EVCCON 2023

After an eight year hiatus due to Jack Rickard's declining health and eventual passing, not to mention the COVID pandemic shutdowns, EVCCONN resumed this year.

Under the leadership of Jack's daughter Jackie along with Brian Noto and the rest of the EVTV staff, the conference was staged once again at the EVTV Motor Verks World Headquarters in Cape Girardeau, MO.

My friend Stan Cloyd offered to stop on his way from Mesa AZ and load my e-Bugeye in his enclosed trailer. He trailered his Tesla Model 3 and offloaded it to make room for the little yellow car. We caravanned the rest of the way, Tesla Model 3 and Chevy pickup/trailer. Made the trip in two days with a stop over in Texarkana.

I got to drive Stan's Model 3 from Texarkana to Cape Girardeau and must say I'm amazed at how easy it is to make long road trips! After entering the destination on the navigation panel, it plots all of the Supercharger stops along the way, charging only enough to get you to the next station with some cushion. Charging stops give you just enough time to find the restroom and check email.

Looking kinda goofy. Not good at selfies.

We arrived at the show Wednesday and lined up with the other early arrivals.

The welcome reception was themed "Tiki Mania" and featured Mai Tais and island fare. Great time to get reacquainted with old friends and new.

Thursday was opening day and I was honored to deliver a presentation on my experience as a serial EV converter. It went well and I brought it in right on time. There followed a panel discussion on Solar and off-grid topics with Stan Cloyd, Chris Snider, and Malcolm McCrea.

credit: screenshot from Michael Brown's video below

That evening after putting the e-Bugeye away for the night under the original Speedster in the EVTV shop, there was a barbecue at "The Captain's House". That would be Jack's home with a spectacular view overlooking the Mississippi River with gorgeous weather and a magical night view of the bridge. Also fireworks!

Staging Area for the Autocross

Friday, after very interesting presentations on Solar Challenge Cars by Byron Izenbaard and EV Oddities from Robert Dunn, we got outdoors for fun in the sun. An Autocross was set up in a shopping mall parking lot and lots of rubber was left behind on the tight course. Kevin Smith provided hilarious commentary and acted as "Cone Boy" dashing across the course on a Kooter to right overturned markers. It was a big day and most of the crowd moved on to the Drag Strip in the evening while several of us old guys chose an early dinner and a quiet evening back at the hotel.

Saturday we set up for the car show. That gap between the e-Bugeye and the Chevy Bolt was later filled by a Rivian pickup truck, a very cool and thoroughly modern vehicle. Very impressive. I decked out the under hood display with spec sheets on all three of my converted EVs and business cards for each with pointers to their respective web sites. Saves me having to write them down every time someone shows interest. Lots of conversations with curious people who were wondering what was going on in that mysterious EVTV building.

The last event was our EV Parade. We cruised through historic Cape Girardeau, past a fall festival on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, down lovely residential streets, and stopped at St. Mary's Cemetery. At Jack Rickard's graveside it was a somber moment as we paid our respects to the man who started all of this and gave us our weekly dose of education, inspiration, and motivation. Many fond memories.

Finally, here is Michael Brown's video recap of the week's activities. Michael rode with me for the parade and does a great job summarizing the feel of the event.

Postscript:

On the way back to the hotel after the parade I was waiting at a red light when a Freightliner semi decided to occupy the same space. My eyes got real big and the monster munched into the rear of the e-Bugeye. When big things crash into small things, it's gonna be bad for the small thing. 

Happily it was a slow speed impact or I might not be here to tell about it. I'm alive but sore, especially after the two day drive back to Austin. The e-Bugeye is over at Pro Automotive and in very good hands with Master Craftsman and body work guy Robert Juarez. After all the insurance stuff is sorted out I'm sure it will be better than ever when he's done.

Robert marked up all the damage for the virtual insurance estimate and noted the lack of access to the inside of the boot. He suggested that he cut a hole in the floor to get in there with his hammers and such. Then he proposed building a battery box that can be raised into place as a fully populated unit. That will allow for four extra cells. Very creative guy!

More to come, stay tuned ...