aminorjourney's Comments

blog.iphone-dev.org :

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:52:26 +0000

As I see it folks have two choices: 1) Jailbreak their iPhone 2G, 3G or 3GS and deal with not having the latest Apple OS for a few weeks or 2) Update and be content with a locked phone. It's quite simple really. Thanks for the great work that you do at devteam. My iPhone is hacked so I can background apps. It's great. Thanks guys!

aminorjourney.com : Ev'ie. Another broken dream?

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 15:52:02 +0000

Paul, I'm sorry you feel my reviewing skills aren't up to scratch. But at the end of the day, any car which is open for a test-drive needs to be in good condition. Poor test-drives lead to less sales. Any vehicle, whatever it's powered by, needs to be good on the day of a test-drive. And yes, I don't deal with much in the way of technical jargon because most people out there are more interested in how a vehicle drives and feels than what's under the hood. I'd also like to point out that as someone who has worked on her own cars for many years, both petrol based, electric and plug in hybrid, I'm not all that technically literate. Perhaps you should read my profile and about some of the EVs and PHEVs I've worked on. Essentially at the end of the day the vehicle overheated. It should not have done. I've since chatted to the ECC who have agreed to let me back to do another test drive at a future date - One which I hope to video and one which I hope will help equalise the negative review I gave it. The car's concept is wonderful. The price is a bit high. The engineering couldn't be reviewed on the day because it failed. That failure, when given to anyone wanting to test-drive a car, would be one which made them walk away and never try the car again. Please go and troll elsewhere.

aminorjourney.com : Ev'ie. Another broken dream?

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:14:30 +0000

Hi verdict. My aim, when reporting about cars, is to give a realistic representation of what happened when I drove it. And yes, I do try to inject a bit of my own style. I'm sorry if you didn't like it. As for Nürburgring times - how does this help someone looking for a city runabout? Do they really care how fast the car got around a course they'll never drive themselves, or perform in a race situation? No. They want to know if it's reliable, well-priced and what living with the car will be like. Things like trim finish, in-car features and luggage space are probably more important on a daily basis than how fast it goes around a race-track. Perhaps we can agree to disagree. Jeremy Clarkson appears to be the kind of reviewer you may prefer. I'm not him! Nikki.

aminorjourney.com : Ev'ie. Another broken dream?

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:05:16 +0000

Blomdar, I did say in the review that I'm hoping to return and try the vehicle again. I really do hope that my experiences yesterday weren't indicative of the car and really do believe that it was a freak incident.

aminorjourney.com : Please sir! Can we have more?

Fri, 29 May 2009 05:14:31 +0000

Waiting a few minutes to fill up isn't uncommon, but there's no way of waiting in line for the charging unless you pull up to a meter and sit there... :(

aminorjourney.com : Range Anxiety? What Range Anxiety?

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:58:13 +0000

Oh! I'm sorry Bill. Thanks for setting the record straight! I'd love to chat with you about the trip some time! Nikki.

aminorjourney.com : Making a PHEV Prius battery pack.

Tue, 26 May 2009 20:55:20 +0000

Good point, Lauren - but there's no spare there any more! It's gone! ;)

aminorjourney.com : Drive up. Switch out. Drive on. Is it that simple?

Fri, 15 May 2009 05:30:55 +0000

I totally agree. Maybe we need smaller batteries and more charging points...

aminorjourney.com : Zero % Scooter 100% motorbike.

Tue, 12 May 2009 13:43:50 +0000

Fantastic. Thanks for that. I've only ever riden the first gen Vectrix, so I don't have the VX-1 to compare it to. Do you prefer the style of the Vectrix to the Zero S? Great to have another opinion. Just why I blog. Thanks!

aminorjourney.com : Sometimes you have to say "Sorry"

Mon, 4 May 2009 19:54:38 +0000

Exactly. I would rather be proven wrong and see a fantastic new EV than tell everyone about an EV which never actually materialises. I hope my apology is big enough! Slightly frustrating is the person who commented on another post saying I was wrong and had too much free time, even though I'd posted this retraction. Ah well. My mistake!

aminorjourney.com : Remember that new EV? The DVLA thinks that it's petrol-powered, too.

Mon, 4 May 2009 19:33:54 +0000

Actually, I've just written a post (about two hours ago) setting the record straight and apologizing. I'm hoping that you saw that one too! As for the free time. I suspect not. I generally start my day at 6am and finish at 11pm... ;) Thanks for the comments.

aminorjourney.com : There's a new EV on the block. Should the G-Wiz be worried, or is that a photoshopped exhaust?

Fri, 1 May 2009 22:38:13 +0000

It's quite strange. I was stuck behind a black C1 today. I had a good look at the rear while I waited in traffic. And funnily enough, the muffler sits parallel with the license plate. I think it's that which has been blocked off by the photoshop blur. What do you think?

aminorjourney.com : There's a new EV on the block. Should the G-Wiz be worried, or is that a photoshopped exhaust?

Fri, 1 May 2009 10:40:05 +0000

More confusing is the DVLA database, which shows the car as being petrol and not Electric! The plot thickens...

Sent from my iPhone

aminorjourney.com : Identity Insight Crisis

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:06:06 +0000

I think more of a problem with it all is that Honda don't really want to make hybrids or plug ins. They're sold on the Hydrogen fuel cell and seem a little blinkered I often wonder why Honda seem so reluctant to follow the plug in route. Perhaps they have some connection to the Hydrogen industry we don't know about. Toyota, on the other hand, do seem much more pro EV and pro plug in. RAV4EV aside, of course. Do you think that GM will actually continue with the tech, or do you see it branching off and being brought up by an independent company in an elaborate asset-stripping exercise?

aminorjourney.com : Is 12 miles enough?

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:36:14 +0000

Agreed. Even with the pack I've got in my Prius (two additional original batteries in parallel with the stock one) the price is so small to expand the original pack by 300% to 3.5KWH that I can't imagine why Toyota would want to bother wish such a small pack at the factory. 10KWH would only add a tiny bit to the price if it was mass-produced, which of course, all Toyotas are...

aminorjourney.com : Could falling speed limits in UK help town EVs?

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:35:47 +0000

That's a very good point. I used to cycle everywhere, and at the time 20 mph was the cruising speed.

aminorjourney.com : UK government finally publicy announces support for Plug ins, but from 2011.

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:52:54 +0000

This is really troubling news. Where did you find out the extra information? I did try but hit a bit of a brick wall. If non-mainstream cars aren't included then we really are up the creek without a paddle. Perhaps this is the time we step up to the plate and let the UK government know that in order for the plan to work we really do need more incentive, more choice and a quicker start. After all, 2011 is still two years away... I think you've just given me the next post today. Thanks.

aminorjourney.com : SUV loving, EV hating from the Telegraph Newspaper. (again)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:30:11 +0000

[seesmic 1YzQAgleu1|LSdc7UwJtm_th1.jpg http://www.seesmic.com/video/1YzQAgleu1 seesmic]

aminorjourney.com : SUV loving, EV hating from the Telegraph Newspaper. (again)

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:57:07 +0000

Isn't it funny how the two comments I made on the telegraph's website as a Pro EV enthusiast didn't get approved. Hmmm. Biased, unbalnaced reporting, anyone?

aminorjourney.com : Aminorjourney.com needs your input!

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:10:17 +0000

More DIY projects? Absolutely! I was going to do some more anyway. And for those who are curious, my friend's VW golf City Stromer is now running only 10 days after he brought it back from a two year off-road sabbatical in London! It's going to get a little post of it's own :) I'm also hoping that I can blog extensively on any other future EV projects as well as the completion of my PHEV project - which still needs to be properly finished!