Whilst I was dismantling the AK Rail for my recent yearly battery pack balancing, I noticed a grave problem that needed attention immediately. The main cable via which the TWIKE is charged 98% of the time showed grave signs of wear. I really don’t understand how this could have happened – I’m just very glad that I caught it in time. It puzzles me that both ends were without insulation, not only the cable but also close to the crimped connector. The phase cable was partially burnt… but not where the cable was already weakened? Queue the music and lets […]
2023 Battery Pack Balancing
As every year, when the first warm days of pre-summer beckon, I feel the itch of taking TW560 on a long one-day-trip. Part of such an one-day-trip is typically charging the pack to the maximum 4.22V per cell, unlike the usual 3.8V for everyday use, and then drive the pack to the self-imposed minimum cell cut-off voltage of 3.0V. This works very well and is no issue if the pack’s many cells are all well balanced and at the same voltage. Since my TWIKE does not have any active cell balancing or thermal management (for weight and full-pack cut off […]
Repairs: Wood console restoration
It’s time to tackle a new project: last year’s display restoration entry hinted at me wanting to start the process of restoring the main console and other wooden parts in my TWIKE. Using wood as the main working material for all the visible console and control surfaces and casings seems like a good and sustainable idea. 23 years later, the wood is showing the strains of being exposed to bitter Swiss winters at -26°C and scorching heat. The wood is splintering and breaking and all my attempts to keep the wood clean and in oread about the repairne piece were […]
ChatGPT x TWIKE: What have you learnt?
I was interested to learn what ChatGPT thought about emissionless.ch and what the main takeaways for the model were – here we go: Tell me what you’ve learned from looking at emissionless.ch After reviewing emissionless.ch, I’ve learned a lot about the TWIKE electric vehicle and its history, design, and performance. The website provides comprehensive information about the TWIKE’s features, including its lightweight construction, low energy consumption, and high efficiency. It also highlights the vehicle’s impressive track record, including numerous awards and records for its performance and energy efficiency. One of the most interesting things I learned about the TWIKE is […]
Hello 2023
As every year, this entry is a longer retro for 2022 with more than just TWIKE-related topics. It has taken long to create this entry as I’ve been mostly living and working in Singapore since October 2022 and at times only travelling back to Switzerland for a few days before returning to Asia again. My days are unfortunately are quite busy and I’ve nothing TWIKE-related to report as my TWIKE and I are separated by continents and the tragedy going on in Ukraine. The good news is that TW560 didn’t have any major technical issues throughout 2022. Following maintenance was […]
TDE2022 – Day15: From Gondo back home…what a beautiful day
TDE2022’s last day has come. Two weeks and an epic trans-European TWIKE adventure…is going to end today. Best to make the most of this day! The hotel I chose and the simple room I got was a perfect choice: I slept like a baby. I get up early, as every day and am, as with every hotel I’ve stayed this year, the first to have breakfast. The place is just incredible – it feels like the 70’s … everything is as it was 50 years ago, except for the WiFi one could, theoretically, connect to. All mobile phone providers have […]
TDE2022 – Day 14 – Vars to Gondo, another one of the highest passes
After a night sleeping at 15°C I wake up early, very refreshed and looking forward to breakfast. Heading to the restaurant at 0730 I’m – again – the first person to show up.The faux chalet style and the local products being offered make the experience a special one. I get to chat to the owner a bit whilst eating and discuss my plans for today: Cross Col d’Agnel into Italy and drive as far as I feel like towards Switzerland and the elusive Simplon pass I’ve never crossed before with TW560. Well fed, I bid my farewell to the hotel […]
TDE2022 – Day 13 – Biot to Vars, finally: La Cime de la Bonette!
Having slept fitfully I wake up to see Biot glowing in soft early morning light. As every morning when traveling in France, I need the buttery hit of a freshly baked croissant. Yarden knows just the place and takes me to an artisanal bakery where he knows that all the ingredients are as locally sourced as possible. Price hikes and their ramifications seem to be a major problem – even the bakery needs to explain why the prices have risen. The rest of the morning was filled by…work. There were some very important phone calls to be made and some […]
TDE2022 – Day 12 – Grau de Roi to Biot, enjoying the Côte d’Azur
Coming from Spain, France’s idea of having fun at the beach is noticeably different. More planning, lots of ‘animations’, hurray-hurray ‘we’re having so much fun’ type activities and lots of ClubMed-style places everywhere. The French seem much more focused on having activities going on than just relaxing. I might have just stumbled across a stretch of the coast that has a concentration of such places. I’m leaving a day earlier as my family – I have arranged to meet with a work colleague of mine that lives in southern France close to Nice and couch-surf at his place for a […]
TDE2022 – Day9: Sant Salvador to Grau du Roi
Sant Salvador was a revelation – such an cute little coastal town. Foreign tourists – very few, no English signs, very Spanish and relaxing. We enjoyed good seafood and went to the beach every day, enjoying the sun and very reasonable temperatures given the heatwave elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned before, we didn’t book anything until the last minute and that was true for the second week of our summer break as a family – we had the option of heading further south or returning to France’s southern coast for some days…which we decided to do as we liked the […]