I live in Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of the Big Island, Hawaii. I’m a semi-retired, life-long gearhead, living in an area that is perfect for an electric car … Except maybe for our $0.4274/KWh electricity rate. Even so, with gas typically hovering around $4.50/gal for regular it is still an attractive alternative, I think. I guess that is one of the things I hope to learn from this community.
I’m pretty familiar with the format here, having been an active member of the Ultimate Subaru Message Board for twenty years or so.
Other than car hacking (I’ve owned over sixty cars/trucks/motorcycles, and a few airplanes … no boats), I’m involved in flying (30+ year private-SEL/VFR), playing ukulele, hula, Hawaiian language, outrigger canoe paddling, surfing, biking (in 2011 I rode solo from Pt Ludlow, WA to Kittery, ME), skiing, snorkeling, and general messing around on the beach.
I’m happily married 30+ years, my lovely wife is involved with me in all of the above, and we have seven grandkids ranging from college to kindergarten, all living in the Seattle area.
My current thought is to do a conversion sometime in the future, after I finish a project-related employment contract (airport planning), and learn enough from you all to make intelligent decisions. I’m wanting an open ‘beach car’, two to four seats, 75 - 100 mile range, speed to 55 max, 110v charging. Everything I’ve seen on the market either doesn’t fit my ‘mission profile’, sucks, is fugly, or a combination of all three.
I will probably be looking to do the major conversion work at one of my kids places in the Bainbridge, WA area, for several reasons:
- We live in an ocean-front condo with no garage or carport and only one parking space.
- Hawaii is really a third-world country masquerading as a state, and if there is ANY WAY the motor vehicle people can cause you grief, they will.
- Because of 2. It is almost impossible to retitle and license a major reconstruction vehicle. It is FAR easier to do the conversion elsewhere, title, license, and insure it and then import it into the state as a running vehicle. Then I can complete the cosmetics and accessorizing (which will be minimal) here.
That’s my intro and I’m sticking to it. Looking forward to a lot of fun exchange and learning.