Actually there are three -

1) 1996 Solectria Force. My latest purchase is an electric sedan (more coming soon). Click on the photo below to see a larger image.

2) Grumman Electric Postal Truck. After turning in the Ford Ranger (see picture below) when my 4-year lease expired, I went on a hunt for a new EV. It wasn't an easy search after being spoiled rotten by the Ranger's advanced NiMH battery and 300VAC motor performance! Eventually I'll have a page up on my new Grumman Electric Postal Truck, but in the meantime here's a couple of pictures:

3)Ford Ranger. After coming to their senses, Ford put me on a list to receive a used electric Ford Ranger pickup since they reportedly crushed mine (see picture below, prior to crushing). It arrived on 12-27-05! Many thanks to the two rebels that camped out at a Ford dealership recently, receiving national news attention, and convincing Ford that crushing such a special vehicle was crazy!

To read more about my four year experience with the Ranger, and more, keep scrolling down. . . . .

As of 02-22-2000, I began leasing a year 2000 model Ford Ranger Electric Pickup with Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries!

My first electric car - A 1980 Lectric Leopard I drove for four years, up until March of 2002 (when it was sold).

UPDATES ON FORD RANGER

12-27-2004, Blue Sky Motors Inc. delivered my new/used Ford Ranger. Odometer reads just 8,638 miles. I'm elated to, again, be driving one of the most technologically advanced electric vehicles ever developed. While my new one has lead-acid batteries (my original had NiMH) its in great shape - I just need to pay closer attention to the battery charge before going on a long trip.

02-14-2004, This was my last full day to drive the most incredible vehicle I've ever had the pleasure to drive. Odometer reads 56,000 miles. I feel myself getting increasingly more depressed as the dreaded return date (2-15-04) closes in and I realize that Ford plans to CRUSH all of the Electric Rangers as soon as they can get them back. What a travesty!?!

04-15-2003, Odometer has passed 47,000 miles after roughly three years of driving. This is about 15, 300 miles per year, or more than the average driver travels per year (12,000 - 15,000 miles per year is considered average). My lease would have ended a few weeks ago if I hadn't renewed it for another year (the maximum renewal term allowed). I had to ask myself what would I get to replace it? Nothing can begin to match the convenience and economy - I'm paying about one fifth (that's right, 20%) as much for "gas" as everyone else on the road - so the answer was simple - keep it as long as Ford will let me! Email me when you find gas for 40 cents a gallon....

03-19-2002, Odometer has passed 34,000 miles two years and one month of driving (only 11 more months to go on the lease....I want to renew for another 3 years!).

11-15-2001, I am switching my electrical service to the new Electric Vehicle Rate Schedule (E-9A; PG&E). Charging my truck off-peak at about 4.5 cents at kWhr, I will be paying the equivalent of about 40 cents a gallon for gasoline.

11-15-2001, I have added over 26,000 miles to the odometer. This averages out to about 15,000 miles/year, the exact same distance the average driver travels each year. This tells me this average driver might find, as I have, that an EV is a perfectly practical form of transportation.

What has it been like to drive the pickup on a daily basis? The following is a collection of my observations and experiences, beginning with answers to the two most popular questions.

Most Popular Question #1 - How far can it go?
This is the first question everyone asks. My answer may seem strange at first, but please bear with me -

The truck will go 150% of the distance I need to travel on a daily basis, which happens to be the same distance the average driver travels in a day. The average driver (that's me too!) travels about 41 miles per day (which is 15,000 miles per year). The truck will go about 65 miles on average (although I've managed to reduce the range to as little as 45 miles and stretched it as far as 95 miles). I plug it in whenever it's not moving so, on a practical daily basis, it sometimes goes further in a day than even 95 miles.

Ah, but what about those long distance trips you say? The average driver makes about 6 trips per year of over 100 miles. In this case, I've travel more than average. For several years, two or three times per month, I'd need to drive the 70 miles (one-way) to work because my van pool was full (note: I commuted 3 days per week and telecommuted the other 2 days). The drive to work was a 140 mile round trip, but the truck was fully charged by lunch time.

For longer trips, I either take the family 4WD station wagon (which gets 28-32 mpg) or (better yet) rent an economy car (@ 40-50 mpg) so we don't rack up mileage and lower the value of the family wagon. If I didn't have the family car, I'd rent a vehicle or take public transportation for all long trips.

Most Popular Question #2 - How long does it take to charge?
This is typically the second question people ask.. At the risk of sounding like a smart-alec, the best answer is "I spend a small fraction of the time everyone else spends filling up their gas-powered vehicles!" I don't waste valuable time during my day at a filling station several times a week. Instead, I almost unconsiously plug it in (with one hand) after pulling into my driveway (or other charging station) and go about my business. I don't waste 5-10 minutes every fillup whiffing gas fumes and dripping gas on my shoes like everyone else. I've typically got a "full tank" at the beginning of every trip. So, how long does it take to charge? It really doesn't matter!!!

Most Popular Question #3 - What did you pay for it?
This is typically the third question people ask. First of all, you can't buy this particular vehicle - only leases are (were!) available. Second of all, I got an unusually great deal. It was one of 10 "demos" and had 1,000 miles on it, so I have a discount lease for $199 a month for three years (I put about $1,500 down). Normally it's about $420 to $450 a month for a truck just like mine (with Nickel Metal Hydride batteries). But you may be suprised to learn how much is available (or soon to be available) in the way of vehicles like mine, and the reasonable costs involved. In California, a generous buydown is available ($5,000 at the time of this writing). Insurance is the same as a gas Ford Ranger, which is affordable given it's the safest vehicle in its class.

New Popular Question - Aren't you just adding to the problem of California's electricity shortage?
Excellent question, and one that deserves a thoughtful response. First, the peak power problems we have in California are a result of the cumulative impact of every single one of us who uses power from the grid. Secondly, because every single one of us is part of the problem, we all share responsibility for the solution. Charging an electric vehicle puts a very large demand on the system, so I do my best to be conscious of this and avoid charging during peak periods. Another step I've taken is to help by subtracting some of my electricity demand from the system by making some of my own power. In a real pinch - like a statewide electric system emergency situation (which will become more common and severe over the next few years) - I have the ability to take my entire home off the grid, and run everything off the batteries in the truck!

The impact on my wallet -
(or, how much does it cost to drive compared to a gas car)
Everyone also likes to ask "How much does it cost to charge up?" Let's put it this way.....I'd need to buy gas at about $0.40/gallon if this were a gas Ford Ranger to equal what it costs running on electricity. And my electricity is made largely from photovoltaics and micro-hydroturbine systems on-site!

The performance experience -
- The weight is distributed evenly (and way down low). It handles like a sports car and stops on a dime, unlike your standard gas-powered truck, which has most of the weight in the front and hardly any in back. I drove my truck home for the first time when it was snowing, and it handled six inches of snow with hardly a slip. Warning - don't try this in a gas-powered truck unless you have four wheel drive!

- The acceleration is exhilarating, for a truck. Everyone who has driven it expressed genuine shock at how zippy it is and how well it climbs hills. We have a 32% grade where I live, but it climbs the grade more easily than any gas vehicle I've ever driven (it elicits genuine shock from friends and neighbors when I insist they test-drive it up "the big hill!").

- It carries a half-ton load several times a week, just like a real truck (hey, it IS a real truck!).

- The heating system provides warmth long before a regular cars heater does (downside is it reduces the range to 45 miles if run continuously).

- The air conditioning system works just like any other, but it reduces the range to 45 miles if run continuously.

- I manually cycle (turn on/off "as needed") the heating or cooling and it reduces the range to 50-60 miles.

The daily experience -
- It typically has a "full tank" every time I take off.

- It takes about the same time to plug it in daily (over a week long period) as it takes to fill up a gas car once a week.

- I only stop at gas stations now to use the restrooms.

- I don't miss hanging around gas pumps, gagging on gas fumes and spilling gas on my shoes.

- I'm able to actually hear the oncoming traffic - a nice feature when an SUV is parked and blocking my view at a corner.

- It's so quiet, I can actually enjoy the stereo. I can hear the cymbals in music and the "quiet guy" on talk radio.

- It's so quiet, I can hear someone whispering in the passenger seat while going down the freeway at 65 mph.

- Knowing what I know, it feels really, really (REALLY!!) great to be using no oil - I'm NOT spending my children's inheritance! I'm creating no pollution and I'm not contributing to smog, bad air days, or global climate change. It's a refreshing way to travel!

What I've Learned From My Experiences -
- According to many electric vehicle (EV) people I've spoken with, few drive them on a regular basis. Many drive them occasionally, the way some people drive their collector or "classic cars." The fact that this vehicle has posed no real inconveniences to me with it's "limited range" is worthy of note. In fact, I've learned the whole concept of "limited range" to be a real "myth" associated with EVs. Why? Because people don't normally travel more than 41 miles a day and it's tough to find an EV with less range than that!

- The few times I've attempted to drive it as far as possible on a single charge have taught me how to really conserve energy. I'm reminded of the fable about the tortoise and the hare - "Slow and steady wins the race!"

- Like most people, I didn't always take the time to plan my trips. Driving an EV has made me think a little more about planning multiple tasks in a single trip. Is this inconvenient? Yes, if you believe it's inconvenient to use your brain a little more. But the reality is that it's not inconvenient at all - in fact quite the opposite - when you consider the valuable time we waste with all of those extra trips! Personally, I can (and do) think of many things I'd rather spend my precious time with, other than making an extra trip into town for a quart of milk! I'm reminded of a college professor's profound words of wisdom - "When all else fails, THINK!"

- Stop and go traffic has taught me to drive like a truck driver - the professionals! No "jack rabbit" starts and stops. That justs wastes energy and creates a ripple effect behind me, causing the stop and go traffic to worsen. Those "jack rabbit" drivers always seem to end up next to me again a few miles down the freeway (or at the next stoplight) despite all their frenzied manuverings. I wish I had a loudspeaker sometimes so I could tell my dangerously angsty roadway associates "Hey! Just relax and enjoy the ride, people!"

- I've increased the mpg when driving a gas vehicle as a direct result of my EV lessons. I've been able to squeeze 35 mpg out of my wife's 2003 Toyota Matrix!

Other electric vehicle (EV) information and experiences

Soon, pretty much EVERYONE's second car will be an Electric Vehicle (EV). Why?

1) Used EVs cost no more than most used gasoline cars to purchase. Check out my links to alternative transportation products, which includes used EVs if you want to see selection - and there's a good chance there's one for sale close to where you live! I've seen some very attractive cars for between $4,000 - $5,000; at this price they're usually in need of fresh batteries. After purchasing (brand new) batteries, you're still in the same ballpark price range of a middle-class families second car price range.

2) EVs don't pollute. Actually, in my case it produces almost 100% less pollutants than a gasoline car because I make most of my own power. Having our own, on-site production of electricity from photovoltaics and a micro-hydroturbine helps increase the installed base of renewable power generation, helping to ease the need for building new generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure as the population continues to grow.

3) It feels so good! I can't tell you how much pleasure I got from saying "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha" to California's Smog Check Regulations. This mammoth bureacratic (and environmental) burden is lifted off your shoulders with an EV! Also, don't forget to thumb your nose at foreign governments that may think they've "got us by the .......er....ah......gas tanks" with their oil reserves. The U.S. currently imports almost two-thirds of the oil it consumes, and this percentage is constantly increasing. This is not a good trend to support if you're concerned about national security and American independence!

4) My EV costs about one-fifth as much to operate as a gasoline vehicle; about 1.8 cents per mile for electricity (at $0.045/kWhr) versus 10 cents per mile for gasoline (assuming average, 20 mpg vehicle and gasoline at $2.00/gallon).

5) Maintenance and replacement costs are lower. The simplicity "under the hood" is pretty astounding. No engine oil or glycol coolant changes (or related driveway/highway leakage). No radiators to leak and head gaskets to blow (ever experienced that one?). No spark plugs to change. No carburator hassles (have You had as much "fun" with carburators over the years as I have?).

6) Check your local yellow pages for local EV expertise. I purchased a great book (Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, by Bob Brant) that explained a lot; but even the best books will never replace people with experience. Check your yellow pages for an EV specialist near you. Do some asking around. If you plan to do most of the work yourself, speak to people in the local "EV circles" and find out who is available for consulting and who sells parts (also see parts suppliers under Electric Vehicle Links). Alternately, find someone who does "conversions" if you're interested in someone else doing do the work.