While the DOE is trying to hand out $25 billion by April, hopefully, they’ll find a way to fund a program in the US like eCars-Now! eCars-Now! is a collection of electric vehicle enthusiasts in Finland focused on making electric vehicles a reality in the near future. Taking a page from the book of fellow Finn, Linus Torvalds, the eCars-Now! movement aims to provide an open-source electric vehicle conversion platform, much the same way Mr. Torvalds provided the software community with the kernel for the Linux operating system.
The Toyota Corolla is the test vehicle of choice for the eCars-Now! conversion process. Currently, they are working on removing the liquid-fuel engines from existing Corollas and replacing them with electric engines. They are also doing it in a way that others can learn from and contribute to the process. This open source effort means that the technology used to bring the electric conversion process to life will be shared with any interested user. From the battery management system to the software that runs on the cars control unit, eCars-Now! is investigating what it takes to make an electric vehicle reality and keeping that knowledge in the public domain. By focusing on converting existing cars, eCars-Now! also gets a gas-guzzling car off the road for every electric vehicle they bring to life, which minimizes the environmental impact of deploying electric vehicles.
There is such a need for this technology and collaborative effort in the US. In much the same way the Linux kernel helped advance the state of the art of computer operating systems while at the same time making operating systems more accessible, eCars-Now! is engaged in advancing electric vehicle conversion technology and making it more accessible. To find out how you can help foster a program like eCars-Now! in the US, please contact me, or join the eCars-Now! google group.
