GMS Blog

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WAVE 2015 : DAY 1 – WAVE floods Germany!

The first day of the WAVE began with, well, not a bang but a drive to Zwickau which for all intents and purposes would then lead us to the Sachsen ring followed by Chemnitz and winding up in Leipzig.

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However, as we approached Zwickau the SAT NAV, in no uncertain terms, took a flying leap into an alternative universe where left became right and right became left which might be due to the fact that it was geared for steering wheels on the right side of ones vehicle. It led us through ever more confusing concentric circles leading nowhere. It began its own route towards the great state of confusion. I assumed the SAT NAG would hit the throttle at warp speed insuring a safe arrival at the Sachsen ring long before we had gotten there! Be that as it may and the number 42 the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy left us, pure and simple. Continue Reading ->

green motorsport automotive motor systems
Accelerating Innovation 18/05/2015

Green MotorSport is preparing for its annual drive around Europe powered by solar energy, in the World Advanced Vehicle Expedition (WAVE) from 12th to 21st June.  The purpose of WAVE is to evaluate the latest advances with battery electric vehicles powered by renewable energy and to give awards in several categories.  This year the WAVE will start in Plauen near Berlin and visit over twenty towns and cities with demonstrations given at schools, local businesses, government offices and communities.   The WAVE will finish in the high Alps, covering some of the most difficult terrain in Europe. Continue Reading ->

green motorsport wave
WAVE 2014 Afterword
It’s been a long day and so waxing lyrical might be the trend for this entry. Generally I don’t like waxing anything but since I feel comfortable with lyrical I shall give it my best shot without wounding anyone.
Sitting in a moving vehicle powered by the sun traveling the black ribbon of road unfolding before me as it slipped through the forest was something more then simply a drive.

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WAVE 2014 DAY 6-7

The day started out fine with breakfast, coffee and orange juice. Following the usual procedure we loaded our suitcases, unplugged and hit the road. We were on our way to Interlaken, a beautiful day through beautiful scenery past open sided tunnels. Hidden under pages from the road map to block the sun from the face of the android pad I was reading the numbers, which meant the state of charge, current and voltage. Continue Reading ->
WAVE 2014 DAY 5
Today was to be “new” tire day. After breakfast we loaded up the Tapir and headed off to look for the garage we had spotted the day before. We drove through one small town but the garage did not magically appear. However, in the next town it was exactly where it was supposed to be and we pulled in.

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WAVE 2014 DAY 4

Today we are going up the Furca Pass, at 2436 meters, the highest one in Switzerland. We were ready and began our drive. As we approached the beginning of the Furca Pass we happened to pass Urs on his electric bicycle. We tooted and waved and Urs waved back enthusiastically. In my eyes Urs would be the hero of the day. After all, it was the Furca Pass and to get over it on an electric bicycle was going to be no mean feat!

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WAVE 2014 DAY 3
Another day begins; coffee and breakfast carry us into the dining room as we carry our luggage outside. The buggy is loaded, the batteries loaded and after breakfast we are loaded. The road greets us wishing us happy trails and off we go into the day. As I mentioned before the Tapir is a prototype and prototypes can offer unexpected surprises.

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WAVE 2014 DAY 2
The time had come to present the WAVE vehicles to schoolchildren in a few towns which meant, as far as I was concerned, party time! They are the best audiences ever thanks to their curiosity, honesty, warmth, good humor and their wonderful feeling about the natural world. Since every member of every team had received a toy pig in Hohenlohe, a breed that had almost been wiped out and was subsequently saved from total extinction, one of our piggies was also serving as the navigator, or at least as far as the kids were concerned.

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WAVE 2014 DAY 1

It has been a number of days since writing the first blog. I had to face the fact that my sometimes-impossible optimism about being able to get online even though we were all warned it would be difficult was failing miserably. So, like any contemporary geek I made the final decision and through my provider I arranged a traveling hotspot that most likely will send my wallet straight into cardiac arrest, which will only happen once I get home. Continue Reading ->