We are pleased to welcome Thunder Sky Batteries as UBC Electric Car Club’s newest Platinum Sponsor. Thundersky Batteries are our batteries of choice for the EBeetle and they are a major component to the success of our 6500km trip.
For more info, visit: http://www.thunder-sky.com/
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.
This blog post is dedicated to all the wonderful people who have contributed to the success of this project from the day that the UBC Electric Car Club was formed.
I’d like to thank the following engineering students in (alphabetical order) who contributed both directly and indirectly to this project:
Agnes Gulbinowicz, Amanda Li, Andrea Luk, Andrew Carne, Andy Tsai, Bahador Mousavi, Banda Logawa, Bartosz Bos, Bowinn Ma, Bruce Haines, Cathy Zhang, Curtis Perrin, Daniel Lu, David Yue, Debasish Sahu Dominik Gradzi, Don Harris, Fardin Barekat, Fayaz Kadir, Guggy Grewal, Harshul Srivastava, Homing Tay, Jason Collis, Joanne Chow, Jane Tao, Jake Dusdal, Jason Sujjon, Johnson Chou, Jonathan Faille, Kevin Bergen, Lin Watt, Mahdi Eynian, Maryam Kashi, Massi Nartey, Matthew Fung, Oscar Lee, Radu Postole, Richmond Yu, Robin Race, Serge Okon, Steve Cheong, Sung Jin Woo, Sunny Yeung, Timothy Lee, Wilbur Yu, William Gallego, Yang Zhang, Zhen Liang Seow
I’d like to thank the following UBC faculty members, administrators, and staff who supported the UBC Electric Car Club:
Dr. Stephen J.Toope – President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC
Dr. Tyseer Aboulnasr – Dean of Faculty of Applied Science
Dr. Andre Ivanov – Department Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. John A. Meech – Head of Thunderbird Robotics and Professor of Mining Engineering
Dr. Willian Dunford – Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Juri Jatskevich – Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Leo J. Stocco – Instructor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Rabab Ward – Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Luca Filipozzi – Director of Operations of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dave Fletcher – Supervisory Technician of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Donald Dawson – Mechanical Technician of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Neil Jackson – Mechanical Technician of Electrical and Computer Engineering
David Chu Chong – Storekeeper of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Malcolm MacLachlan – Administrator of Mining Engineering
Leslie Nichols – Financial Clerk of Mining Engineering
I’d like to thank the following UBC alumni who supported the project:
Bill Chyplyk – Electrical Engineering 1970
Curtis Lapadat – Engineering Physics 1990
Monte Gisborne – Mechanical Engineering 1984
Robert Shaw – Electrical Engineering 1974
Dr. Yassiah Bissiri – Ph.D from UBC-Mining
Dr. Frank M.Smith – Ph.D from UBC
As well as countless EV enthusiasts who supported this project from VEVA, EVCO, Durham Electric Vehicle, Electric Mobility Canada, Ridemore.ca, Toronto Electric, Penguin A.S.I., Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company, and many more, thank you all!
Best Regards,
Ricky Gu
President
UBC Electric Car Club
We did it!
The team rolled into Dartmouth at 5:53pm – 7 minutes ahead of schedule. We ended our journey at Alderney Landing on the north side of Halifax Harbour, the site where Terry Fox had stopped by on his epic Marathon of Hope 30 years ago. Ricky Gu opened a bottle of Pacific Ocean water that the team had carried with them and poured it into the Atlantic. He paid tribute to the memory of Terry Fox with the following words:
“From the Pacific to the Atlantic, we pour this water in memory of a true Canadian hero – Terry Fox. Thirty years ago Terry Fox started his walk across this vast country to raise money for Cancer Research. We dedicate our humble effort to him.
What we have done is simple -we have proven that an all-electric car can travel across Canada using existing infrastructure. we did in two weeks (14 days) with two days waiting for Hurricane Earl to pass. The future is bright and we see the demise of fossil fuel dependency for motor vehicles in the 21st Century.”
The past two days from Quebec City went off like clock work. The first segment from Quebec to Edmundston, a distance of 307 km, was completed in just under 5 hours at an average speed of 62 kph. The boys took it easy to ensure a safe arrival. After a 6 hour recharge, it was off to Fredericton arriving around 10pm, driving the 260 km in 3 hours (an average speed of 83 kpm).
Bright and early they pulled out of the Hartt Island RV camp and headed off to Amherst, a distance of 235 km. Arriving around 9am, after driving at an average speed of 78 kph they pulled into a 50amp service site and went for breakfast. Taking on the last 6-hour charge, the final stage began at 4 o’clock. This leg proved to be the fastest driven of all 29 segments – they completed the 196 km in 2 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 89 kph. What a way to finish!
We are all proud to have been associated with this effort. We completed the 6472 km in just over 14 days of driving with a scheduled one-day stop in Toronto for minor repairs and media events and an unplanned two-day stop in Quebec to wait out the passage of Hurricane Earl.
The team is considering options for another Drive – either an entry in the 2011 Zero Race or the arrangement of an event to Circuit the Continent – 90 North American Cities in 90 Days.
Let’s see what the future brings. Many, many thanks to all our sponsors, the generous donors, and all the folks we met along the way who helped out in so many ways.
Proud to be Canadian, eh! That we are.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2010
ALDERNY LANDING
DARTMOUTH NS
6:00 PM AST
UBC E-BEETLE FIRST ELECTRIC CAR TO CROSS CANADA
At 6:00 PM AST, the UBC Electric Car Club’s E-Beetle arrives at ALDERNY LANDING, DARTMOUTH NS and is the first-ever electric car to complete a coast to coast voyage across Canada. Starting on August 21st, 2010, the E- Beetle has covered 6400 kilometers in 16 days (2 days break in Quebec waiting for Hurricane Earl to pass) without any support vehicles, using only existing infrastructure.
The E-Beetle’s voyage has been featured on Wired.com, CTV, CBC, and in print media across Canada. The public is able to track the E-Beetle’s arrival by GPS via the UBCECC website. (http://www.ubcecc.com/blog/e-beetle-tracker/)
The E-Beetle is powered by a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack with a capacity of 50 Kilowatt Hours, giving it a range of 300km at 100km/h and 500km at 50km/h with a top speed of 140kmh. (http://www.ubcecc.com/blog/the-car/) Charging time is approximately 4 hours.
For more information, visit http://www.ubcecc.com/blog follow @ubcecc on Twitter,
contact
Bartosz Bos,
Industry Liaison
(778) 968 1554
to get in touch with the team.
There is someone who actually preceded us and Mitsubishi in driving an electric vehicle across Canada.
Justin Lemire-Elmore spent two months riding his electric bike across Canada in the summer of 2008.
He made the journey from Vancouver to Halifax in 63 days using a mere $10 worth of electricity to recharge his bike. Absolutely Awesome!
So I guess we are really the second electric vehicle – a commercial icon – a Volkswagen Beetle – an eBeetle – which did it in less than one third the time of Justin and his bicycle. Who will be next? And what minimum time for the journey is possible electrically?
A similar I.C.E. vehicle could likely do it at a reasonably leisurely pace in about 8.5 days. We believe that from what we have learned on this trip, that our eBeetle could actually do it in as little as 10 days with a reasonable stopping time of 7 hours for sleep and overnight charging. That puts EV not far off I.C.E. machines. Soon we will see EVs everywhere in greater abundance – first in the city and eventually for driving long distances such as this trek. We are proud to have played a role in helping to advance this new and needed technology.
Ricky, Colin, and Bandit (aka Sparky) are tented down at Hartt Island RV Resort in Fredericton and getting some well-deserved sleep in preparation for the final push tomorrow. An early start in the morning will take them to Loch Lomond RV Park in Amherst. A final recharge and they will be on their way to Halifax/Dartmouth.
Today’s drive went extremely well. The long 307 km stretch from Quebec to Edmundston was done at a sedately pace (62 kph), while they literally tore up the drive down the St John River to Fredericton with an average speed of 83 kph.
It has been a long drive and the team is anxious to see the final goal achieved. Godspeed, they will be successful and arrive at their final destination tomorrow at 6:00pm – the first all-electric vehicle to drive across Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic in 14 days of driving, charging, and resting. A fine achievement indeed!
We have a friend ahead in Frank Smith of Dalhousie University in Halifax. Frank and his partner Susan have graciously volunteered to receive the team.
Frank suggested the best venue to end our journey will be Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. This is where Terry Fox dipped his foot in the Atlantic to start his Marathon of Hope.
We are currently on track to arrive there at 5-6:00 PM Halifax time.
The EBeetle will spend the night in Fredricton and leave early tomorrow morning for a pit stop in Amherst, NS. (Loch Lomond RV Park). It will then leave Amherst around 2-3 PM in time to arrive at Alderney Landing by 5-6 PM.
The EBeetle left Quebec City this morning at the crack of dawn.
Merci beaucoup Mario and family for your wonderful hospitality and taking care of Ricky, Colin and Bandit!!
The first pit stop today is Edmundston (Riverside RV Park) around 10:45. After a 6 to 7 hour stop, the car will travel on to Fredericton (Hartt Island RV Resort) and should arrive around 9:00PM