Elkhart Indiana

[LTLFTcomposite]

There's a bit running on "Huckabee" (Fox News) about Elkhart Indiana, the RV manufacturing capital devastated by the one-two punch of last year's oil/gas price spike and the economic crisis. It occurred to me that if Aptera found itself in a position where it needed to add production this could be an excellent place to consider. Lots of available facilities, infrastructure, and a skilled (and I think non-union) workforce with experience building "nontraditional" vehicles.

Ironic that the town that builds the most fuel-consumptive vehicles could be well suited to building a new generation of fuel-efficient vehicles.

The tone of the story was about how the town will pull through the current situation. Also mentioned was a new RV company (who would start a new RV company in this environment?) called EverGreen RV, that is supposedly using advanced material structures, laminates, composites etc to build new fuel efficient RVs. Leaves me wondering if the aerodynamics of an Aptera could be scaled up into a larger vehicle like a motor home.

[speculawyer]

The Newshour on PBS also did a good piece about Elkhart Indiana (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june09/elkhart_03-06.html). And a move to an EV industry is what also came to my mind.

But instead of Aptera, I think Th!nk may be a better fit. (I love using the word 'think' in sentence about Th!nk to make them sound silly. :jumping0001: ) As I mentioned in another thread, Th!nk announced plans for a USA based factory (http://www.apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=2416). Eight states are under consideration but I'd guess Indiana is one of them. I think it would make a good fit since a prime supplier for Th!nk is Indiana based Enderdel. In fact Th!nk is only operating right now due to financing from Enderdel. And as you point out, Elkhart has manufacturing talent in desperate need of jobs. Then add in the fact that the Obama administration is making an EV push with the fact that Evan Bayh, a Democratic Senator from Indiana with close ties to Obama, is one of the guys behind the EV & battery making pushes. (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/12/24/senator-evan-bayh-proposes-1-6b-investment-in-battery-manufactu/)

So, a Th!nk plant getting money from the stimulus package opening in Elkhart that puts Indiana made Enerdel batteries in those cars seems like a good possibility. We'll see in the next few months if this happens. I think there is a strong probability of it. We'll see if I'm right.

[jstdadd]

I think Greensburg, KS would be the best bet for Aptera to move to a green community that needs development. on May 4, 2007 the city was 90% destroyed by an F5 tornado; they are endeavoring to rebuild as "The Greenest City in the World." John Deere and SunChips have already located large, environmentally friendly buildings there - lots of solar and wind power.

Greensburg, KS: New LED Streetlamps:
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ct3qyv

[jhm614]

Leaves me wondering if the aerodynamics of an Aptera could be scaled up into a larger vehicle like a motor home.

That is a truly great visual.

[G.M.]

Well, for some smart reasons, and some selfish reasons :) , I would like Aptera to open up a factory in New Mexico.

Cheap land, lots of labor, great climate, wide open roads for testing.

And Eclipse Aviation just shut down. So a bunch of highly trained people are looking for work. And Aptera can get the building cheap. Just imagine Apteras being made in a Airplane factory right on the Sunport Airport at the end of the main runway...Cool.

The factory here could supply Apteras to New Mexico, Texas and the rest of the southwest (a big market). While the Vista factory can supply California and the West Coast ( a big market too)

G.M.

[KarenRei]

That is a truly great visual.

I'm still dreaming of some day owning an electric RV. ;) Bounce from RV park to RV park, hooking into 50A/240V at each and refilling your whole battery pack.

[LTLFTcomposite]

I'm still dreaming of some day owning an electric RV. ;) Bounce from RV park to RV park, hooking into 50A/240V at each and refilling your whole battery pack.

Ok, it's settled then. They should skip the four door model with a back seat and move directly to the "Winnetera" (or is that the "Aptebago"?)

[scottsim]

Here's a start I made at boosting how my RV handles power (3 150W panels)...also added 4 large golf-cart size 6V batteries and a big Xantrex inverter....will go on the auction-block soon, at a bargain price.... http://tahoevictorian.com/srv002.jpg

[LTLFTcomposite]

Looks like a Newmar. In climates where you can get by without air conditioning you can probably live off grid pretty comfortably.

[KarenRei]

Scottsim's improvements bring up a good point: lots of broad, flat area on the top of an RV for solar panels. :) That'd be especially nice if you had a couple linear actuators to properly angle them when you stop. You could fit, what, about 15 square meters up there? 15m^2 * 1000W/m^2/hr * 24 hours a day * 20% capacity factor * 20% efficiency = 14.4kWh/day. I could picture an very light/streamlined composite RV doing 400Wh/mi (a traditional RV would take more, of course. By comparison: Volt=~200Wh/mi, RAV4EV=~300Wh/mi, Fully armored military-spec HumVee=~700Wh/mi). So 36 miles of range per day you sit around**. Not a ton, but definitely a worthwhile amount. And if you had retractable eaves with their own panels on them, you could get even more.

Ah, what a wonderful way to get around that would be! Guess I'll need to budget the money for something like that into my retirement planning...

** - Minus, of course, the power you use while sitting around.

[scottsim]

It is a National Dolphin, 37'...outta Elkhart IN, so I guess the post fits...

1998, with only 30K miles, 427 Chevy, tag axle, single-slide...solar equiped (allows "boon docking" without AC pretty well), has Generac generator with low hours, sleeps 6...on and on...

Bought it for 44K a few years ago, put about 4K into the solar...Ebay auction will prob start around 15-20K, ANY kind of used vehicle being pretty hard to sell these days...

S

[jhm614]

* 24 hours a day

Hmmmm... you might need to switch to wind at night :)

[randyd]

Ah, what a wonderful way to get around that would be! Guess I'll need to budget the money for something like that into my retirement planning...

Ha! I hope you are young! :)

I hope that by the time you retire, the vehicle you imagine exists.

No, strike that. Let's both hope that by the time I retire, the vehicle that you imagine exists!

[sempervirens]

Aptera RV sounds like Ark II - anyone remember that show? ...

[sempervirens]

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg62/shannoncsis/ark_2.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63_lcQUdxxE

Mylar suits and jetpacks - I'm there.

[jstdadd]

Is the chimp the mechanic?

[RainCaster]

That's Bonzo- my hero's sidekick. :)

[KarenRei]

Hmmmm... you might need to switch to wind at night :)

That's what capacity factor is for ;) Capacity factor is the percent of the theoretical maximum that you actually get. I went with 20%.

[speculawyer]

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg62/shannoncsis/ark_2.jpg
It is amazing how something space-age can look so 70's.

I guess it is the film stock . . . and the hair styles.

[Telchar]

That's because the space age was the 60's and 70's. We're done and past that now.

[motoxo]

That's because the space age was the 60's and 70's. We're done and past that now.

uh, i believe it's making a comeback.

doesn't the aptera look a little a 70's space age-ish from the outside or is it just me? the first generation of the interior sure did.

[speculawyer]

Meanwhile . . . back in Eklhart . . . .

Eklhart-Goshen's jobless rate soared to 18 percent, up 12.5 percentage points. The area has been battered by layoffs in the recreational vehicle industry. RV makers Monaco Coach Corp., Keystone RV Co. and Pilgrim International have cut hundreds of jobs.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29991565/

Ouch. Damn . . . just go ahead and loan Th!nk the money so they can start building EVs using Indiana-made Enerdel batteries. Just be sure to build the "Open" model because that will be a hit among the eco-hip in California.

http://www.think.no/var/think/storage/images/press-pictures/picture-gallery/photos/th!nk-i-open-i/think-open-3/2558-1-eng-GB/Think-open-3_imagelarge.jpg

I'd buy that for $20K +$90/month battery lease in a heartbeat. Oh, and be sure to put in the bigger motor so it goes 72 mph. I don't care if my range gets cut in half to 50 miles or so if I drive too fast & have the top down as long as I can plug-in at work. That car would be a perfect commuter car.

[jstdadd]

I got to jaw with Paul Wilbur a little last night about locating a second factory. I put in a plug for Greensburg, KS. It seems that Paul is from Kansas (he said the governor has already called!); I think he said he is from Lanexa.

Smithsonian Magazine online article (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Rebuilding-Greensburg-Green.html?c=y&page=1).

If you haven't seen the Discover Channel series on Greensburg (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/greensburg/), look it up on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensburg,_Kansas) or check out their city web page:

http://www.greensburgks.org

The story of Greensburg - destroyed by a tornado in 2007:
http://www.greensburgks.org/ways-to-help

Greensburg Greentown:
http://www.greensburggreentown.org/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Greensburg%2C_Kansas_2007May09_-_after_tornado.jpg
Presidential Helicopter over Greensburg.

Greensburg was destroyed by a category F5 tornado on May 4, 2007. The people of Greensburg and the city have decided to, to the extent possible, rebuild as a totally 'green' community. SunChips has located a factory there and the huge local John Deere dealership (http://www.gti-bti.com/) rebuilt a green facility. The city buildings are being rebuilt and a downtown master plan has been approved.

Donations welcome (see the city website.) FEMA is helping, but FEMA will pay for replacing it "as it was" and all public facilities rebuilding is experiencing shortfalls; they especially are looking for corporate sponsors.