It was a wonderful day out. Teddy and I hopped into our little electric CitiCar and started to take off toward the community park, only to hear a strange sound while backing out of the garage. I evaluated the situation and found that the front tire was locked up and sliding on the floor. After repairing the brakes and attaching the hub caps, we were on our way.
I could immediately feel the difference in driving. I could go further coasting. I was able to break past my max speed of 32mph and got up to 33! Driving felt almost normal, as being in any other car.
We arrived at the community park and found a nice spot in the shade for the CitiCar. The voltage meter was at the fourth notch, reading at about a 78% charge. Teddy was happy to be back in the park. He got to bark at a dog, walk around, smell grass, wade in Happy Creek, and talk to strangers from a distance. We also took a look at the dedication plaque next to the entrance to the park.
The trip home was pretty fun. At one point going down hill I noticed the speedometer was at a record breaking speed of 37 mph. A passenger in another car stuck there head out and said that they loved the car. Taking the slow lane up a hill, we let most of the cars pass until we ran out of road. We were down to about 25 mph at full throttle and pulled off onto a small road to let traffic pass before we were on our way again.
Teddy and I made it home. As I pulled into the garage, the volt meter was just above the third notch at about 61% charge. Hooking up the battery chargers, the batteries were at 12.3 volts.
| Waypoint | Odometer | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 1,049.3 | |
| Gertrude E. Miller Community Park | 1,052.5 | 3.2 |
| Home | 1,055.8 | 3.3 |
| Total | 6.5 |
| Recharge | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | kWh | $0.0985 |
| Total | 1.97 kWh | 20.0¢ |
| Per Mile | 303 Wh | 3.1¢ |
At the end of the day, a pair of scissor jacks had arrived on my door step to add to my emergency equipment.
Notes
The turn signal has an impact on the motors battery. When the turn signal is engaged, each click moves the voltage reading of the main batteries. The same behavior is seen when flashing the high beam lights. My original understanding was that these lights were powered by the accessory battery.
I’m starting to understand the sounds that the car makes as I drive, specifically with the brakes.
The Chez 