Li'l Blue Drivers' Log

We try to give as many people as possible the opportunity to feel the thrill for themselves of driving a car which is powered almost entirely by the sun. This could be the start of something – perhaps even a completely new way of thinking about personal transport. Who knows?
- Albie and Fill Burgers, Nov 2014-

If you’ve had the experience of driving our little electric car (Li’l Blue), then here's an opportunity to share how you felt with other people. Please fill in the little FORM at the bottom of this page.

Date of Drive	Comments (In reverse chronological order)

9 Nov 2015	Paul Whitaker: I was very excited when Albie handed me the keys to Li'l Blue. It reminded me very much of riding electric scooters in China. A very peaceful ride and very useable.
7 Nov 2015	James Shaw (Green Party Co-Leader and Member of Parliament) Thanks so much for taking me for a spin in Li'l Blue, Albie - and for giving me my first all-electric driving lesson!
28 Sep 2015	Dave Myall: Because there was no motor/exhaust noise it was surprizing how much road noise there was coming through the body. Having no rear seats and upholstery would have contributed. I enjoyed the drive and look forward to electric vehicles becoming more affordable and common. Perhaps a local initiative with production runs of five vehicles?
13 Sep 2015	Peni Connolly: Smashing Moments on a Peaceful Journey: Crunching stones, under the chariot’s wheels, Motored along, sedated by the mountainous views, Time slowed down, The world slowed down, Time to talk, to rave, to hear as all so quiet around us. We arrived, intoxicated by the natural world.
19 Aug 2015	Cherie Byrne: There is Esypsy - Albie's amazing accounting software, there are pasturizers - of Albies making, there are solar panels - Albie style, & probably a myriad of other amazing Albie ideas, but driving Li'l Blue with the Albie-ized touches, is just something else!! Love the quiet!! Amps & meters & switches.......And the big red Escape button!!! Thanks Albie for such a cool experience!! Don't ever retire!!
June 2015	Cheryl Orange: Albie collected me from work to take me for a drive, my first mistake was to hop in it and ask how to start it - it was already running but being so quiet I couldn't hear it and from there on once I mastered the accelerator it was great. What an amazing little car, thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
2 June 2015	Nigel Ritson: Driving this car was a very significant experience. The motor winding up reminded me of the electric trolley bus rides in Wellington during childhood. Now I'm thinking of converting my Daihatsu Mira to an electric motor drive - say a 3 to 5 year project using the now prototype super quick charge Aluminium/liquid electrolyte batteries when they get out the laboratory and become cost effective.
31 May 2015	John Pemberton: Thanks, Albie. Particularly liked being in 3rd gear and limited to 60kph as we passed the concealed police car. L'il Blue is great but still hanker after a BMW i3 (keep those lotto tickets coming in, folks!)
24 May 2015	Jude: Unnervingly quiet, but didn't take me long to really love that about driving Li'l Blue. I also love your inventiveness, Albie, and your infectious enthusiasm for your projects. Thank you so much for inviting me to have a drive. XX
13 Apr 2015	Guillaume Frappier-Richard: Thank you Albie and thank you Li'l Blue, Had a wonderful time driving Li'l Blue around Clifton. Beautiful, quiet, very zen car. So simple and smooth. Thank you both for sharing this time.
20 Feb 2015	Julia Drake, visiting from Christchurch: Li'l Blue is so quiet on the road that the only sounds you hear are your own heart beating (with excitement), the gravel of the road and the sound of the wind as she speeds along. What a wonderful driving experience! Yes, definitely yes, Solar Energy is the way to go!!! Thank you Albie and Fill.
14 Jan 2015	Joseph Wilson: I can't really compare my driving experiences (I have not yet begun driving—shhh), but that hardly matters. Li'l Blue is smooth, easy to handle, and as quiet as the road moving under you! The analogue ammeters and stick switches strewn across the dash give it such retro/gizmo appeal. That's most satisfying kind of dash. All in all, it seems so simple under the hood too—it really makes you wonder why the electric car still isn't abundant! I wan't to make one now. Thanks Albie!
30 Dec 2014	Alicia Caldwell: It is so easy to drive. Like a go-kart. Thanks for the experience and information. If my own lil blue (1990 Suzuki swift) dies I will look into getting it converted in Gisborne.
6 Dec 2014	Tony Hitchcock, Takaka: Good times, many thanks Albie. Perhaps the most loved Daihatsu ever?
2 Dec 2014	Martin Langley: Quite surprised how smooth and easy it was to glide along. Also, once up to speed, how little amperage it was drawing. This is a great project and provides a viable option for recycling older, small cars with tired engines. I'm sure Albie's tinkering will ensure more efficiency and advances to come. Well done.
30 Nov 2014	Jenny Maclaren: L'il Blue was sooo easy to drive! And to think I was a little nervous to start ... a great idea, Albie, to get people to truly experience the difference.
21 Nov 2014	Margy Labuschagne: I loved driving Li'l Blue!! She doesn't stall...YAY!! I was very cautious, but I was told in no uncertain terms, Li'l Blue has a maximum speed. (Just as well....) Congratulations Brother, we are very proud of you!!
16 Nov 2014	Rachel Climpson: Li'l Blue, a total pleasure to drive, so quiet and smooth. If I was Jeremy Clarkson (I'm pleased I'm not), I would rate her as the car of the year.
15 Nov 2014	Amber Insoll: What a treat! Li'l Blue has really opened my eyes. I love the use of solar power for the battery charging and also how quiet the ride is! Albie and Fill, it was so inspiring to spend time with you and see your projects. Thank you for your generosity!
15 Nov 2014	Grant Muir - Automation Engineer, Programmer and Pilot. Albie let (well encouraged) me and my fiancé (we got engaged the day before) to each have a drive from Albie and Fill's house to town. I was quite impressed by the very useful speed Li'l Blue can get up to. The quiet is great but the best things are the knowledge that very little CO2 is being generated and the cost to run it is minimal. Very inspiring. It seems that electric is very sensible for local running and I think it would suit Christchurch well too. Mmm.
10 Nov 2014	Zoe Leetch: Strangely quiet, driving Li'l Blue is a world away from any petrol-driven experience. Perhaps it is in part due to the obvious and infectious enthusiasm it inspires in it's owners, but one can't help but sport a large grin whilst throughout the experience How wonderfully quiet even the busiest city streets will be once Li'l Blues take over the world! All power to Albie, Fill and Li'l Blue x Zoe
5 Nov 2014	Angharad Bolland - General practitioner, cyclist. Thank you Albie and Fill for the opportunity to drive Li'l Blue. I was surprised at how easy it was to get used to handling the car, and thoroughly enjoyed our short trip together. Apart from the obvious environmental benefits, Li'l Blue has lots of other great features - small & nippy, great turning circle and so quiet. I hope that Kirstie is right and this is the start of a new way of thinking about cars, and transport overall. We love your enthusiasm and knowledge on these matters Albie & Fill.
5 Nov 2014	Dan Dunn - Support worker, caregiver, invasive plant controller, photographer and sailor. Getting into Li'l Blue reminds me of the Delorean in the 1985 film 'Back to the Future'. Flick a few switches, turn the main switch and then two turns of the key and you're away. It took a little bit of learning to drive again from getting used to the accelerator to the minimal gear shifting needed. Wonderful braking system charging the batteries. Amazingly affordable transportation including taking the batteries into account. I can see the benefits for short-haul inner city trips as well as a local commute in semi rural areas. Where most general driving tends to be done within a 50km radius, I think we could do with some more Li'l Blues. Cheers to Albie and Fill for the drive. I really enjoyed it.
4 Nov 2014	Julie Anne Genter, Green Party Member of Parliament: Fabulous and inspiring drive from The Moonbow B&B to the Takaka airport on a sunny morning. Very privileged to get to drive this electric car. Well done!
2 Nov 2014	Kirstie Macleod, Takaka : I was invited to drive Li'l Blue from Ligar Bay to Takaka after a Sunday morning Quaker meeting, along with Albie in the passenger seat. I have only driven/ridden two other electric vehicles (Lexus hybrid and Grace bicycle) both within the past few months. I quizzed Albie all the way about such things as capacity for distance, batteries, WOFs, costs, maintenance, insurance, registration, etc, and gained a bit of an insight into the differences between electric and petrol vehicles. One of the biggest differences seems to be fuel costs - I can't quite remember what Albie said because I was so astounded at how cheap the electricity was. Driving Li'l Blue was a real pleasure. My own car is an ancient Mazda 323 so I have an appreciation for small. And blue, for that matter. We tootled along at around 60 km/hr (I understand her top speed is around 80 km/hr) and chatted away easily without irritating engine noise. Her acceleration is not profound, but this is only to be expected given her specifications. Visibility from the driver's seat is excellent - something that I think is neglected in modern vehicles with all of their extra strengthening and upsizing. I have a slight concern about road rage when vehicles are not doing the speed limit, given the general impatience on New Zealand roads, but I am glad to say we didn't experience any of that. I've had some lengthy discussions with friends about electric vehicles since driving L'il Blue. We reckon there's a market for smaller, affordable electric cars without too much sophistication - plain brown wrapper cars if you like - and I wonder if this is a possibility for the future? Thanks for the opportunity to drive this little gem, Albie, and best of luck with future electric developments. And thanks for the gentle reminder to us all, to be ever mindful about sustainability.
23 Oct 2014	Richard Stocker. Li'l blue is a technological step towards sustainability, but real sustainable living won't be result of technological advances it can only come through a significant change in our attitude towards the world we live in !!
1 Oct 2014	Elly Miller, local farmer (Your comments here, please Elly)
1 Oct 2014	Pax Leetch, local farmer: Well...... I used to own a Landcruiser with a 4 litre straight six in it, and I still own a Wolseley with a 3 litre straight six in it, and when asked about their fuel consumption I usually tell people that 'there is no fun in economy'. But it seems now that there is, especially if you are Albie and you have a little blue electric car. I was really impressed with how well it went and the best part was the sheer pleasure Albie seemed to receive from taking me for a drive. Thanks Albie.
21 Sep 2014	Clive and Lesley Bird, local celebrities (your comments here, please Clive and Lesley)
21 Sep 2014	Martine Bouillir - TDC Councillor: Well I had the hard slog for Lil Blue - from Puramahoi straight right up to the lookout. Albie had clearly put some weight on otherwise we would have whizzed by the porches and ferraris! Quiet as....thanks Albie!
21 Sep 2014	Very peaceful driving experience, what a novelty. Alexis Heywood
21 Sep 2014	Ross Wearing, TV3 reporter: Despite only having a short drive powered by the sun it felt good to not be polluting the air and having pure sun shining on us all day too. Thanks Albie for your time & knowledge. Regards Ross & Sheryl, Nelson
21 Sep 2014	Electric vehicle Climate drive event in Golden Bay. Various people had a drive on the way to and from this very successful event.
21 Sep 2014	Helen Kingston: Real fun once I got the hang of it. Quiet, simple, just brilliant. Thanks Albie and Fill for the opportunity. All I hear in the mainstream media are negative comments. What about TDC (small) coin-operated charging stations, a la parking meters, all over the place? Electric bikes could use these too. Talk to Martin at the Quiet Revolution, Jace Hobbs of Nelson at http://www.electricbikehub.co.nz/ or Peter at www.freeviewnz.com
Sep 2014	What fun! Love the regenerative braking. Paul Stocker, Azimuth Renewables.

Aug 2014	Start of Li'l Blue Logbook (Read the comments from bottom to top)

Form to fill in:

Li'l Blue Drivers' Log Form

1.	Date of Drive
2.	Your Name:
3.	Message: