Featured EVA Electric Vehicles for All

Hello Prii Chatters!

I've been waiting to share this news for a while, but I can't wait any longer. EVA Electric Vehicles for All is a new nonprofit organization I created to address the many issues this industry faces. EVA is like a hybrid between the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and Toys for Tots with a specific focus on renewable energy and sustainable transportation. So before I go into a long rant of why I created EVA, I'll give the basics of what EVA does, and the best way to do that is to read the articles of incorporation of EVA.

Electric Vehicles for All EVA
ARTICLE II

The purpose or purposes for which the corporation is formed are:

1. Manufacturing hybrid/electric vehicles consumes a tremendous amount of resources and generates significant amounts of carbon emissions. EVA has devised detailed plans/methods that if implemented would drastically reduce emissions and waste while also providing training and jobs for the technicians and engineers of tomorrow.

2. The people that would benefit the most from driving a hybrid/electric vehicle are the people that cannot afford them. To address this EVA shall repair these hybrid/electric vehicles and make them available for lease at little to no cost for individuals that qualify (veterans, teachers, volunteers, disabled). Flat-rate leases for public and private fleets shall also be available.

3. When repairing a vehicle is no longer practical, EVA shall research and develop second and third life usage applications for all of the components of hybrid/electric vehicles (not just batteries); EVA shall then market and sell these products to the public.

4. EVA shall create carbon tax credits by selling these products and services that were built from >10% refurbished parts, and make those available for automotive OEM to purchase. These OEM's can also earn these carbon tax credits by participating in one of EVA's programs. This could be done by donating cash, vehicles, parts, materials, usage of light industrial commercial facilities or other properties, engineering services or others.

5. EVA shall work in conjunction with international/federal/state/local governments and automotive OEM's to utilize commercial properties and other resources to create jobs and training for the renewable energy and sustainable transportation markets; with a focus on hybrid/electric vehicle technology.

6. EVA shall engage and develop partnership programs that promote hybrid/electric vehicle and renewable energy technology with public and private schools/universities, and other technical education institutions.

7. EVA shall create zero-tuition hybrid/electric vehicle technical training programs, classes and webinars that will be available to technicians and engineers. Participants will be required to work 20-40 hours per week in an EVA facility, and or, in the field or offsite, where they will be applying their skills and gaining hands-on real-world experience working with this technology. There shall also be paid internship positions available with the opportunity to become a full-time EVA employee.

8. EVA shall transition completely from a directorship managed nonprofit organization to a nonprofit worker-owned & managed co-op organization by January 1st. 2030.

This corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Article II Line 2 is particularly important for this community. My other company, Voltek Hybrid & EV Repair LLC, has been doing similar work of what line 2 identifies for over 3 years now. Voltek's mission statement is "Making HEV ownership affordable and practical for all!" I didn't realize then how difficult this mission would be and that achieving it would require a complete transformation of the entire sustainable transportation industry. I've spent the last 3 years exploring business models, researching and developing a better system for my customers. Through that process, I eventually conceived Eva.

I often work very hard, long days, but I never price gouge my customers; because I know what it's like to be on the other side. I didn't always own my own HEV repair shop, but I've owned several Prii. I know what its like waiting to hear the news if you're car has been revived or if it's going to take thousands of dollars to get it running again. That sucks. I work on a lot of GM 2 mode hybrids (I also own a 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 Hybrid, amazing truck, but going from 60mpg to <25 mpg is still a tough pill to swallow). If it wasn't for Voltek those hybrid trucks would have been scrapped; usually Voltek is the last hope for these vehicles, if I can't fix it, then it dies. Which makes me very sad, and also angry; what a waste! Thinking about HEV being scrapped, with all those wonderful components (DC converters, inverters, water pumps, eps, boost-buck converters, PMAC motors and scroll compressors etc) actually keeps me up at night!

My first idea was a battery leasing program. I've been rebuilding batteries for years; now I don't sugarcoat things at all. I tell potential customers that unless your battery has <200k miles I usually don't recommend rebuilding. Unless they are just trying to get the car running so they can do whatever they need to do. For a Gen 2 Prius, I charge $500 total to rebuild, covers up to 4 replacement modules, 1 year warranty on the replacement modules only. I charge $700 for a pack that I've already rebuilt, one year warranty on the whole pack. Rebuilding batteries is one of my highest profit margin jobs; yet I actively try to persuade customers away from that (unless it's a good candidate for rebuilding) Why? Breakdowns and comebacks. Even when it's not covered under warranty, I've never told anybody to pay another $500 or kick rocks. I say, pay me what you can, I need to pay my apprentices something. I realized that I was already running Voltek like a charity (which is unsustainable), so I might as well make it official and start a nonprofit.

Then I realized that the HV battery was just one of several things that require repairs; which is why from the very beginning Voltek offered full service on all makes and models of HEV. I wanted to make things easier for my customers, being a one stop shop achieved that while also setting Voltek apart from other battery rebuilding companies. This is when I came up with a business plan for a used car dealership that bought/sold/leased/rented/serviced the entire vehicle. I realized what my customers needed was access to a safe, reliable and efficient HEV at an affordable price, with no large unexpected bills. The key word there is access, not necessarily owning the vehicle. Most of my customers not only rely on their car to get to work, but to actually do their job (Uber, Lyft etc) So it's bad enough facing a $800 repair bill, but how is my customer supposed to pay me when they are not earning any money? It could be days or weeks, depending on the problem and vehicle, before they get their car back.

Here's some info from my website that explains how leasing works:

These leases will start at $200/month, then the price is determined by mileage. There is a minimum monthly fee plus a surcharge based on miles driven, and which model is being leased. All service and repairs included (Excluding damage due to neglect, misuse, accidents) Applicants with bad credit, no co-signer or both, can still apply for a lease. Applicants must sign a service agreement; So yes terms and conditions most definitely apply! EVA owns the vehicles outright so there is no need for a financing middle man. By doing so, some 5%-40% of the payment made by the customer that would have otherwise gone to the financing company, goes to EVA instead. Since EVA is a nonprofit, we turn around and invest that money right back into expanding EVA. It gets better. We also do not require full coverage auto insurance, on select models like the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius. If we required this, it would make this program unaffordable for the people it would help the most; low to middle income families. This is only possible because we supply the parts, expertise, facility and labor to repair these vehicles at a fraction of the cost.

We combine all of this together, and we are able to offer a service that no other for-profit company could. In addition, EVA has created a sliding pay-scale that is based off an individuals needs and ability to pay. For some, this could mean access to a reliable HEV at little to no out-of-pocket cost (Disabled, Veterans, Teachers, Volunteers, Police/Fire/EMS, Non-Profit Organizations and Others)

There are several ways we can protect our assets to reduce abuse or theft. First, individuals must complete an application with a detailed service agreement (which will also be explained in a video). Second, every vehicle will be outfitted with a wireless diagnostic system. This is teed into the OBDII circuit, a 3g wireless chip will send information to our servers where it can be stored and analyzed. There will be no video or audio up-links. This information will not be shared or sold with any other group or organization; it is strictly there to protect our assets while also being a valuable diagnostic tool. If the HV battery was starting to get a weak module, or any other issue, we could call or text telling the customer there may be a problem with the car and to bring it in. Plus lot's of other cool features we will be able to add (remote start, roll down the windows, turn on HVAC from the other side of the planet etc)

There will be different leasing programs depending on an individuals wants and needs. So if you just want to buy a car outright, we can do that. We will also offer repairs to the public and private fleets; with a published price list for each vehicle and job. I'll give an example, Voltek has been running a special to try to sell new OEM batteries (not cylindrical) our price for Gen 2+3 is $2,200 total, including testing/removal/installation and tax with a 2 year warranty. You guys know the wholesale price for these are $1,650 with a core. Can easily spend 4-6+ hours doing that work (because I also do a complete vehicle diagnostic and will usually find a few other issues) I haven't seen a lower price, if you know of a place let me know!

Ok, this post is incredibly long so even though I've only covered the basics, I'll try to wrap this up so I'm going to do a "speed-round" where I blast out some of my many programs/concepts I haven't already discussed.

Education and Training

Elementary School: EVA will have a program where we collect and receive old Power Wheels and other electric toys that have (or would've) been thrown away because the AGM battery died or something else very simple. We bring in to their school a pickup truckload of these toys, new/refurbished batteries and all components. Then we teach and show them how a good Power Wheel is supposed to work, then we help them diagnose and fix their Power Wheel; I say their Power Wheel because once it's fixed they get to take it home and keep it. We show them how to service and repair it. Public schools, especially ones that constantly struggle from lack of funding; will be our first priority. The best way to learn these concepts is by touching and doing. Although, if you were using new components, that would be prohibitively expensive; but with EVA in the picture bringing used/refurbished parts to the table completely changes the game. Now that's how you train the future technicians and engineers!

Middle-school: Basically the same as above but instead of Power Wheels, Razor scooters and E-bikes. Also some renewable energy and sustainability programs.

High-School: Same as above but now with real cars, trucks, and boats. These components will also be used to build drones, robots, basically anything they can conceive using these parts. This is not only for automotive, we will be open source coding/programming, advertising/marketing, business. This way we can get all different kids involved on these projects. Perhaps the graphic arts kids can design logos, flyers, publications. Computer nerds get access to some really cool stuff; and play a vital role writing the code and programming projects. Videography kids? They can make the videos about the projects their school is working on. How about they build wind power systems using refurbished parts, then select a site on school property to install it, see how everything gets connected, see it in operation, see it when it fails and needs to be repaired, doing the repairs? Remember paper boys? Somebody at the newspaper said "Hey these kids are always running around everywhere on their bikes anyways, why don't we harness that power, and put a few of them to work? They can earn some cash and gain valuable experience working" I'm basically saying the same thing except building/installing/servicing things like solar, wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal power systems instead of delivering newspapers.

College:

Similar to above but more advanced and specific. Plus many other classes?programs I'll discuss later.

Technical:

Paid apprenticeships. Hands-on programs tailored for specific job positions.

I am trying to build EVA as a grassroots, DIY, open-source movement. EVA is not trying to open shops and dealers all across the country; no we just want to create standards and models, and partner/collaborate with companies and build a network of shops and dealers that participate in our programs. This means EVA needs YOU! This is why PC was the very first forum that I've shared this information. I wouldn't be where I'm at if it wasn't for PC and other forums; so thank you all for everything, now it's my turn to return the favor! I am asking for your trust and support. I have written into our articles of incorporation a guarantee that EVA will always stay true to my original vision. "8. EVA shall transition completely from a directorship managed nonprofit organization to a nonprofit worker-owned & managed co-op organization by January 1st. 2030." This means that all decisions will be voted on by the employees/owners of the company. I included this protection because if EVA is successful, it will become a large and influential organization. I also truly believe that member-owned/managed companies, DIY and open-source, are the way of the future.

Ok, please let me know what you think, this is a work in progress, EVA is so new the paint hasn't even finished drying; but I felt it was very important to include all of your thoughts and opinions and how we can make this better, before everything is set in stone. I'm quite sure you will have some great ideas! Please check out evaelectricvehiclesforall and voltek (giving me an error saying I've made 0 threads, I have at least 3, no biggie) and all the social media stuff I'm setting up, the success of EVA rests in all of our hands now!

Thank you all! Thank you Prius Chat! If you're here and made it this far, in my book, you must be a pretty smart and cool!

 

Yes I have a list of over 1000 people, organizations and groups I need to contact, so lots of work to do still. The battery show and hybrid and electric vehicle expo in Novi Michigan Was last week, I go every year since it’s only 30 minutes from my shop. I talked to a lot of people, different component suppliers, they have extra scraps and also good product that sometimes they don’t know what to do with. So things are looking pretty good so far!