touchdown mumbai 0450. did’nt get any sleep but still wide awake. got off plane and progressed though customs and immigration for over an hour. the sheer amount of people trying to get through customs is staggering. furthermore, being in india and all, queuing is part of life – it’s just interesting to see all the people from all walks of life trying to enter the country. be it the indian business man in a crisp suit (even after 8 hours of flight) or the european hippy heading off to you know where – every one of them is treated with […]
2nd TWIKE team member arrives
wow, time flies when you’re working hard and preparing at the same time… november 30th, 10am i leave from zrh to istanbul after an uneventful flight i settle down in the lounge and start working again. my communication setup works very well, routing swiss mobile calls down to a skype instance running on my computer. was on the phone for more than 2 hours and no caller suspected anything. leaving istanbul later that evening, we took off over the city and were treated to a very nice view of the bosporus – the gateway to asia. landing is scheduled for […]
TWIKE arrives in Mumbai
MSC Maureen has completed its voyage – the TWIKE has arrived in Mumbai! check out TW560’s exact position here. During the WAVE, TW560’s GPS position will be continuously updated and displayed in the sidebar on the main page and on the detailled page in various zoom levels.
1st team TWIKE member leaves for India
jean-claude left for india yesterday morning, together with most of the other swiss wave participants. i will be adding pictures as soon as jean-claude has uploaded them. since msc maureen is due in mumbai port tomorrow, they will try to get to the cars in the container as soon as possible. there are technical reasons for this: unlike the TWIKE, both think city and the clio rely on high temperature natrium-cloride batteries, which after a good month in the container are back to ambient temperature. in order for them to even start to accept any charge, they need to be […]
Hello visa! (& other musings)
process excellence! just a few days after i applied for the visa, i’ve got it back! here we go. ready for all the fun india has to offer! i’m really impressed by the indian visa process after being treated to much worse service the world over! something else came together on friday, too: my international driving license was issued! whilst musing about what else i need, how about some cool bumper stickers for the TWIKE… or… even better, for my fellow electric car drivers: the trusted “hybrids are for pussies” sticker which has been adorning my TWIKE for the last […]
techfest – TWIKE makes appearance
stumbled across the techfest website a minute ago and liked the fact that the TWIKE was mentioned in the first banner rollover. if you click a little further you will find a detailled description of the tour. there are many workshops i’d love to participate, but, alas, i will be not only one of the last to arrive, but also one of the first to leave india, since my company earns about a quarter of their yearly earnings during the last few weeks of every given year. and as a regional sales manager…well, you get the idea. 🙁
india, i’d like a visa, please
quick update: finally, i got the requested information from the sponsors in india regarding my flight to india. this means that i can finally go to the embassy and apply for my indian visa. it is quite interesting, that i, as a uk citizen do not get any preferential treatment regarding visas – unlike hong kong for example. anyways, after parting with 138 CHF, the visa center in berne accepts my application and i can wait for louis palmer to complete his visa application with walther. today, i really am in a hurry: leave home at 6, meeting in berne, […]
Road-side repair course
although i am fairly familiar with most components of the TWIKE, i have always left repairs to thomas möckli from möckli elektrofahrzeuge in marthalen. he has been able to accommodate most of my special modification requests – be it a better distribution of breaking power between front and back wheels, or my bluetooth sound streaming to the TWIKE or everyday tasks such as changing the tyres > thomas makes it happen. since the announcement of TW560’s taking part at the WAVE in india on www.twikeklub.ch, the usual suspects related to TWIKE vehicles have been in touch and have offered their […]
Team Images for WAVE2011 India Website
We’re ready! just a few days ago, the indian organizers wanted an image with the team and vehicle. very difficult, if the vehicle in question is 800km away, tucked into a container! with the help of thomas möckli from elektrofahrzeuge möckli and an exceptionally beautiful friday afternoon, we were able to take some pictures and the image above is the one we chose for the international WAVE2011 site. jean claude’s avatar andrew’s avatar
vienna > bremen > container
the WAVE meeting yesterday was interesting, but left me with just 7 hours to empty my suitcase and get ready for yet another flight – this time to the middle east: tel aviv. after 4 hours flight i arrive in tel aviv early afternoon and am greeted with 30°C and sunshine – a very welcome change to the cool autumn weather we’ve been having lately. everytime i travel to a country far away, i very quickly miss the freedom (…and attention) the TWIKE offers. this time it is different, however. i’ll be without the TWIKE until end of november! on […]