Blog Archive

Building a battery warmer for a Wheego LiFe

We added a 2013 Wheego LiFe to our fleet. It didn’t come with a cold weather package and I was worried about charging the battery pack when the temperature was below freezing. Here is the DIY solution we created to protect the battery in winter. Take one panel of Owens Corning closed sell rigid insulation foam board and cut it

Read More »

2014 Green Grand Prix

At the end of February, Bob Gillespie invited us to participate in the Toyota Green Grand Prix, which is held every year in Watkins Glen, NY. Initially, Kevin was reluctant to go. It’s 800 miles from home, which is a long (and expensive) road trip when you’re hauling a heavy car on a trailer behind your truck. I’m not interested

Read More »

Ingenious East Coast Tour

Kevin, Nick and George will be bringing Seven out to the East Coast this December to help Jason Fagone promote his new book, Ingenious: A True Story of Invention, Automotive Daring, and the Race to Revive America. The book’s publisher, Crown, has been incredibly cool and supportive of the project, but one thing that wasn’t in the cards was a book

Read More »

A biased review of Ingenious

Let me preface this review by stating that I approached Jason Fagone’s Ingenious: A True Story of Invention, Automotive Daring, and the Race to Revive America with the bias that comes from being a lover of cars, a believer in electric vehicles, and an XPRIZE contender. One of Fagone’s strengths as a non-fiction writer is his ability to take fact and tell

Read More »

Representing EVs at the Route 66 Mother Road Festival

Seven was on display September 28-29, 2013 at the 12th Annual Route 66 International Mother Road Festival. I’d like to take a moment and thank the organizers for putting on a fine car show and giving us a venue in which to engage the public. There was a constant crowd of people around Seven that weekend and Team IMW was

Read More »

Adler After Dark: Future Tech, July 18, 2013

Seven’s first big appearance is scheduled for July 18 at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Their Adler After Dark series will be focusing on “Future Tech” that night, starting at 6:30. “The future is now at Adler After Dark! Join us as we explore how our predecessors envisioned a fantastical future, and check out current world-changing technologies and ideas at our

Read More »

Welcome back, Reg!

IMW welcomes Reg Schmeiss of Motorvation back to our workshop. It’s going to be a very busy week. We’re hoping to get 4 carbon fiber / kevlar doors and a brand spanking new hood made. If there’s still time available – make molds of the front fenders. Kevin, Reg, George, and John have started on the doors. Nick will be

Read More »

Our shopping list for re-sculpting, making molds and carbon-fiber panels

This is in no way a comprehensive list of materials. Your project’s needs will differ. I’m just providing a running tally of the materials we have been using while replacing Seven’s old body with carbon-fiber. We cannot offer instruction via phone or email. Serious inquiries for in-person instruction are welcome. From U.S. Comosites, Inc.: qty description 1 Milled Fiberglass, 5

Read More »

New body underway

The team worked with Reg Schmeiss through April and May, pulling molds off the rear of the car and making new body panels out of carbon fiber. As I write this, the area spanning from the back windows to the tow hitch has shiny new body panels. Total, they weigh only about 60 pounds and are much stronger than the

Read More »

Slowly getting there

You haven’t heard from us in a while because we have been participating in sandapalooza (sanding almost every night and weekend for over a month).  Seven’s body is almost, but not quite ready for molds to be pulled from it. There’s still a lot to do.  We are characteristically behind schedule. We’ve filled and smoothed as much as possible with

Read More »