[nggallery id=16]
Author: roo
-
Green Grand Prix Press!
Some press from theGreen Grand Prix:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/sports/17green.html
This story was all over the place! we had a great time, the ‘pod did great and we can’t wait to finish every detail!
-
GREEN GRAND PRIX
ROOPOD WILL COMPETE!
SUPPORT TEAM ROOPOD AS WE COMPETE IN THIS EVENT!!! Please click on this link to a secure facebook/Paypal donation page where you can use your credit/debit card to contribute.
?
WATKINS GLEN, NY – Drivers of alternate-fueled vehicles, hybrids, and traditional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles will have two unique opportunities to test their mettle at the 2011 Green Grand Prix on Friday, April 15.
Organizers are cranking up the challenges and excitement this year by taking the Green Grand Prix to the famed road course of Watkins Glen International.
“The Green Grand Prix Committee is proud to be partnering with WGI for this exciting event geared towards efficiency and sustainability. It’s a showcase of technology that points towards a cleaner environment,” said Gillespie, Chairman of the Green Grand Prix Committee of the IMRRC. The Green Grand Prix, now in its seventh year, promotes the growth of clean and sustainable innovation in the Northeast.
“As the chairperson of the Green Initiative Committee for our parent company, International Speedway Corporation, I am thrilled that we are hosting this great event,” said Michael Printup, president of Watkins Glen International. “The Glen has made a strong commitment to being green with initiatives such as our extensive recycling program so it only makes sense to host the Green Grand Prix which promotes and displays alternative-fueled vehicles. This is a great way to kick-off our Opening Weekend before fans hit our famous twists and turns in their own vehicles on Saturday and Sunday.”
Drivers of vehicles of all fuel types are invited to enter one of two fuel economy events that will be run on the WGI 2.45-mile short course. The time-speed-distance rallies, listing 10 classes of cars, will be organized and sponsored by the Glen Region of the Sports Car Club of America.
The daylong event, for which admission will be free, also will feature a NYElectrathon race in the afternoon. Displays about sustainable energy and the environment will be set up through the day, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The on-track road rallies are open to anyone, and organizers expect vehicles including all hybrid models, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell cars and vehicles running on biodiesel, diesel, flex-fuel and pure electric. Organizers also expect many other interesting alternate-fueled vehicles such as those powered by vegetable oil, as well as by LP and compressed natural gas.
Universities and high schools with automobile technology programs are encouraged to bring their project cars.
All Green Grand Prix activities are designed to bring together a diverse mix of vehicles and their owners, businesses promoting renewable energy and related products, environmental groups, students and faculty members from elementary to university level and the general public.
The Doris Bovee Memorial Road Rallies are the only official SCCA road rallies of their kind in the nation. Both rallies will be conducted at highway speeds over the challenging topography of the WGI track, which has hosted competitive racing events since 1957.
“This year’s rallies will offer competitors the opportunity to establish fuel economy records in various categories on this world famous racing venue,” said Gillespie.
Entries in the rallies may be submitted through the Green Grand Prix website at www.greengrandprix.com.
The rallies honor the memory of well-known area environmentalist Doris Bovee, who taught for many years in the Corning-Painted Post (NY) school district and was known for her love of plants and birds. She also was involved with SCCA road rallies and was part of the Glen Region SCCA at its inception.
Tom Megan of Redwood, NY, will return again to compete in the 2011 Green Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, NY, in his 1965 Porsche 356SC that runs on bio-diesel.
For additional digital photos from the 2010 Green Grand Prix and more information, contact Robert Gillespie by e-mail at rgillesp@roadrunner.com or by telephone at (315) 694-2812.
-
Some People Thought there would never be a door!
Here are some pictures of the begining of the canopy…The hinges and gas struts are designed to clear everything that needed to be cleared when it opens, and hold it there…I might have to get the next weaker gas struts as these ones seem like they have more push then I really wanted (it pops open with too much force) it will be alot heavier with all the glass and lexan, but still I think that the are too “pushy”…It was Very Scary cutting the tubes with a hacksaw!
[nggallery id=14]
-
roopod is street legal!
Hey everybody! the roopod is street legal check out the pics! check out the video
[nggallery id=13]
-
Almost ready to be on the road (officially)
[nggallery id=12]
I am just a couple of days away from trying to get the ‘pod inspected…just need a rear fender and a few reflectors…but we may have tried it on the road, and we may have gone 48.2 MPH! (slight downhill) more soon, this is just a teaser…there are so many back-posts to put in…very soon…roo
-
F-N-R Shifter and Parking brake
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 lever. The other cable is the opposite… If you did not get this explanation, don’t feel bad, I did all my thinking and still I hooked it all up backwards the first time! It does make for a nice and compact, simple way to move the lever on the gearbox with a cable pulling on it from each side. The Brake lever is much more “conventional” with just a ratchet and a regular bike brake cable, then for both levers, they have a cam on the bottom to activate a micro switch…one for Parking brake idiot light, and the other for the backup light…I will try to put up a video of it working. for now look at the captions on the pictures for more notes…
[nggallery id=10]
-
First Drive!
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 just above idle as it should and shifts as it should, hopefully it will work as well at higher speeds. actually there seems to be all the torque I need at the low and and I am thinking of putting a bit taller final drive in which could possibly make for a better top speed…hope to try soon.
Reverse Transmission seems to to what is should, I am skeptical of how robust it is going to be , and I hate how wimpy the plastic shift lever is on it…hope it does not break…right now it is held in gear with a zip tie…working on the shifter today actually. (this item is my most worrisome, if it is not up to the job, there will be big back to the drawing board time)
Rear wheel sprocket mounted to the wheel lugs is handeling the torque fine. and would love to figure out a toothed belt for the final drive, but the chain is fine for now…
Fuel system: works in it’s abbreviated form, but soon will have a heated fuel tank and heated fuel filter to run Vegetable oil. also a 1 gal diesel tank for starting on. I will be using the solenoid valves and fuel level senders that greasecar has given me, but I am going to make my own heated filter that is smaller and lighter. I also have to make the heat exchanger for the the fuel tank.
electrical system is just barely hooked up, but that soon will change, I am getting all the stuff I need to hook up all the lights and accessories. I will have to make my own self canceling turn signal switch. other switches will be toggles on the dashboard.
I am lights and fenders away from being inspectable for the road, and I can’t wait! it may take a couple weeks to get there, but soon!
look at the pictures, I will try to caption the pictures if I am trying to show you anything particular…
and here is the video from the first drive!
[nggallery id=9]
-
Amherst Sustainabilty Festival/construction progress
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]
-
Amherst Sustainabilty Festival
Come see the ROOPOD 0n the common in Amherst…and I promise that there is new stuff done…
