from Indy to Austin, TX and have already driven the Leaf a few times and been all over it, so it's a go!

I still add up the cost of doing another conversion from time to time, but to do one the way I want to - well, it just seems like buying OEM might be the smart way to go for now. Now, if I ever do get around to retromodding a Rambler, then it will absolutely be an EV! Oh, btw.. I do still read many of these threads, just don't post responses very often.

 

[PatricioIN]

Last week we took delivery of our 2012 Leaf... LOVE IT! Yeah, it'd be cool to say I built it myself, but man this thing is sweet. I bought the Schneider charging station and installed it myself. hehe... not like I can't do simple wiring!

 

[tomofreno]

How do you like your charge station? How much did that set you back?

You can get one at Home Depot for $799.00:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202963679&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202963679&ci_kw={keyword}&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202963679&ci_gpa=pla&locStoreNum=1846

Congrats Patrick! There are three of them in these parts now. Look very nice! One guy was showing me the app on his android phone to turn on the heat remotely, check on charging...

 

[PatricioIN]

Nice EV. I have the Blue one. Been driving mine since June. Nearly 6000 miles already. Doing well in cool weather too. I don't like the heating system nor the sun visors or the thin cloth on the center console. But other than that I love mine to no end. It's quick and fun. Handles very well. How do you like your charge station? How much did that set you back? I am still waiting for mine from EV-Charge America and I paid them last July. Had to go elsewhere to get my 240 charge station.

Pete

We bought the Schneider EVSE from Home Depot believe it or not.. $800 free shipping. About $90 in wire, conduit, breaker, etc. It's a simple model, which I like since that's all you need - plug it in and walk away. Haven't had any problems with it and since it's on a side wall, we like how slim it is - only sticks out 4.5" from the wall. It's much slimmer and cheaper than going through Nissan and having their unit installed.

 

[elevatorguy]

Congrats on the new ride Patrick! I took advantage of the test drive day in our city and I like the car, but not so much the price. I was waiting to see if they decide to make a sportier version before I consider purchasing. I will be looking at your long term impressions of the Leaf, keep us posted.

 

[PatricioIN]

Congrats on the new ride Patrick! I took advantage of the test drive day in our city and I like the car, but not so much the price. I was waiting to see if they decide to make a sportier version before I consider purchasing. I will be looking at your long term impressions of the Leaf, keep us posted.

Well, that's the thing - I starting thinking of how much it would cost me to do a really nice conversion with ~100 mile range, and it came out to be $25,000 once you put all this into a decent, relatively new car. Just seemed to make more sense financially to buy an OEM, with an OEM warranty. The drawback is I don't have a unique, made with my own two hands, vehicle. So far (and it's only been a week) I really like the car. There are several little, nit-picky things I would have done differently, but that's true with just about any car I've ever owned.

 

[PatricioIN]

couple more pics for you:

 

[PatricioIN]

Now that I've lived with the Leaf for a few months, I have to say that overall I love it. It's a very well made car that gets good range, handles well, is wonderfully quiet and extremely smooth to drive. The big question becomes - will OEM EV's kill DIY conversions?? I have to say the answer is NO!

As much as I love the Leaf (and am really looking forward to the Infiniti EV sedan), I still love interesting and classic cars. I STILL want another '64 Rambler, but I hate the idea of driving an ICE again (even just occasionally.) So I really see the DIY conversions staying alive and well, but focusing more on classics and uniques. Imagine a gorgeous classic with all the modern amenities and stuffed with lithium batts and a wonderfully silent, smooth drivetrain!! I know many will hate giving up the VROOM of the old engines, but you can add that digitally if it's your thing. Me? I'm still looking for the sound from Flubber!

anyway, just my two cents....

 

[PatricioIN]

Well, I'm at it again.....

check out Rambler_660e on Instagram!