RETURN OF THE PRIUS

On June 12th, I got slammed, gently, me at seven mph, her moving into me from a stop sign, but the insurance wanted to total my vehicle. It took a long fight and several mishaps, as in the body shop closed that was scheduled to fix my car; a new bid required and so on.


Finally, I got my car back in time to take Jim to the Palo Alto Vets, Wednesday and Thursday.
The Kia rental zipped right along, with doors that sounded and felt like tin. I had very poor vision out the back window. The trunk was miniscule. I felt insecure in it. I’m glad to have my trusty, heavier Toyota Prius back on the road again.
 Jim has one more short appointment for his eyes and he is finished. We left yesterday with a test of 20/20 vision in both eyes. Pretty good for 74 years old.

While at the hospital, I read the unbelievable story of a man who has a plan to turn half the earth to its natural state. Sound unbelievable?  I thought so too. But, E.O. Wilson has already started. He teamed with a scientist who also believes it can be done. More tomorrow.

FOX VS. CHICKENS AND A FENDER BENDER.

Yesterday, I crossed the river (without my camera,) and a woman plowed into me in a shopping center. Typically called a fender bender. The front passenger door could open but the back door, no. When I called the insurance, I told them, I have to have my little Prius back because I bought the first one in the state. Toyota shipped three to each dealership from Japan in 2000, and they gifted me and took my picture for the news. I love my little Prius, not only for its good mileage but because it fits in my small garage. The sticker on the back fender was proof of an electric, and used to allow me in the diamond lanes without the two-people-in-the-car requirement. Since, rescinded. Thankfully, it is fixable and neither of us were hurt.


I normally let my chickens out about 6 a.m. or even a tad earlier. But, yesterday, I heard a commotion and the chickens had scattered to all parts of the yard. When I got outside, I had to chase a fox out of the yard. I scolded him, but a hungry fox is likely to return. Because these chickens were in a small yard, their wings are clipped and they don’t have much defense. Hopefully their wing feathers will quickly grow. They think I’m God. I only give them a treat at night, whatever greens, or compost stuff I have. Yet, the minute I let them out in the morning, they follow me like I’m the pied piper. I think it is interesting that I’ve had chickens at every house I’ve owned, from 1961, except this one. And, I’ve never had a coop. They can basically take care of themselves, but always before, I had a rooster.


So, here I am, with the Taj Mahal chicken coop; it still needs paint and a few other modifications, like automatic water, and so on. These girls get all organic feed and let me tell you, these are the most expensive eggs I’ve ever eaten. And, that fox is NOT going to get them. I’m going to build a yard roost they can fly up to for protection. Hey, I’m having fun. My housemate loves watching them from the deck. They follow her around too and one of these days I’ll get a picture because it just tickles me to see them following her. I guess they have two Gods. Life is never dull.

THE NEW WAVE ENGINE

Some of you know I own a Prius, a 2001 model, the first to come to the U.S. I still drive it an appreciate the mileage savings. However, check this out:

The wave engine pictured above was developed by Michigan State University researchers, it’s the size of a cooking pot and can burn just about any kind of fuel. It does so in a way that shaves weight from the vehicle and is up to 3.5 times more efficient than an ICE engine, meaning better fuel efficiency and up to 90% less CO2. Spinning at high speeds sends a shockwave through the device, igniting air and whatever fuel happens to be used. Simple, light, cheap, and effective.
However, it will not directly replace an engine or transmission setup, but rather it could work as a range-extender for plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Wave Disk spins very fast, generating a lot of energy from a very small package that could dramatically lower the weight of hybrid vehicles while improving the fuel efficiency. For example, a Chevy Volt typically gets around 36 MPG in charge-sustaining mode, but with a Wave Disk engine, it could get closer to 100 MPG while in charge-sustaining mode.
All of this information comes from the blog Gas.2.0

The U.S. government has invested over 2 million dollars into this green technology. How is that for a transition from big oil to whatever other innovations coming down the line.

Another busy day for me. Its nice to be able to borrow information from others. I wanna drive forever. And, get a wave in my Motor Home.

E-MACHINES

This is my E-GO Cycle. Its basically a battery operated scooter. It takes you shopping and to the library and back. It has a range of 48 miles with the extra battery. It's highway legal if you register it. Quite a nifty machine.
My main transportation is a 2001 Prius. I bought the first one in the state. My dealership ordered it on-line at midnight for delivery to their shop July 11th of 2000. The first Prius' came from Japan and you had to buy them sight unseen. No test drive. You could choose from three colors with no guarantee you'd get what you chose. No choice of what was in them, either.
You had to be pretty sure you wanted one. I got my picture in the Modesto Bee and a couple gifts from Toyota. But, the biggest gift has been all these years of great mileage.
Living in the foothills, my average mileage is 45.6 in the winter and 47.2 in the summer. If I stay in the valley, I've gotten 52 miles per gallon out of a tank of gas.
Not bad, sonny!
Of course, my Prius is a hybrid. You still have to buy gas and have oil changes and belts.
I also owned a 1994 Chevy Pick-up plug in electric. It was fun to drive and show off. I tried loading pictures from my old Mac and couldn't get them to transfer properly. It had 24 batteries under the pick-up bed. It came from McClellan Air Force Base and was a government experiment. The engine was made by Hughes Aircraft and looked like an airplane engine. Everyone loved it. Such fun. I'm sorry I sold it, but I didn't have garage space to keep it and the batteries, supposedly good for 8 years, were still going after 13. Those last couple years, it wouldn't make it uphill and my range became extremely limited. Even so, a classic with all the original decals on it.
I'm a devoted greenie and I know a lot of people doubt that electric cars are the wave of the future, and green technology won't work, I'd like to pass on a note from rachel@greenoptions.com and Karen Pease from gas2.org/. Its all about the new generation of green cars and fuels. Also, a story on their site about Jay Leno's new show on NBC. He will be putting guests in an electric car.
So, why did I buy a Terra that gets about 7.1 miles to the gallon?
OUCH!
I'm still in a daze.
And, the super expensive rig I was drooling over, tango, to answer your question, is a Road Trek. Oh my. If only it were green, I'd snap one up in a minute and sell the new gas hog.
When will manufacturers make a green motor home, like a turbo diesel or something?