(ET) FW: mower update part 2 (From the EV Discussion Group)

["Pestka, Dennis J" <Dennis Pestka TycoHealthcare com>]

Thought some of you may like to read this.

Dennis
Elsberry, MO


Steve;

Being an Elec-Trak user, I really enjoy reading about your all electric 
lawn
business.
I actually had the same idea a few years back, but never went anywhere with
it.
Glad you did and I wish you much success.
I think you may have found a great niche.

Hopefully sometime you could share your business plan, inventory of
equipment, financial results, etc..
It may encourage others to start something similar in their area.

Dennis
Elsberry, MO


-----Original Message-----
From: STEVE CLUNN [mailto:steveclunn bellsouth net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 9:54 PM
To: ev listproc sjsu edu
Subject: mower update part 2 

no 3 was just around the corner
> and I was at -10 ah when I pulled up to it . Another easy one and I 
> was at -25 ah when done ( used 15 ah again ) . The neighbor was 
> working in the back dealing with some hurricane clean up and I stopped 
> and asked if he wanted me to grind up that pile he was working on , 
> "ya , please" .. The electric made short work of the pile and of 
> course he was blown away by the whole thing .
> to be continued ,
> Steve clunn

Well it had been an exciting day up to this point but when I looked at my e
meter I had pulled 85 ah form my 25 6v golf cart pack , 10 miles form home 
,
and the mower was empty. The 2 yards I had left to do I hadn't ever ask
about charging there as most of the time nobody was there . I wasn't far
from a yard and house I'm look after while the owner was selling it ,  and
across the street is another costumer that wanted me to fix a door and 
other
odds and ends. So I plugged the truck in to the dryer out let and start
pumping 30 amp into the truck ,then plugged the mower into a 120 out side
out let , and turned the pfc 50 to about 23 amp , ( thinking the 72v at 23
would need about 15 amp @ 120 . 
Sure is nice when you can get to the barker box , . So next door I go and
by the time I had fixed this lady's door , changed a few light bulbs ,and
had a few cookies my truck was at - 50 and the mower was charged.  Now the
house that I'm plugged into , has been sold so my nice 240 out lit there in
the middle of 3 yards is not going to be available . As I'm talking to my
customer who I've been mowing her grass for around 20 years , at the same
price , I bring up the fact the now that her neighbor has sold there house
and now with my electric mower I would really need to be ablr to plug in to
her dryer out let , . 
She is probable over 80 now ,snd lives alone . She always has little things
for me to do after I cut the lawn , I don't mind but  If my truck was
plugged in pumping amp , I'd feel allot better , . I offer to give her 4
times the money that the electric cost her and tried  to make a joke about
how she could start her own ev gas station. 
She gives me the song and dance about how she has to watch every penny and
on a fixed income . "How would you know how much electric it used" . I told
her about the meter it the truck , but could sense this was not going to
happen . Somebody should write a short paper on all the benefits that a
person or business would get from letting an electric car/truck driver plug
in .
1 the gas I don't use you can
2 while I'm plugged into your outlet , I won't be in a hurry to leave and
will be looking for thing to do for you
3 you will be doing something to help decrease our dependence on oil.
4 make a little money
I would say about 10% of my customers feel this way , no plugging in  under
any conditions. Its really no big deal , as I can find someplace and if not
I can always just drive slow .
I'm off to the next 2 and its getting late . When I get there , the owner 
is
there , a working guy , paying about twice what the old lady was and I 
start
talking to him about my new electric mower , . He comes out to see it ,
thinks its way cool , tells me about all the people he's told about my
electric truck but this , woooo this is really cool , . I fire it up , spin
the blades , wooooo , . I then tell him about the extra juice it takes form
my truck and if there is a out let I might use when I mow his and the
neighbors yard . "Sure  , this is a old house and there aren't any outside
outlets out side but you can get into my garage through the back door." A
nice dryer outlet is there waiting for me , and with 2 yards next to each
other , another ace in the hole for me. He laughed when I offered him money
.

I know I must sound like a newbee , and I really feel like one again , When
I read some of the stories people write just after they start driving their
ev's I can feel the excitement and I  wonder if people sitting on the edge
after reading some posts don't then make the EV jump . ,

part 3 more batteries ... 
Steve Clunn