Fossil Free Friday: More Inexpensive and (Somewhat) Local Electric Cars

Earlier this week I published a post on used electric cars and their very low prices: Good News: VERY Affordable Electric Cars. I just pulled up a few quick electric car searches on Ebay to show how little money it takes to bring one home these days.

That post's afterlife has been an interesting thing. It did not really take off  and it's had moderate online traffic.

But it keeps popping up in my immediate circles. I was having dinner with my wife on the first day it was posted. She told me that KB had called her with a lot of questions about the electric Fiats -  a red one had caught her eye.

And I've had three more separate but similar conversations with friends since then. Most of the time, MH posts seem like my own (not-so) dirty little secrets in the real world. But this post has people seriously looking at picking up an electric car.

So, to keep fanning the electric car flames, I decided to do a repeat attempt, but this time on Craigslist. Almost nothing popped up in West Texas, but Dallas and Austin offered up some tempting stuff:

A sample search of Dallas Craigslist "Electric"

The first attempt in Dallas showed an overwhelming number of Fiat 500E's and one Mitsubishi MiEV. So I took a second shot and just searched for Nissan Leafs. An impressive number of those popped up too. (For those of you who are interested, a number of Teslas popped up further down the list - but they were all out of the Mesquite Hugger price range.)

A sample search of Dallas Craigslist "Leaf"

While I was that far east, I decided to hop down I-35 to see what was happening down in Austin. The offerings were a little more diverse:

A sample search of Austin Craigslist "Electric"

A few Fords, a few Teslas, a BMW i3, Smarts, Leafs, Fiats, and an electric Jeep. Some fun stuff down there.

This is the one cool oddball that popped up - an Electric Jeep Wrangler

(with right-hand drive and very tiny pictures)

Inspired by all of this success in finding EV's, I decided to try another search to find an electric car to serve as the Official Mesquite Hugger business car. Here is what I found:

Several sample searches of "Citicar"

Oh well, I didn't find mine, but I hope this helps you find yours so you can (choose all that apply)

• smirk
• laugh
• giggle
• gesture rudely
• moon everyone
• leer
• [insert your own]

every time you pass a (choose all that apply)

• Chevron
• Exxon
• BP
• Fina
• Shell
• Valero
• Citgo
• [insert your own]

station.

May you know the freedom and mirth of not polluting the earth so darn much!

Fully Charged Christmas, Sondors, E-BMX, and another ATX Cargo Bargain

We will start with Robert Lewellyn's newest Fully Charged video. Robert does a year-end review that offers some optimism and mirth. Actually, this episode offers lots of good news. Did you hear that? Good news! Watch it already! Yes, good news! (I have really missed good news lately.)

Watch it here!

 

If you haven't clicked that yet, let me remind you that there is a plethora of good news here - and not just cars: bikes, solar, batteries, bio-gas, and one of my new faves - IMBYP! If you are not familiar with Fully Charged, browse the collection of videos on youtube. If you're not familiar with Robert, go find yourself a few episodes of Red Dwarf (after Series II) to watch.

 

 

Sondors News

 

On the local side, Grizz's Sondors bikes have arrived (but they are staying in the box until after Christmas.) I will keep you posted when they do pop out!

 

In other news, they still have several bikes on sale for $500 each, so you can still have a pair of bikes in boxes sitting on your porch for less than $1500. (There are even Thin models for those of you who don't go for that whole monster-truck-bike motif.)

 

In even more news, Sondors announced another model - this one a folding bike. The first run will be available only to those who already own a Sondors bike. They will be available to the general public in 2018. I haven't found details on pricing, but who cares? It's only money!

 

The Sondors Fold Check it out here!

Monster Truck as Folding Bike

(Most of the pics on the website look like computer renderings.)

 

A new Promo Video for the Prodeco Tech/Life EV E-BMX

 

This time with New Yorkers doing tricks!

 

Upside down on an e-bike - Watch it here!

 

If you want one, hurry up - the intro prices are creeping up!

 

Another Cargo Bike Bargain in Austin

Madsen Cycles

 

Madsens usually run a few thousand dollars or more. They are very legit cargo bikes that are especially popular for hauling children about. At $650, this one is a steal -  find it on Austin Craigslist while supplies last. (Our dog pack would love it!) Somebody go buy this thing and put it to good, carbon-free use!

 

There you go - many updates and an uplifting-ish video. May you have a wonderful day and find some good news somewhere in this post!

 

Thanks, friends!

 

Longtail Cargo Bike Dreaming, Austin Craigslist Style



I blame it on the Radwagon, not on my innate weakness for all things with wheels or my consumerist upbringing. I have had longtail cargo bikes on the brain lately. Maybe it's that stupid eco-hippie belief that if you get the right stuff you don't need as much stuff. Can I blame that one on Annie Leonard? No? I'll blame it on my quest for Personal Carbon Reduction.

 

Also, there's been a fundamental shift in my thinking since I (sort of) started work on the electropigeon. Now I look to Craigslist instead of Instructables. Yes, I'd much rather build it myself out of stuff lying around, but there's just not that much project time these days, and I'd like to dedicate what little there is to actually finishing that one project.

 

So I searched Craigslist in all of West Texas plus Dallas and Austin. As often happens when searching Mesquite Huggery type stuff, the only results came back from Austin. Keep Austin wierd, indeed. There were four longtails for sale down in the hill country. We'll start with the one I have always wanted most, and the most expensive. The Yuba Mundo!

 



 

The Yuba is not only my fave on the list, it also had the most enjoyable ad to read!

 

 

Next is the Mongoose FreeRadical.

 

It's funny, I finally decided I'd like to try a FreeRadical, but Xtracycle temporarily quit making them while they redesign the product. The FreeRadical is a kit you add to your existing bike to make a longtail bike. This used one looks like a great deal.

 

Then there's the Kona Ute.

 

Love the disc brake, not sure about the big 700c wheels; it's a cool bike, though.

 

Brace yourself for this next one.

 

Maybe the best of both worlds? Someone built their own Instructables longtail and is now selling it on Craigslist at a bargain basement DIY price. Now that sounds like a Mesquite Hugger dream come true! Then I could add a hubmotor to the front and a 3-speed hub to the rear wheel and...

 

May your dreams come true, even if you have to look on Craigslist (and add some parts) to find them.

Tiny Aquaponics - Here we go again!

Aquaponics - check
Kickstarter Site - check
Straight out of the Texas capitol - check
Cheaper than I could build it - check
Better looking than the one I am building - check
I wonder if they will take a - check.

Click here if you want to - check - it out!

May fish poop turn your food green! (Sorry!)

Recycled Art: Bike Taxidermy

(Not this)

If you are like me (I am so sorry!), you have a lot of bicycle parts hanging about looking for a new purpose in life. Well, here is a new purpose - bicycle taxidermy.  Another great idea from Instructables.

Bike Taxidermy

May you see beauty in things cast off!

(Here is the link to Longhorn Bikes in Austin in case you like that first photo.)

A Quick Trip to Austin - Part 2 (Solar Power)

Less sexy than the Teslas and electric scooters (see Part 1), but just as exciting for me, was the number of South Austin homes sporting solar panels. We saw lots of houses with PV arrays on the roof and a few on free-standing pedestals.

 

Yes, I have solar envy. I did a little searching and found that our state capitol strongly encourages the installation of solar systems for residences and businesses.

Austin Energy Solar Programs and Rebates

If you follow the link to the bottom of the page, you can even see a form to help homeowners find loans for solar installation.

 

 

Grid-tied solar that is encouraged (not banned) by the city. Sigh.

 

May you find yourself in a place that works to make this a healthier world.

A Quick Trip to Austin - Part 1(The Mesquite Hugger 100th Post!)

Grizz and I made a short trip to Austin Friday-Saturday, so I feel compelled to keep you informed of the green-ness we encountered.

Electric car count:
1 blue Nissan Leaf
6 Chevy Volts in Austin
4 Chevy Volts out on the road
3 Tesla Model S in Austin (Poor Grizz had to endure a lot of my dorky enthusiasm)
Several Ford CMAXes, but I never get close enough to see if they are the plug-in models.

Electric Scooter News:
We visited Electric Avenue Scooters (off of North Lamar). I could not be near a shop that sells nothing but electric vehicles and not stop by. We met the owners and I had the opportunity to test ride a lightly used Vectrix VX-2 scooter - and fell in love just a little bit.
http://www.electricavenuescooters.com/

The VX-2 costs less than $3000 new, this one was priced at a negotiable $2100 and still had roughly 18 months of warranty left. And it was fun! It was quick, it handled well, and the regen braking (which recharges the battery pack while braking) was great fun! Yes, I fell in love a lot, but my overcrowded garage and undercrowded bank account made it a bad idea to bring it home. If you, however, are looking for phenomenally cheap, fun, and Mesquite Hugger friendly transportation, you could do a lot worse! (Go buy a scooter!)

They also have some electric scooters with close to a 100 mile range (!!!!). My little Vectrix was only rated at 45-55 miles. If you stop in, please tell them that the Mesquite Hugger sent you. It's a great shop and they are definitely living one of my dreams.

Oh, and by the way, this is the Mesquite Hugger 100th post.
I kept thinking I would do a big extravaganza for this milestone, but this ain't no extravaganza, it's a blog. I hope you enjoy and learn a few things. I sure enjoy researching and posting here.

May you reach a milestone soon, and may it be an enjoyable one! (Thank you for reading!!!!)

Bonus link for the day:
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant