Here was the next item on the list towards roadworthiness...just a couple of simple levers right? not quite, I have three days into the design and construction of this unit.   The hardest thing to figure out was the Push-pull cable arrangement of the two shift cables...how can you get two cables in tension to push and pull on the same lever, and since the lever on the gearbox is pointing to the rear when it is in forward gear, how do you get the shifter to have the reverse action...that is probably a run on!  Anyway, it is possible, it does work and I will try to explain it...It is all about the cable "housing" if the cable is in tension and pulling, then the little tube around the cable (housing) must be pushing! and if you push on the housing, then you are pulling on the cable, so at the shifter end, on one cable, I anchor the end of the cable and push on the housing, and the other end I anchor the end of the housing  and pull the lever with the cable anchored on it: this moves  the lever on the gearbox forward when I pull back on the shift ...

Hi everyone, well it is official ROOPOD will actually drive.  I have been working like a demon on getting everything ready to drive and we are here! I will try to list some of my most critical observations:  Suspension is working great, ride height is a little low for the rough roads around here, and my driveway but I will fix that with some slightly taller shocks in the back. Brakes are doing what they should (as far as I can tell in the yard!) I may need to adjust the balance bar a bit to keep the back from locking up first...the real test will have to wait till I can get some speed up on the road. Steering seems just perfect, I seem to have got the steering geometry just right, the wheel feels lite in the hands, but not sloppy at all, center return is good and there is no play or stiction anywhere= fancy rack payed off! again we  need high speed testing. Drive-train: Engine runs fine, is just about as vibratory as I thought it would be, and maybe a little less loud seems good about not belching much black smoke when under heavy acceleration. CVT seems to be just right, enguages ...

Hi everybody, here finally is progress! YES! I have had some time to work on roopod and a lot is happening very fast! I have included a bunch of pictures of the systems that I have worked on: they include BRAKES, THROTTLE, COOLING, and the begining of electrical look for captions on the pictures for more details...also incuded is the first time that roopod rolled down a hill, and stpped at the bottom with brakes! Susan at the controls, and the first show of the year in Amherst! enjoy the pictures...more to come soon I plan to be driving around the yard by the end of the week! [nggallery id=8]

Come see the ROOPOD 0n the common in Amherst...and I promise that there is new stuff done...

Here are some more pictures of the 'pod in it's current state taken by my friend Ford Bailey it's amazing what a real photographer with a real camera can do! enjoy... [nggallery id=6]

I showed roopod at altwheels fleet day Monday and was a bit lazy with my camera (read no pictures) but I found this one on cnet...this is in front of Staples World Headquarters it was a fun event and I got to talk a lot of tech talk with all the big truck bigwigs! almost everyone was in a suit!  Bill Buchholz was there with Dirago (background in the picture) and it was fun hanging out with him,  probably the most interesting bit was a talk with the guy from Valence batteries (www.valence.com) about what it would take if I wanted to make roopod have an electric poweplant option I was surprised that he predicted that I would need only 71 kg  (156lb) of batteries to have a 100 mile range I would get rid of 150 lb of diesel engine, get that back with the batteries, and then maybe another 100lb for the elec motor etc...not near as bad as I thought...they would have to give me those batteries, though....probably about $20,000.00 worth!!!...guess that's about it for altwheels!  thanks for looking...plus here is some press they got...not much to do with roopod...but interesting none the less... http://www.necn.com/Boston/SciTech/2009/10/05/Cherry-pickers-go-from-seeing/1254775077.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10367683-54.html http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/10/06/alternative_energy_vehicles_on_exhibit/ http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x2060103328/Alternative-fuel-fleets-showcased-at-Staples http://www.boston.com/cars/newsandreviews/overdrive/2009/10/altwheels_2009_staples_electric_truck.html

Attend altwheels festival!  roopod will be there... Come Join Us at Staples World Headquarters Fifth Annual AltWheels Fleet Day —  Monday,  October 5th, 2009  - 8:30a to 3:30p  —

not much to say here, I got to show the 'pod at the hometown festival...there was an impressive amount of car tech knowledge there! [nggallery id=5]

My apologies, I was so crazed trying to get ready for the OGC that I neglected regular posts for a couple weeks there, and now this post is going to be big....again sorry... First, the pictures: [nggallery id=4] these pictures include pictures of construction progress leading up to the OGC and pictures at the start of the OGC in Greefield, MA, and Pictures at the finish in Boston, MA, and some pictures out in the yard yesterday. here are some links to press coverage as well http://www.necn.com/Boston/SciTech/2009/08/20/Drivers-take-on-One-Gallon/1250806914.html http://green.autoblog.com/2009/08/24/one-gallon-challenge-alt-fuel-race-cars-get-up-to-164-mpge/ this is the report by Jory Squib that is on the autoblog green sight: This weekend's One Gallon Challenge in Massachusetts resulted in some pretty amazing fuel economy results. The five vehicles that took part in the race challenge (any line of of cars that starts "in stately, fuel-conserving style" can't really be called a race, can it?) made the 100-mile drive into Boston and posted fuel efficiency results as follows: MIT's all-electric Porsche – 164 MPGe (plug-to-wheels) or 75MPGe (well-to-wheels) Moonbeam – 93 MPGe Dirigo – 88 MPGe Ricker Truck – 70 MPGe Wood-burning truck – 27.7 MPGe OGC organizer Jory Squibb said the vehicles helped show solutions for "our complex evolution to ultra-economy" and promised to hold the event again next year. Fun ...

  Here are some articles just come out...hope the links work...sorry if you can't get to them without paying...you still have to buy your paper...lol...Roo (this is a front page picture) http://www.boston.com/news/globe/larger_view/?g_date=2009_08_17 (this is the actual article) http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/08/17/the_race_is_on_100_miles_on_just_1_gallon/ this is the Greenfield Recorder article http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=6474048 This is basically the same as the Recoder, but in the next town over paper...The Daily Hamshire Gazette http://www.gazettenet.com/category/local-news/greenfield

Hi there, Everybody! It Rolls! yeah! ok-ok enough... I am very tired, I stayed up till three last night working on steering arms etc, and I don't have the energy to caption all the pictures: So here is a brief overview caption... there are pictures of parts provided by Greasecar to convert the 'POD to be able to run on veggy oil, or 100% biodiesel all winter (thanks Greasecar!) and a picture of the wire harness provided by Rebel Wire (Thanks Rebel Wire)...look on the links page for their links...and there are some pictures of the steering wheel "frame" getting machined...will have a wood core around the rim...and wrapped with leather...it's 10-1/2" in Dia, and then the pictures I have been waiting for for more than a year...It rolls...That's Leilani, my daughter in the yellow hoody and that's our "big" car the VW New Beetle!  Then there are some pictures of the 'Pod next to my friend Bob's Miata...the Miata is pretty big too!  Then that's My partner Susan, and My freind Bob taking a ride in the 'Pod...I am very happy So far, most everything is working like I thought it would!  Hopefully I will come back and fix this post ...

Should the caption go at the top...well that's how it's to be...Here are the seat bottom frames, they are 1"-.065 6061 and they come out, so if I decide they are not the most comfy, I can change them!  The backs will look something like this, they will stop just above that horizontal tube...they will get a little bend just at "lumbar" height for good back support...I hope...also they will pivot forward (there is a little space back there for stuff) Here is a seat bottom in place it is 1000 deneir "ballistic" nylon with two layers of neoprene wetsuit material under it to pad the tubes...it is laced tightly across the back (sorry I forgot to take that pic) and from what I can tell so far pretty comfy...the seat backs will be made the same way, but they hopefully will be a heavy mesh to keep the back cool... I like the corner detail...plus it was the easiest way to have the fabric fit the frame... OK...here is the rear swingarm, sorry the pics are a bit jumbled...but this is a overall view...please note that this is not the complete structure, there is a sort of "kinpost" triangulation going to happen around ...