OK, I'm dusting off an old project and putting it to work in whatever fashion toward ending the dominance of the deep state operatives who are destroying the planet. Dubbed the Paxterra 911T, this prototype will eventually result in a low-cost electric vehicle design available for anyone to use without royaty. Open Source Hardware Rocks!!!!!!!!!!
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Written in response to a call for standardized EV batteries:
I believe the driving force in the advancement of magnetic propulsion will be in spite of "standardizationism" not because of it. Imagine, for a moment, that this kind of nanny-state, politically-driven, STANDARDS setting Commitee BS had been applied during the development of the "personal computer". It would have been some kind of DEC VAX PDP-11 running VAX.OS and FORTRAN Committee Created Crap that was so wasteful in design that only rich individuals or corporations would be able to purchase one. And of course all the other impediments that the lobbyists for the REGULATIONS would have inserted to keep out the "pesky little guys in garages". Instead, without one guiding standardization scheme for anything but the 110VAC, two guys in my old neighborhood in Sunnyvale, built the progenitor to the device I'm using to make this statement and thereby changed the world, and certainly my life, forever. As someone who's in the game with lot's of skin attached I want the playing field left wide-open for now unless it relates to safety. I don't want our "STEVE JOBS" of the EV to get shut out, whomever he or she might be. About the opportunity presented this time: The first PC options were limited by a fact that favored the eventual development of only a few hardware choices. Because programmer/creators could only serve one OS architecture the machines that could be built were limited. Sure you could make a the greatest hardware in the world but who would develop software for it when Apple and the PC already had ready waiting installed bases? In the case of the Electric Vehicle the analogous element "OS" could be mapped onto the global network of roadways, rules and regulation for their use, and other vehicle-related infrastructural details. This existing Vehicle Operating System Specification is just fine and can accommodate endless variations, designed and built by limitless numbers of start-ups. Recall that the PC drove us to laptops and other mobile devices. Those industries wild successes pioneered Lithium battery technology through sheer market demand. And so in a way, Steve and Steve, and all the rest in Sillycon Valley and elsewhere, helped us get to the age of sustainable solar propulsion. And finally, will standards emerge that don't exist today? Of course, but they will be the winners in the unending game of fair competition, not the mandates of a few interest groups bent on "guiding" those of us who are actually building the transportation devices of the future. Because the Photon S3 has a completely flat floor it is ideal for the docking of various paratransit devices. Most paratransit vehicles seem to be made from large vans that are difficult to maneuver and park. I believe a segment of this market would love to drive a nice, small, electric vehicle that was designed specifically for their needs, not a retrofitted design from the major manufactures. Paxterra's Photon Base Frame is infinitely extensible with simple modifications that have little or no impact on other models due to our steel tubing frame structure. Modular construction with common materials makes this kind of vehicle doable anywhere. This sketch implies a lift mechanism. Some drivers could also negotiate a ramp. Our next phase of development is to comprehensively test the Base Frame element to validate the Chassis Engineering Design. After this extensive battery of tests the Base Frame Element will be released with full documentation as a public domain electric vehicle. Until then we hope people will continue to follow and support us in this effort to bring safe, simple, affordable transportation to all the people of the World. Peace. Because the Photon S3 is a modular system differentiated modules can be quickly developed using the same basic drive train design. In some parts of the World people walk miles to obtain water. Water is the foundation of civilization everywhere. Without it people suffer. Very-low-cost solutions can be configured using solar power or wind as the main fuel source. This Watertanker uses all of the same connection points as the S3 Roadster. Geared differently, designed for natural conditions, far off-grid, independent of petroleum products, this kind of vehicle could save lives by bringing clean water to remote locations with very high efficiency using only sunlight as it's fuel. On-board pumps, electrically driven, provide filtering and transfer functions. Under the Paxterra Open Source License the variations for alternative configurations can permeate any area this design is introduced into. Because our basic materials are chosen from commonly found supplies, and fabrication requires only basic and readily available tools, there is no limit to the speed at which variations can proliferate. Paxterra Electromotive will support those wishing to adopt this technology by maintaining an online presence, appearances at Maker events, and EV conventions, as well as on our upcoming "Canada-to-Mexico On A Single Charge" attempt, and our good will and best wishes. It is time to reconfigure our world fleet to run on the fuel that fall from the sky. Open Source hardware solutions can be implemented very quickly in the Cloud by virtual organizations without geophysical proximity. Paxterra Photon S3 Factories are designed to cost under $1M. Small groups can embrace this system and begin servicing their regional needs. EVs are the easiest vehicles to get on the road. Everybody wants to stop buying gas. With a free-to-use design and adequate guidance, anyone, anywhere, could start their own Electric Vehicle Revolution. Sunshine Is Fuel. A colleague from Italia trying on the Photon for size. It is fairly disheartening living in a country that used to "create Western Culture" and still thinks it is directing the world. Many countries will leapfrog our gasoline-based, Rockerfelleran model for a solar/wind/bio charging scenario in much the same fashion as China, India, and most other of the emerging countries, have skipped copper wire and gone straight to fiber backbones and 4G wireless. For most "Americans", Their "world" starts up in Washington State, runs on a line down to San Francisco, on down to Hollywood, over to Disneyworld, and on up into Washington/Wall Street. Their is no more myopic country on the planet. We, in the US, are a very small percentage of the world's population but people here still talk and act as if we were a viable empire dictating its imperial orders out to all the "distant colonies". Shake Up, Weeple! If not for our pre-emptive defense posture and amazing weaponry who would seriously care about what "the US wants". The US is now becomming a "backwater" country in most areas except weaponry. We graduate fewer Phd's, have to bend the immigration laws to get enough tech people to work for us, and then, have the Chinese make it for us at slave labor rates. And yet, amazingly, I get all kinds or feedback embracing the "status quo" that would have been true, maybe, in 1947. Perhaps this is why the young are so eager to embrace ANYTHING different. Of course having few good job opportunities helps push up the intolerance level. Joseph Schumpeter Everything I do, in business, and in Product Development especially, is based in the theory of "Creative Destruction" developed by Joseph Schumpeter. "Creative destruction is the essential fact about capitalism. Stabilized capitalism is a contradiction in terms." Schcumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (New York: Haper &Brothers, 1942)p. 83 We live in a world where much of what is called "capitalism" is now actually a kind of Facism; controlled markets through controlled politics. Capitalism, as Schumpeter would have defined it, is mostly not free to exercise the essential, destructive, part of its cycle. Proof in the US is the ability of a corporation to give unlimited amounts to political campaigns. Further proof is the propping up of General Motors when the markets had spoken and it was rightfully "toast". Sure, these "deaths" hurt some but people can go to work in other industries. It is actually the investors that got in last that get hurt in the inevitable downward turn in a companies lifecycle and the real reason behind most, so-called, "regulation" of markets and commerce. People leave oppressing systems long before they public announce doing so. Revolutions seem to simply rise up suddenly but are usually born of decades, or centuries, of oppression that fermented quietly in the basement of everyone's mind- even the wealthy. The World Transportation Revolution is just now getting started due to the development of a few key components, Lithium based batteries being the most essential. Old business models will not work in a more globally-distributed product development paradigm. Here, in the US, we might cling to old system for a while propped up by bought politics and a huge security state but who wants to live in a hell hole like that? Paxterra means Peace on Earth. Sunshine Is Motor Fuel. -Carmelo Canada to Mexico on a single charge? This is our next hurdle, we hope you come along for the ride.8/14/2012 Funny to think back how this effort to build a practical electric vehicle started in a ditch in Crawford, Texas with the lady to your left, Cindy Sheehan, and about 10,000 others who showed up to try and stop our idiotic wars back in August of 2005. What happened in Crawford for those precious few weeks was instant community. We were crowdfunded and the tent you see us sitting comfortably inside was paid for by those who could not make the trip but wanted to show solidarity. The money poured in. If Bush had stayed another month we'd of all bought houses in Crawford so intense was the dislike of the wars in Afganistan and Iraq. This was my first experience with the power of the internet and small donations coming together. For the first time in history there is a very effective way for anybody, anywhere, to vote for some vision of the future they want to see achieved. Check out Indiegogo and Kickstarter. This is the future of funding and product development. There is nothing quite like camping with people to form bonds. Add the pressure of the world's attention, chiggers, mosquitos, water moccasins, incredible heat and humidity and truly, only the brave survived to the final showdown as Bush left his ranch. I never met a better bunch of patriots and lovers of Peace. Most of them had been personally touched by the war. Their stories haunt me still. Every one of the thousands of hours spent are dedicated to all those injured or killed because of our thirst for oil. Paxterra was "launched" soon after I returned to California from Texas in September of 2005. My longtime dream of a clean vehicle seemed to have found its time to be born. Using my energy designing and engineering felt way better than sign-waving. I still protest, but find going "around" the problems using the best technologies is a lot more positive activity. The project has never had much funding but as Henry Ford once said, " A chicken is healthiest if it has to scratch around a little for its food." The very simple design we have achieved is partly due to the spartan nature of the development budget and ever increasing simplification of the design. This is in some ways the opposite direction the big players are taking; more gadgets, radar, lane assist, wifi, bluetooth, video, gps and with all this increasing cost and durability issues. The Photon S3 is a minimalist statement that provides much more protection than a scooter or conventional motorcycle. It has a very high cargo carrying capacity due to the strength of the suspension components. With 150EHP to the 8 inch high-performance radial it should run like a rocket. Paxterra means Peace on Earth. Paxterra Electromotive recognizes the need we increasingly have of being somewhere we currently are not. As oil depletes and gas prices soar alternatives to large vehicles will proliferate. Through the Open Source Model we can have MILLIONS of vehicles on the worlds roads by 2020. All it takes is the realization that niches exist in the transportation spectrum that will not be addressed by the USUAL Suspects. This is again a time for the Fords and Buicks and Dodges and Daimlers and DaVincis of the world to express their alternative to the status-quo fleet of vehicles. Will you join us? Sunshine Is Fuel --- Get Some Peace Soon, Carmelo Since announcing the Photon S3 as an Open Source Electric Vehicle we've been receiving a lot of positive feedback and support. Our unique visitors in August so far total 653 with a peak last Friday of 85. What this is telling me is that Paxterra, as a concept, resonates better as an Open Source Project. I agree, no one can do this alone even if they had all the money in the world. Awesome products have awesome teams. Paxterra's "team" could be a very large group of people, all over the world, who support this kind of transportation solution. There are definitely examples of this occurring more and more as a viable business model. There is definitely a very large, and growing, Maker/Open Source Revolution going on on-line. This is the natural formation of alternate ways of creating products given the lack of barriers for computation and communications at high-bandwidth, worldwide, 24/7365. Connecting the intended end-users to the product during this process is ideal, but not required. This is more like a virtual supply-chain. Many of those in the chain could also be customers. Henry Ford recognized this when he tripled the going wage of his day and engaged his workers as customers. Consider East Africans today, who now walk miles for fresh water. Open Source solutions to their specific transportation/sanitation needs could be supported by philanthropic groups. These simple vehicles would be fueled by the sun, including the on-board water pumps and filters, reliable, simple to repair. Viola - a beautiful solution with everybody improving their lives, including those who design and build the vehicles. This will grow in the future as the component market becomes less a hostage of the formerly predominant OEMs and Open Source Vehicle designs proliferate the way blender models have. So, thanks to all those who are rooting for us. Your intentions and support, no matter how seemingly small, help keep this fragile ship afloat. When we go up on Indiegogo please help us by linking to your networks and spread the word. As a united group we are a very powerful force for change. Peace, Carmelo I have decided to proceed under an Open Source model. It just feels right given the state of things. This hasn't happened too often so nobody can really claim to know if it will work or how it will work. I believe it is worth trying, so here we go! Look for the profit down the line and get busy helping each other achieve our dream of energy independence.
Today marks an important milestone in the development of the Photon S3. The drive train and chassis work is now complete. I feel an immense relief, like cresting a hill after a difficult climb. Looking out over the valley below I envision some smooth, downwind sailing.
It is with great relief, and some pride, that I look upon what we have done with so little capital, facility, and time. Many others have come and gone these past five years: Tesla Roadster, Fisker, Apterra, Alias... yet, somehow, Paxterra lives on. Keeping the Paxterra headcount at one has paid off, though I am getting tired of doing everything myself. I think 2012 will be a year of developing key relationships with partners that can help Paxterra move to the next stage. I'm still against passive investors. I don't want VCs in Paxterra. We will work with only those who are actively engaged in the EV world in some way. Last night, after a marathon session of fabrication, I was watching one of Jack Rickard's great videos. He said something like, "Its going to be us that gets this thing done, not the big guys." So right. Just like back in the day when Jobs and Wazniak kicked IBM's butt; caught them napping. I sincerely hope those "big guys" continue to turn out overpriced, under performing crap so as to not obsolete themselves and keep their OIL buddies happy. This is the breathing room we need to create brands that will, perhaps, turn this whole thing on its head. Again. (the one to watch is Nissan, they are going all in with a $4B bet on pure EVs) Paxterra will be there in a very tiny little niche. That's all we need to be mega-happy. I would be completely satisfied to eventually sell seven thousand vehicles a year, like Ferrari. Machines designed for those that know quality is not cheap. What a long, beautiful trip its been. 2012 is the year we test on the road. I am actually getting a little nervous about the battery of tests and some of the risks involved. Safety will be our first priority and we will proceed slowly, taking months to complete the full list of tests planned. I know all of it is going to be blast and these years of planning and saving and designing and building are going to become a wonderful initial product by Paxterra, the Photon S3. Already there are variants and add-ons on the design boards and the next few years will be very exciting ones at Paxterra.
Things seem to be heating up in both Nigeria and the Middle East so fuel is liable to spike or become rationed in the next few months, or sooner. I remember my first year of driving, 1973. Suddenly, there were long lines for rationed amounts and you could only buy gas every other day. This wasn't really that long ago but many have forgotten how paralyzed we are in the US without gasoline. I expect one reason early adopters will choose the Photon S3 is the security of fuel supply since you can easily manufacture your own with increasingly cost-effective solar panels, wind turbines, and micro-hydroelectric plants. Spring will bring wind in the face as we test, test, test the design. Stay tuned, we shall prevail. |
AuthorCarmelo Intersimone is the founder of Paxterra Electromotive. Archives
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