SEVA Meeting Minutes – August 2023

Following car viewing (including of a Lucid Air) in the parking lot, the Aug 8, 2023 membership meeting of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association was held in the social hall of First Church of the Nazarene in Wallingford.  At 7:14 p.m., President Jay Donnaway called on Former Scribe Kevin Boze to issue the cry.

NEW ATTENDEES:  Lisa wants to speak with anyone knowledgeable about a VW ID4 as she is interested in getting the ID Buzz. Y.J. rents electric cars on Turo.  Will, Brittany and Madeleine came representing Electric Era.  Avery came representing Lucid, and he presented the Air in the parking lot.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Electric Era Technologies – Will, Brittany and Madeline from Electric Era presented their EV charging concept. This company was founded by Space X engineers. They are bringing Starlink technology to EV charging. They do design, construction and permitting of DCFC installations at convenience stores. Their software does real-time fixes of problems such as electric-fault detection. They are integrated with several manufacturers. They are working on vandalism mitigation measures such as cut-proof cords. They now have sites in nine states. Their first software product was called “Powermode.” Challenges they hope to solve with their installations include stations too far off thoroughfares and unavailability due to grid issues. Brian Hughes and other SEVA members cited charging issues such as legibility and durability of the display screen. Brittany said they’re focused on high reliability and high performance. Stephen Johnsen mentioned that EVSE stations almost always require unhitching a trailer; this should instead be a drive-through design such as almost any gas pump would have. Brittany said that their product is more reliable than others’ due in part to utilizing centralized batteries. She said that they keep their utility power-demand charges down by supplying much of the power from the batteries; the batteries are recharged at much lower power.

TESLA UPDATE – Tesla Owners of Washington President Theresa Ramsdell said that TOWA will have a booth at Electrify Expo in September. That event allows customized EVs and conversions, but not stock factory EVs. Teresa demonstrated a device called EVject. This is a driver-safety charging device that breaks away, allowing Teslas to safely drive off while plugged in, but without damaging the car, charging port, charging cable or plug. Teresa then reported on the Tesla Takeover event hosted by three Tesla clubs in southern California. There were many vendors and Tesla trappings.

EVENTS:

• Jay will be at the Green Transportation Summit and Expo  in Tacoma, August 22-24.  Elaine Borseth, the national president of the Electric Vehicle Association, will be presenting at the summit and will meet with SEVA members while here.
• Abby from Kent Bakke’s coffee museum said that the Aug. 5 Cars and Coffee event they hosted went well.
• Sustainamania will be in Bothell Aug. 12, and five SEVA members will be exhibiting their vehicles.
• Burien Solar Punk Festival also takes place on Aug. 12, and John Lussmeyer has volunteered to show his F-250 conversion there.
• The Kirkland waterfront car show is Aug. 13.
• September events include Electrify Expo and EV Guest Ride. Dick Muri’s annual Steilacoom EVent is Sept. 16.
• Find details and sign up for events at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CA9AB2EA4F9C07-2023

EV DRAG RACING: Stephen Johnsen reported that Pacific Raceways in Kent will offer EV drag racing Aug. 19 and 20. The NHRA has created a class for EVs. One class is for street-legal EVs that are not older than 2008. The bracket racing tests consistency more than speed. Turnout has not been good and the class might be cancelled if turnout doesn’t improve. Pat McCue and his business partner put up funds to pay for the registration of the first five EVs arriving for a day’s races, and also to provide prize money. For bracket races, the contestant states in advance what their time will be. The winner is the first over the line without exceeding their declared time. Reaction time is also part of the contest. Ryan Fulchur won several prizes for racing his F-150 Lightning. On Friday, Aug. 18. gates open at 5 p.m. for an unofficial race and anyone can participate. Saturday, Aug.19 is an official race starting at 5 p.m.; Stephen suggested arriving at 4 p.m. to try to claim one of the five free admissions. The Sunday, Aug. 20 event starts at 9 a.m. For competition, bring hearing protection, closed-toe shoes and long pants. Helmets are required for vehicles faster than 14 seconds in the quarter mile. Admission is $20 for spectators.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Mark Yormark and Jay reported that Proterra has filed for bankruptcy.  Many transit agencies found Proterra buses unreliable, and Proterra themselves had changed some of their standards.
• Brian Hughes reported on his Scion conversion project.  He’s upgraded to a 62 kWh Leaf pack which EV Works on Bainbridge Island supplied from salvage with one damaged cell. It works great, and range has improved to 150-180 miles.
• Jay reported that two of his Ford Rangers now have 100 ampere-hour packs.

Jay adjourned the meeting at 8:38 p.m.