remember us lamenting the unavailability of a reliable solution to connect to IEC Type2 socket – to allow for a tri-phase charge of at least one TWIKE, better two. well, finally, TW560 gets it’s type2 plug. there are multiple ways how to make this work. i downloaded the official documents from mennekes and combined the info with some of the ideas floating around on the internet. the hardware was bought in china and assembled at home. initially, i had a short cable with the release switch close to the mennekes plug. now, my solution has a longer cable with the […]
damage assessment
one day after my catastrophic rim failure, TW560 arrives at möckli elektrofahrzeuge. thomas mails me a few pictures and lets me know that this time repairs will not come cheap! let’s have a quick look, shall we? one of the first things to be subjected to abrasion is the battery bay. TW560’s battery bay wasn’t in a good shape in the first place: first rim failure and … obviously my 3 weeks in india. furthermore, a very expensive part of TW560 has had enough: the plexi hood. they are not being produced anymore and replacing it will mean sourcing some […]
check your rims, often!
last thursday evening, on my way home, TW560 experienced a major problem: a rim broke whilst going around a corner at about 55 km/h. it was a harrowing experience. first of all, a big bang. then loss of most maneuverability. after that, VERY ugly splintering and scraping sounds coming from behind whilst trying to break and trying not crash into some containers just a few metres away. after what seemed an eternity, TW560 came to a shuddering halt. i stayed in the TWIKE for a few seconds to draw some deep breaths and then got out. what i saw hurt […]
water & dirt everywhere
does your TWIKE suddenly take on massive amounts of water? is the foot well carpet always wet? …i might have a hint for you 🙂 first of all: take out the carpet! then, have a look around! aha! the culprit! an emergency stop pushed back the front wheel suspension as far as to crack the front assembly panel. all the water coming off the wheel went directly into the interior! the solution: silicone! clean out the dirt, hang up the carpets to dry and get your trusted and seasoned co-pilot to visit you and help with the repairs! being able […]
DRL project completed!
i am happy to report that the drl project for TW560 is completed. below i will share the details of how the project came together and how the bom looks like. after ordering the switchback led’s from a US-supplier and blinker covers in germany i was perfecting my DRL amtel-chip powered LED switchback solution and even created a pcb according to the prototype i wrote about in one of my last posts. after only one week – this during the festive season! – the led’s and the covers arrived and i was very happy not to have had to pay […]
happy new year!
happy new year! thank you for reading this blog! TW560 has been a trusted companion for over 19000kms in 2013. i am looking forward to an exiting 2014 with many happy e-kilometers!
DRL > a new project for TW560
18jan14-update: project finished, see result here. swiss road laws are changing. from january 1st, 2014 onwards, every vehicle on switzerland’s roads must have DRL – daylight running lights – when in motion. older vehicles without dedicated DRL can comply with this law by keeping their main lights on during daytime. a TWIKE, obviously, doesn’t have any dedicated DRL and keeping the main lights on during daytime is not an option for most TWIKE pilots, including me: using 210-260W on just a bit of lighting just seems a tad wasteful and – in tw560’s case – will shave of 6-10 kms […]
world record attempt in zurich july 6: with TWIKE 560
this weekend louis palmer, organizer of WAVE2011-2013 (TW560 took part in WAVE2011, in india) wanted to end the current WAVE with a challenge: beat the current world record bringing together as many electric cars as possible. the current world record stood at 255 vehicles. after reaching out to his network, louis arranged to have all cars converge in zurich on the morning of july 6. below is a video walking along the cars waiting for the start signal. (i started about half way in!) in any case, we TWIKE pilots were here in force! about 60 TWIKE’s were to be […]
racing TW4 at e-mobility world in friedrichshafen
every year, friedrichshafen hosts a large gathering of rare and old cars at the local exposition halls. a remarkable collection it is, but one part is reserved for alternative and electric propulsion cars. this part is called e-mobility world. this year fine mobile, the TWIKE manufacturer decided to take part and have a large presence there. all TWIKE pilots were invited including access to the halls with their own vehicles. i drove the 100 kms to friedrichshafen in one charge. a very nice drive given the wonderful weather. lake constance, nestled between germany, austria and switzerland is a very nice […]
WAVE 2011 – press clippings
i know it’s been a while since WAVE 2011 in india, but i recently stumbled across a selection of news clippings which i thought would be interesting to anyone who had followed our blog in the past. interestingly, most clips feature the TWIKE with either me or jc… click the images for higher resolution versions. enjoy!