# Alt Car Expo this weekend in Santa Monica, California



## ricklearned (Mar 3, 2012)

This Friday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium there will be an exhibit and an opportunity to try some cars. I'm thinking of going on Friday. I have heard great things about the Toyota RAV4 EV.

http://www.altcarexpo.com/


----------



## winzeracer (Apr 3, 2012)

ricklearned said:


> This Friday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium there will be an exhibit and an opportunity to try some cars. I'm thinking of going on Friday. I have heard great things about the Toyota RAV4 EV.
> 
> http://www.altcarexpo.com/


Rick

I can't go Friday, but if you were open to going Saturday instead it would be cool to meetup, maybe have a peek at the Super Beetle?


----------



## ricklearned (Mar 3, 2012)

I am trying to hookup with a friend who just put 20KW of solar panels on his roof in Hermosa Beach. He can't go on Saturday and I can't leave until Noon on Friday so if he and I don't go, I will let you know. I don't have your email or cell number. I just sent you mine via PM.


----------



## ricklearned (Mar 3, 2012)

The expo was ok. Balqon, my battery supplier was a no show but I did get to drive a RAV4 EV and it is a great car. My buddy, who rode along on that ride, was so impressed that later that evening he went to one of the dealers that will be getting allocations and put down a deposit. 

He also drove the Ford but there was no comparison. I also tried on the Coda, but this 6'7” guy didn't fit. The Toyota did fit me quite well and it has me rethinking my priorities. It will take me a few weeks to work through the options, but if I can negotiate an early pay out of the remaining 17 months of my lease on my Toyota Highlander, I just might make the leap. That would mean I would not own a gas guzzler at all. An interesting idea to ponder.


----------



## winzeracer (Apr 3, 2012)

I also went, I agree with you Rick it was ok. Not much for the diy crowd. Most of the questions I had about the cars, went unanswered. I drove the CODA which was not as bad as the reviews I read, it accelerated better than the Mercedes Fuel Cell B Class, which I also drove. I really like Cal Poly Pomona's carbon fiber solar boat, which had a kelly controller and 3 mars motors.

In the parking lot i chatted with Mark who just finished his yellow Porche 914 with CALBs and an AC-50, real clean install. I had read his blog not sure if he is a member here. I will add his link when I find it.

http://www.evalbum.com/3576
http://914electric.wordpress.com/


----------

