Photo Log - Aug 1-3: Dawson Creek, BC

Lots of things went on while the group was in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Besides the preparations for the big trip, they had the opportunity to show off the military vehicles a couple of times.

The evening August 1, they AC'12 convoy lined up for the first time in order to head to the town of Rolla. While on the road, Mike shot some video of the convoy going around some open, sweeping curves.

On the evening of August 3, the AC'12 participants lined up in march units, and put on a display for the town of Dawson Creek. Below are two pictures of Electro-Willys all dressed up for the show.

- Ellen

Dawson Ck Day 3 - Aug 3

This was the big day before the convoy departed.  Lots of meetings and last minute preparations.  In the evening, there was  huge gathering down at the Mile 0 Cairn.  The MV's (military vehicles) lined up for photo ops.  And there was a kick-off ceremony with dignitaries from around provinces along the route.

One of the pictures posted on the MVPA's AC'12 facebook page shows Electro-Willys and Juice box.

- Ellen

Dawson Ck Day 1 - Aug 1

Got to chat with Mike last night, and now I need to add to that list of things they are doing in Dawson Creek during their "rest days". As I suspected, there is no resting!

Mike, aka Gas Can Mike, is the refuel planner for the AC'12 convoy, and as such, is involved with meetings of the core AC'12 team. He is also working to get Electro-Willys and Juice Box running smoothly. And, of course, showing off E-W to anyone that is interested in it. E-W draws a lot of attention when it stealthily motors through camp.

Last night, it was a chore getting E-W and Juice Box out of The Cave. They had to unpack a lot of stuff before they could back out. But, hey, they need to reorganize The Cave for living quarters now, anyways.

The Cave at Round Lake State Park
(photo by Jen on 07/29)

This afternoon, the participants in AC'12 will get to practice lining up for movement and rolling out. The group has been invited to come over to the small town of Rolla to help celebrate the town's 100th anniversary. They will even get a RCMP escort.

Check out the Paper Doll Blog's posting of July 31: Day 12 - Recon Run to Rolla for some interesting facts about Rolla.

- Ellen

Time to hit the Road

Rainbow over the Valley

Bright and early this morning was First Gear from the Thirsty Dirt Ranch. I was a afraid they would be still packing at midnight last night, but the crew was all tucked into bed by 10:00pm.

They had a fine evening for packing. It was a very hot day, but just about the time they were ready to start loading, we had a brief rain shower. It cooled things off nicely, and gave us a partial rainbow and a colorful sunset.

Nate tying things down

After hooking up The Cave to Greg's F350, they got Electro-Willys and the Juice Box loaded into The Cave. Then the fun began loading up all of the rest of the gear. When you're going to be on the road for over a month, how do you decide what you really need, and what can stay behind? Seems like the guys have thought of just about everything.

All loaded up!

A big thanks to Jack and Steve for assisting in the loading. Neighbor Tom stopped by, and come to find out, he and Owen grew up about 10 miles apart in Minnesota! Another neighbor, Debbie, had stopped by earlier in the day with a copy of her just published book about one of her great adventures.

Owen, Mike, Greg, Nate

After a good night's sleep, the crew was up by 6:00am. A few last minute things were packed into The Cave, and a few last minute photos were taken of the crew with the travelling rig and The Cave.

I will miss the adventure. A tight hug and good-bye kiss with Mike, and they all climbed into the rig and headed down the driveway. I watched til they got to the paved county road, and then I couldn't see them anymore. They are heading north through the Colorado Rockies and into Wyoming today.

Heading out

After lunch, I checked Mike's SPOT page to see their progress. It looks like they had lunch in Craig, CO, and 30 minutes later crossed into Wyoming.

- Ellen

The Electro-Willys Crew

Lots of people have given Mike a hand, but just 3 will be going with him on the AC'12 adventure. Joining him for the trip will be Greg, Nate, and Owen.

Owen, Mike, Nate, and Greg

Mike is retired Army. His love of old jeeps started in high school when he bought a surplus 1952 M38 and rebuilt it. We still have that jeep, and call it the Blue Mule. Electro-Willys shares the garage with the Blue Mule, Kate's Karriage, and a pile of parts that may someday be Green Jeanne. We also have another jeep in there that we are storing for a young man on duty in Afghanistan.

Greg is retired Navy, and lives about 2 hours east of us. We met him when he had some questions about an old jeep he had acquired. Mike and Greg hit it off very well, and discovered that they had many interests and stuff in common. We both have dark green Ford pickups of about the same vintage. One time when they went on a winter adventure, they discovered they even have the same snowshoes! Greg will the the "chase" vehicle driver, and will pull The Cave from camp to camp.

Nate is Greg's grandson from Washington state. He's still in high school, but has a great sense of adventure. When Greg and him have come over to help with the construction of the Juice Box, Nate has shown himself to be a great hand. I've heard he even might be cooking for the team?

Owen is retired Air Force. He was looking for a seat in the convoy and posted to the Facebook page, saying something to the affect of "I'll probably end up sitting on the batteries of that electric jeep". Well, of course, Mike had to contact him after that. The rest is history. Lucky for Owen, he won't have to sit on the battery pack. Owen and his wife came down for a visit a couple of weeks ago to met us all. Owen is the relief driver for the "chase" vehicle, or will rotate in and out of the passenger seat in E-W.

Tonight, the crew converges on our place to pack up Electro-Willys and the Juice Box into The Cave. I know E-W and the Juice Box will fit, but I hope all the other stuff will too! It's T-1 and the hours are ticking by.  First gear from The Thirsty Dirt Ranch will be in the morning.

- Ellen

An Electric Willys?

Installing the
WarP 11 motor

So, what is Electro-Willys all about? E-W is a 1952 M38 Willys jeep that we converted to all-electric. The details of the conversion process can be followed in a photo album at The Electro-Willys.

The gas engine was replaced with a 11-inch DC WarP 11 motor made by NetGain. An adapter plate was custom made to connect this motor with the bell housing of the Willys jeep. This allowed us to keep the rest of the E-W as original as possible.

Blue lithium batteries
next to
old lead-acid battery

Power is supplied by 46 3.5-volt lithium batteries. Initially we used lead-acid batteries, but they weighed a lot and had some severe limitations. The lithium battery pack stores 42 kilowatts of power, and operates at 144-160 volts and 600 amps.

A Soliton Jr controller by Evnetics sits underneath the driver's seat. This device controls the flow of energy to and from the batteries and the motor.

Soliton Jr controller

E-W can scoot right along at over 70 mph. At more reasonable speeds, the average distance between charges is about 60 miles. This is more than sufficient to get Mike to work and back, although the preference is to plug E-W in while at work. Mike can run errands around town if necessary before heading home.

With the current cost of electricity, Mike estimates E-W uses about $5 dollars worth of energy a week to recharge. That is a huge savings over the cost of diesel for our F-250.

- Ellen

T-11 days and counting!

Electro-Willys and Juice Box, just about ready for AC'12

It's less than 2 weeks now 'til the Electro-Willys and Juice Box head out for the AC'12 Alaska Highway Convoy. Lots of last minute preparations going on this weekend.

The team all met up for the first time in person, and set to work doing lots of stuff like getting the propane line run from the propane tanks to the hot water heater. Yes, these guys will have hot water for their shower in The Cave. But, more importantly, they got the generator fired up in the Juice Box, and the Juice Box sufficiently ventilated so that it doesn't overheat.

Coming up this week, I will tell more about Electro-Willys, Juice Box, and The Cave.

- Ellen

You got a LONG extension cord with that?

After a couple of rebuilds ('cuz the guys in Salida had no clue what they were doing), and a recent battery upgrade, Mike has finally been able to use Electro-Willys for commuting. He can get about 60 miles per charge. With a 25-mile communte, that means he can run errands around town with no problem.

Mike is able to plug in to the business next door so that he has a full charge to come home on. One day E-W didn't get plugged right, and he worried about coming home. Had me on "tow-alert" just in case. Come to find out, he got home and still had plenty of charge left.



When people find out he is going to take E-W on the Alaska Highway, they usually respond with some smart-alicky quip like: "You got a Long extension cord with that?" or "Hope you can find enough current bushes!" Yes, he does have a long extension cord, but NOT that long.

- Ellen

Car Show Time

The Electro-Willys has been entered in to several car shows. For three years running, E-W has been in the Buena Vista Mountain Mania Antique, Classic, and Hot Rod Show. In 2011, E-W also showed at the Salida Car Show. This year, E-W won't be in Salida as it is during the trip up the Alaska Highway.

2010

2011

2012

- Ellen

Getting back to OD Green!

Striped Down E-W

In preparation for the conversion to electric, Mike stripped down Electro-Willys (E-W). He removed all the gas engine components back to the bell housing. Room had to be made for all those golf-cart batteries both in the front and in the back.

After sanding, welding, pounding, and patching, Mike gave E-W a coat of primer, and then the OD Green. I really hate the smell of that paint.

Wearing the OD

Once all the painting was done, Mike was ready to take E-W down to a local shop for the conversion to electric. If only he knew then what he knows now!

For a photo album of the conversion process (both ups and downs), take a look at m38mike's Jeep pages: The Electro-Willys.

- Ellen

In the Beginning...

The day E-W arrived

Back in 2008, when diesel prices sky-rocketed to $5/gal, Mike decided to build an electric jeep for commuting. He found this 1952 Willys M38. It looks kinda rough in the picture above, but actually wasn't in too bad a shape.

He traded the engine out for a winter cab, then set about getting the frame and body ready for conversion. Under this pale blue, Mike found the original paint was Air Force blue. The history of where this M38 was used in the service has been lost, but perhaps it had been at Lowry AFB in Denver.

- Ellen

Welcome!

E-W and the Juice Box

Welcome to Electro-Willy's blog.  Mike (m38mike), Greg, Nate, Owen, Electro-Willys, the Juice Box, and The Cave will soon all be heading out for a grand adventure.  We hope to use this blog as a way to keep track of those adventures. 

They will be travelling the Alaska and other highways on a circuit between Dawson Creek and Denali NP, and back with the AC'12.  This is a convoy, organized by the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA), in honor of the Alaska Highway's 70th Anniversary.

Communication will be sparse at times, but after all, who really wants a lot of cell-phone and computers when you are out there enjoying the great wilderness of truly northern North America.

Updates to the blog will be linked to Facebook and several other of Mike's favorite jeep and electric vehicle forums.  You can also subscribe to updates using the Subscribe to: link below.

Let's all get on board and follow Mike as he tries to get a Guiness World record for single driver/distance for an all electric vehicle!

- Ellen