a few years ago, with the arrival of the new dreifels controller, modern micro controllers employed within offered many benefits: handling complex charging scenarios more and detailed vehicle data overall better vehicle performance …and a few optional hardware extensions to extend overall vehicle usage comfort. one of these options is a sms module, which – three years ago – i think TW560 was the first one to have officially. the module (in its current release 1 feature level) can help alleviate problems ev-drivers experience when charging: unauthorized unplugging during charge, missing power from the grid, knowing when exactly the charge […]
visting new dreifels HQ
dreifels, the company founded by the three people responsible for creating the vehicle in 1986 have recently moved from sissach to gelterkinden, switzerland. their new hq (see above rendered picture, since i forgot to take a picture myself) is, obviously, an extremely energy efficient building. they combine many interesting technologies plus an avangarde-style bus-based management system which even controls which kind of music can be heard in any given room. anyway, i wasn’t there for sustainable architecture 😉 during the last few years, founders peter, ralph and christian have been very open towards my requests / questions / challenges / […]
TWIKE club general assembly
once a year the TWIKE drivers’ association twikeklub organizes its general assembly and invites all interested to a full day centered around sustainable mobility and obviously the TWIKE itself. whilst the activities are different every year, the assembly itself follows a structure mandated by swiss law for clubs and associations which charge their members for membership. since there are more and more TWIKE pilots from germany nowadays, the club decided to conduct the 16th general assembly in rottenburg, southern germany. pilots from switzerland were invited to drive in a convoy starting at möckli elektrofahrzeuge with prearranged charging stations along the […]
a few days in southern styria > back home to switzerland
after arriving late the day before – we are greeted with beautiful weather today. every year we rent the same house for my extended austrian family. this ensures that we meet at least once a year in southern styria which is about the same distance for everyone except us coming from switzerland. i feel very at home here. my kids and wife have come to share my love for this beautiful part of our planet – in this post i will try to convey some impressions, but, alas, there will be no substitute for you, dear reader, other than come […]
vienna > styria via hungary and slovenia
i get up pretty early to avoid any undue delays because of vienna commuter-traffic and make some distance early, since today’s trip will be at least 357kms. already very early on i see long lines of cars on their way into vienna – hardly any vehicle is heading towards the leithagebirge and the neusiedler lake. then i was treated to a very, very nice sunrise! this romantic setting, however, does not last for long. getting closer to the neusiedler lake means that humidity rises, too. soon i hit a bank of thick fog and the already meager number of °C […]
switzerland > vienna … nice to be back again
finally, again, tw560 and i are on our way back to vienna. my family will be in austria for a week riding horses somewhere outside schladming – this gives me some time to stay with my relatives in vienna for the weekend, work out of my vienna office and then head onwards to southern styria. saturday morning oct, 13, i load the TW560 with all the stuff i need to survive until oct21, when i’m going to be back home. did i mention i really like the appenzell region? picture perfect and postcard-like landscapes – incredible! after arriving in feldkirch, […]
TWIKE alps challenge 2012
TWIKE swiss alps challenge 2012 – announced here on this site’s sidebar for some time, was a brainwave i had during my last longer TWIKE trip to southern spain this year. initially, i was planning to test if it was possible to cross the swiss alps with 6.5kWh worth of energy and then see how far i could make it on one charge. my estimate was that if i could make it to the entrance of the gotthard tunnel with about 850Wh left, i could make it to the italian part of switzerland and coast down to ambri or even […]
2nd leg of TDE2012 is over!
TW231 has made it safely back to switzerland. after 5052kms and 231 (sic!) kWh, TDE2012 is over. happy to have been part of this great trip! some impressions of the last leg in the gallery below. a presentation on this trip will be held at one of the TWIKEklub gatherings – most probably 16nov12, in dättlikon, switzerland not been part of the whole trip yet? why not read from the start here!
TDE2012 continues! > jc has arrived at the atlantic ocean
after another 1300kms, jc has arrived in gijon, northern spain. below some of the pictures jc uploaded from the trip. from here he will continue towards la rochelle, france > see the map below for details on his route. View TDE2012, 2nd leg in a larger map
where our electricity comes from…
being in spain, not renting, but rather owning an apprartment affords me with some perks other people don’t have when they come as tourists… first of all, i, usually, at the end of july, get to participate at a property owners’ meeting where very important issues such as the change of the parking entry gate (after 18 years use) is discussed. on the other side, however, i get to open the utility bills which have been accumulating during the year. my wife was here in march, sometimes we spend a week or so in autumn in spain, too. at any […]