PULSE AUTOCYCLE NETWORK

[lite9dave]

Completed the gauntlet. It was mostly a matter of the law catching up with the design. Where once my vehicle was so strange that local authorities didn't want to let me put it on the road, they've now seen enough unusual and atypical designs that they acknowledged there was no reason to keep me from driving it and waved me through. In the last decade I've made all sorts of changes to make sure it met every requirement for both cars and motorcyles, but in the end they just looked it over without testing all those systems and allowed me to license it. A lot of the information on this site helped me answer questions that might have prevented getting it passed, so thanks to everyone for providing info on the details that the local authorities don't often know. Vehicles like this are unusual enough that it seems that many responsible for maintaining public safety don't actually know the details of the law. But I just let them know that I really wanted to comply with whatever tests or restrictions they wanted to set and that I had no interest in stepping around the law, but rather that I was willing to make changes if they were required and I think that approach helped change their attitude and they helped me fill in the blanks to make it feasible to get my baby on the road.

So after all this time where I wondered if I'd ever get to drive it, as of today it's licensed and plated and insured through State Farm. Tomorrow is my first cmmute.

Now that It's legal and I don't have to worry about it being a pricey lawn ornament I'll start gettng it into really sharp shape. First order of business is new tires. Then I need to get a nicer charger so I don't have to fiddle with my current laboratory charging system. Then some fiberglass work, some better paint and markings, etc. etc. etc.

I'll post some updates as I get my poor baby back into primo operating shape..

-Dave-

[lite9dave]

A few folks have asked what the range of my electric pulse is and for years I haven't had it on the road enough to say.

I'm still not sure, but now that I have it licensed and have taken a couple of runs, I think it's probably around a paltry 16 miles tops in the conditiions and terrain I typically drive. I have a lot of steep hills and stop and go in the area that really rob range. Straight and level without frequent stops would probably be more than twice this (at least so I'm told by folks more versed in electric vehicles).

Not exactly a highway cruiser, or even a Volt, but sufficient for me to commute. Wish I knew about hub motors when I had the switch to electric done. Sounds like those electric pulses are getting far more range than my chain drive system.

After originally having more juice at my disposal I elected to switch to smaller batteries to reduce weight. The original batteries I had would have theoretically doubled my range but they were too heavy for me to be confident that the vehicle could handle the load - about 180 lbs more weight.

After I do some higher priority stuff I may add a generator (plenty of room and weight left after pulling the engine, transmission and fuel tank) to turn it into a serial hybrid and extend its useful operational range.