September 1999

Garnet One guts, minus motor and controller assembly. Our original 5-speed manual transmission burned down during our 1998 race, and had to be replaced. Courtesy of an Alum, we now have a custom-built 3-speed automatic transmission.

Garnet Guts

October 22, 1999

A historic date: Heather puts the motor back into the car.
We may actually get the car to move on its own in a few weeks!

Motor put back in

October 23, 1999

Pushing the Garnet One out of the garage and into position on the street.

The large amount of machinery and PbA batteries make the car overweight (i.e. 4,200 lbs).

Can anyone prescribe us a NiCd or NiMH diet?

A true HEV - Human Energy Vehicle powered by CNG - Cool, Nice Guys.

Pushing into position

October 23, 1999

The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles' flatbed truck: we received much attention as we blocked traffic around the Friends' Meeting House for 20 minutes or so while we loaded and secured the vehicle.

We did have an 'incident' later when we unloaded the vehicle due to its weight. Fortunately the Garnet One was designed with enough ground clearance, so it survived with only a few scratches.

We are looking to get our own trailer for transportation...

Blocking Traffic

October 23, 1999

Bull gives part of our keynote speech at the Eastern Electric Vehicle Club meeting. Location: Meadow Cafe near King of Prussia (30 minute drive).

All set for E90 presentations...

Meadow Cafe

October 23, 1999

Victor goes hybrid on a motor-assisted bicycle.
The double espresso he had at the cafe must have woken him up.

Victor goes Hybrid

November 2, 1999

Placed an ad on the SCCS (Swarthmore College Computing Society) server.

Animated gif ad

November 10, 1999

Our weekly Wednesday morning team meeting. Items discussed today included:

  • Get a wire for the transmission
  • Replace a dead battery
  • Look into NiMH prices
  • Get the brakes ready to install
  • Beef up garage safety and comfort
  • Get chartered by the Student Council
  • Register for the Tour de Sol
  • Meeting

    November 17, 1999

    More problems:

  • Alignment problems with the motor-transmission
  • Structural integrity of the CNG tank, CNG availability
  • Drilling holes in the brake drum
  • End-of-semester sluggish Student Council bureaucracy
  • How does the gas heater in the garage work?
  • Meeting

    December 2, 1999

    Our new Jet Hot decal.

    The kind folks at Jet Hot applied a high-tech heat-resistant coating to our exhaust pipes, which lowers temperatures in the engine compartment and increases efficiency.

    Jet Hot Decal

    December 2, 1999

    Victor goes arctic with our hi-powered CNG garage heater.

    Victor Goes Arctic

    December 4, 1999

    Our charter is approved by the Charter Committee!

    We are now an official student organization. Next task: budgeting.


    January - September 2000

    Webserver lockout - sorry, no updates.