Busy and tired but having fun!

The past couple of days has been a challenge as far as the blog is concerned. We have been sharing rooms with up to 8 others and so it has been difficult to keep up with the hectic schedule that is the WAVE 2014! Still, I will try to bring you up to speed.

20140603_083634-1Yesterday morning we were in Wolperthausen and after a very early start we made ouw way to Hittisau to show the cars to school children. I don’t know how many but possibly 100+ all swarmed out of a hall and descended on us waiting electric cars. It was quite something seeing and hearing these kids, about 12-16, all climbing in and asking questions. These are the future drivers and if this is anything to go by then they will all buy electric cars… I am sure.

20140603_101742-1On to Bregenz where we all lined up at an Electrc Mobility conference for the delegates to see.

On to Friedrichshafen to visit the Zeppelin factory. What a treat. We met the current CEO and also Mr Wolfgang von Zeppelin 20140603_115246-1himself. We didn’t have time for a flight but if you get the chance then you can have a scenic flight around the area and over Lake Constance.

Then another treat… a ferry to Konstanz. It was a full-sized ferry but we had it to 20140603_154828-1ourselves so it was full of only electric vehicles. It has been done before (Norway) but this is a very rare event.

In Konstanz we went to the harbour where they had publicised our coming and so we showed the cars to the general public.

20140603_190947-1Finally, on to Mainau Island where we were greeted by the Grafin Bettina Bernadotte and then dinner on the Island with another great talk from chris Paine.

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Today has been busy as per normal… Visit 2 schools before 10am then on to a 100MW hydro power station where we had a guided tour and lunch. On then to Baar and then to Eisiedeln for the overnight. We are getting quite tired so we are having an early night.

More tomorrow.

Day 3… Technical University, Mountains and Alphorns

WOW! The days on the Wave are busy and hectic!

20140602_101904-1Up early and a drive to Munich for breakfast at the Munich University of Technology where they are doing some great reaserch in many automotive and electric vehicle areas. I went on a tour of the Carbon Composites section where we had a great tour of some of their labs where they are doing reasearch into reducing the cost and manufacturing time for carbon composites, particularly for the second generation of the BMW i3 and i8.

Then on the Schwangau where we charged and had a lovely lunch in the open with views of the start of the Alps and Schwangau castle.

20140602_183411-3This was followed by a picturesque drive to Sonnenalp for dinner and a wonderful welcome from the local people with a group of alphorn players. Very different and charming.

Then, as a bit of a highlight, Chris Payne, the director of “Who Killed the Electric 20140602_200036-4Car” and “Revenge of the Electric Car” joined us and gave a very interesting talk. He flew in from LA today and so we will have more opportunity to meet him tomorrow. What a treat.

Tomorrow it is busy as usual. Up at 6.30, breakfast at the hotel and then a 30km drive to Hittisau, Austria… then to Bregenz to show our cars at an Electric Vehicle conference, then to Friedrichshafen for a tour of the Zeppelin factory… then a ride on the Konstanz ferry… then a special event on Mainau Island. This is norrmally closed to cars but we are being allowed on the island. We will be having dinner on the island before returning to Konstanz for overnight.

Not much driving tomorrow but a very busy day.