November 17, 2008

Green Hits the Road
Fossil fuels are left out in the cold at local transportation exposition

By SAM CRAIG
of The Chronicle

     At the Green Transportation Expo in Hood River, hosted Nov. 8, by The Dalles-based Gorge Technology Alliance, gasoline was a dirty word.
     There were modes of transportation that used no oil products at all, save for lubrication. Even hybrids, the darling of the fuel-efficiency set, were left outside in the pouring rain to peer through the windows at their gas-free brethren.
     You name the power source, and it was most likely in one of the items there. A car that runs on the power of repurposed french fry oil, a plug-in electric car that will get up to 40 miles of drive time, a hydrogen-powered car and a battery-operated Volkswagen Beetle that runs silently, as opposed to the usual tooth-rattling puttering they’re known for.
     Green is in, as far as transportation goes, and, for the moment, the hybrid is the current king of eco-friendly transit. But, as most monarchs find out, sooner or later, there’s someone in the wings waiting for their chance to usurp the throne.      As soon as the technology allowing the new 100-percent electric-powered Tesla to go 244 miles on a single charge becomes less expensive than say, a thouroughbred quarter horse, there will be quite the regime change.
     But until then, the GTA, in partnership with the Mid-Columbia Economic District, offered a brief glimpse into not only the future, but what’s available now.
Electric Rides, of Mill City, brought a selection of electric machines for those who like the wind in their hair. The Vespa-inspired ESport 1000 can get a max speed of around 21 miles per hour and run for about 55 miles on a charge. The three wheeled E-Trike 500 gets up to speeds of 13 miles per hour and can go 28 miles per charge, and, it should be noted, looks like a mobility scooter forged in the brimstone of Hades by Lucifer himself. It’s like a big, angry 13-MPH chopper the company humbly calls “the Cadillac of three wheel scooters.”
     Buzz Duell of Portland’s MC Electric Vehicles was doing his part to sell some green machines of his own.
     The company’s ZENN (Zero Emissions, No Noise) is about three-quarters the size of a compact SUV, and, with optional sunroof, stereo, power windows and locks, and air conditioning, it’s a pretty good for commuter, but with a top speed of 35 and only 35 miles of driving time per charge, it’s not exactly made for cross-country jaunts, but at $15,000 to $20,000, it’s still cheaper than a hybrid.
     While MC is working on improvements in the electric auto field, another of their products, the E+ Electric Bicycles were quite popular. More Harley than Huffy, the E+ can hit a top speed of 30 miles per hour and charges while you peddle. It’ll set you back about $3,500, but you’ll make it up any mountain trail without breaking a sweat.
     John Stoltz isn’t selling anything per se, but he is keen on green.
Stoltz took a beaten up, rusty VW Bug, gutted it and converted it to battery power. From the sound of it, you’d never guess it was running. Whisper quiet and not giving off any emissions, Stoltz’ Bug is leading the way in electric vehicles.
     “I just wanted kind of a test project,” Stoltz said. “I recently retired and I was looking at something I could do. I’ve always been interested in electrical and mechanical things. It’s kind of the wave of the future. Gas prices were going crazy and I wondered why there weren’t more electric cars.”
     Stoltz is doing what the Big Three American car companies can’t seem to. Through research and development, Stoltz put together an electric car for around $3,000 dollars with about 15 to 20 hours of work.
     It gets about 30 minutes to a charge, 25 if it’s hilly, but that’s just fine for Stoltz. With his flock of batteries, his car gets him where he needs to go.
     “I just went to Walmart,” he said. “I bought the best of the line marine batteries for 70 bucks each instead of $250 lithium batteries they reccomended. I wanted to do it in such a way that I could put most of the labor into it myself, rather than having to hire a mechanic or an electrician.”
     Stoltz isn’t stopping at electric. He’s planning bigger and better motors, including a natural gas vehicle in the future.
     The expo was a success for the GTA, said Jim Donnelly, one of the planners and a member of the Mid-Columbia Econonmic District.
     “We were expecting around 150 people,” Donnelly said. “But we saw more than 165, so we’re pretty thrilled with the turnout.”
     As for those who attended, one family took home a scooter, while others came to have their interest piqued by the electronic future of motoring.
     “Well, we’re in the market for a more efficient car,” said Dave Karlson, an attendee at the conference. “We’ve got a ’98 Subaru with 180,000 miles on it. It only gets about 20 miles per gallon, so we’re looking for a better option, so we thought we’d come out.”
     Karlson was interested in the ZENN, but was a bit worried about the implications during his commute down 84 from Hood River to The Dalles.
     Dave’s wife Kate was worried more about their two kids than anything else.
“What we’re really looking for is the hybrid minivan,” she said.