After registering my accident – Just a few days later, I get a call from my insurance (I really like Swiss efficiency!) The appraisal had led to the conclusion that my vehicle was a total loss. Given all the money I had invested into the vehicle during the last 11 years, they were ready to pay more than they would usually do for a vehicle of this age and mileage. Before I go any further, here some context: Prior to this conversation, I called a few of Switzerland’s TWIKE service centre owners (very happy know them all) and got their […]
Let’s talk to my insurer…
We pick up with me having gotten a first estimate from Andreas from Ksenotek for the repairs resulting from my recent accident. As one of the first steps, I had to register my accident with my insurance. Usually, there comes the moment where they ask which type of vehicle I own, how many kilometres I’ve already driven and how old it is. (TWIKE, ~250,000, 18 years) The agent on the other end of the line audibly exhaled as I told her that this was an accident that came about because I had swerved to avoid an animal. Probably she assumed […]
TWIKE-less comforting by an i8…a semi-green option
Another unexpected friendly gesture (besides many others) after my total-loss accident with TW560 came from my neighbor. A car buff (he owns a beetle and an original Jaguar E-Type and drives a luxury version of a Range Rover for his daily commute) he has always been interested in the EV’s and prototypes I’ve been driving during the last 11 years. He even tried a Tesla for a few days … but wasn’t convinced it would be a ‘proper’ car for him. One Friday evening, I spied an i8 in his driveway just across my house and thought: It really looks […]
TW560 accident damage assessment
My accident was on a late evening driving back home from an event. I flipped TW560 whilst avoiding a neighbor’s cat, then crossed my neighbor’s front garden suspended in a flipped-over TWIKE and came to a shuddering stop at her house’s wall – all whilst suspended at 130° sideways. Since the distance back home wasn’t too far, after performing some basic self-checks and extracting myself from the vehicle, I put TW560 back on its wheels and just pushed it back the last few 100 metres. Back home, feeling shaken and slightly under shock, I initially didn’t care too much about […]
Is this the end of TW560?
I haven’t been blogging too much lately – because I’ve been too shell-shocked by an accident I had with TW560. The good news is: I didn’t sustain any major injuries. The bad news is: TW560 wasn’t as lucky. Major structural issues with most of the vehicle – close to everything has to be replaced. Repairs will run up a 5-figure (CHF) bill. More news to follow. (And some other entries that I haven’t had the time to finish)
A hard-top for TWIKE’s?
Driving a TWIKE in summer is grand – take off the Targa canopy and you get the same outside feeling you would get with a convertible car. This is why TW560’s canopy is off for most of any summer. Winter is much less fun. The dark canopy makes the interior a rather cramped and dark place… Well, not so long ago, purely by chance, I met a former pilot who had sold his TWIKE over 15 years ago and told me he had recently discovered a hard-top for his TWIKE in his cellar… If I was interested in having […]
Hello 2018!
I haven’t been blogging too much lately and there are still about 5 entries waiting for completion…I’ll get to why in this post, which is a re-cap of what went on in November and December 2017. First of all, I decided to quit my job after 3 years to pursue a new career in regulatory compliance. After two decades in IT-security it was time to take on a challenge in a completely new environment, at a start-up with me being able to build everything from scratch on a green field – as a result, many evenings were spent on setting […]
Repairs: No recuperation, take II
One of the most important features of a TWIKE is it’s ability to charge its batteries when breaking instead of wasting the kinetic energy on heating brake-pads. This is why TW560 proudly sports the bumper sticker below… to tickle ICE-driver’s brains 🙂 TW560’s recuperation has been patchy lately. When pressing the recuperation-button the inverter now usually nothing happens – a major source of frustration for a TWIKE pilot 🙂 Before we just either call our TWIKE mechanic to schedule a repair or do it ourselves, it is always a good idea to see what the exact problem might be. In […]
Other EV’s: Test Driving the Sono Sion
Always interested in alternative concepts and other EV’s in general, Sono Motors has been on my radar for quite some time. Their USP is being able to harvest the energy of the sun during the many hours a car usually spends not driving and parked outside. A sunny day adds up to 30km range … totally FREE thanks to the sun. This concept, coupled with some very clever thinking (instead of using custom parts, why not buy existing ones and save on development costs, making the car able to provide energy on the go, moss as an air filter, etc.) […]
TDST2017 – Day9-10: A hasty return to Switzerland
I wasn’t able to arrange a return on Monday arriving Tuesday as planned. My company requires me to be back at the office Monday morning. I leave about the same time as my family after a tearful goodbye from my Austrian family which will continue buying wine from local wineries until later this afternoon. My destination for today is Villach – one of three destinations served by daily car-trains from Feldkirch. At 172 km, my trip today is rather short and involves me crossing through Slovenia again. I think it’s very obvious to regular readers of my blog that […]