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236 Posts
Here's a belated introduction. I grew up in Ann Arbor, which is about a half hour drive from Milford. I went to the University of Michigan, where I was on the 1995 Future Car team, which built a series hybrid based on a Dodge Neon. After the competition was complete, myself and a friend from the team converted this hybrid into a pure electric vehicle. I graduated with a masters degree from MIT in 1999, with a concentration in Power Electronics. I now design power supplies for a living in the Boston area.
Finishing the electric conversion project took my friend and I the summer of '96, and on the last day of the summer, I took the car out for its first test drive. I went out to Saline and back (about 20 miles round trip) and was very excited about the performance of the car. When I got back into town, I came to a red light and found myself pulling up next to a gas powered Neon. He saw the big lightning bolt painted on the side of my Neon, and made the "lets go" signal with his hand. When the light turned green, we both floored it, and at the top of the first hill, I got a little air, looked to my right, and saw the police car. He pulls me over, walks up, looks in my car and says "boy, why do you have so many batteries in the back seat". I say "it's an electric vehicle". He says "boy, why do you have so many batteries in the back seat". I don't answer. Later, in front of a judge, while giving his testimony, he says "the defendant's car was clocked at 55mph, while the next car was only going 38mph". Let's just say the judge was not impressed.
Finishing the electric conversion project took my friend and I the summer of '96, and on the last day of the summer, I took the car out for its first test drive. I went out to Saline and back (about 20 miles round trip) and was very excited about the performance of the car. When I got back into town, I came to a red light and found myself pulling up next to a gas powered Neon. He saw the big lightning bolt painted on the side of my Neon, and made the "lets go" signal with his hand. When the light turned green, we both floored it, and at the top of the first hill, I got a little air, looked to my right, and saw the police car. He pulls me over, walks up, looks in my car and says "boy, why do you have so many batteries in the back seat". I say "it's an electric vehicle". He says "boy, why do you have so many batteries in the back seat". I don't answer. Later, in front of a judge, while giving his testimony, he says "the defendant's car was clocked at 55mph, while the next car was only going 38mph". Let's just say the judge was not impressed.
