KICK GAS movie featuring Nissan Leaf at www.KickGas.tv!!!

[benswing]

KICK GAS the movie will be released on April 22, 2014 and will be available to see on Amazon.com and at KickGas.tv! The movie follows a group of people crossing the USA in an attempt to set 4 Guinness World Records on all electric vehicles including a Nissan Leaf, a Zero S electric motorcycle, two Xenon electric scooters and an A2B electric bicycle. Follow 10 people on their journey as they battle weather, fatigue, charging infrastructure and popped tires to make it from Charleston, SC to Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

The trailer and an interview with the film director can be found using this link. Check it out!

http://insideevs.com/kick-gas-movie-44-cities-44-days-4000-miles-0-gas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[LeftieBiker]

I'm guessing it's the guy on the bicycle battling fatigue...?

 

[benswing]

I'm guessing it's the guy on the bicycle battling fatigue...?

It definitely wasn't the guy driving the Leaf!

 

[benswing]

Kick Gas the movie is available now for your viewing pleasure! You can see it in the comfort of your own home.

Download the movie at http://www.KickGas.tv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and watch the inspirational journey of a variety of electric vehicles, including a Nissan Leaf, as they attempt to break four Guinness World Records!

 

[EVDRIVER]

Charging with the stock 120V cord, talk about pain!

 

[DarkStar]

Anyone have the Amazon.com link? I'm not finding it...

 

[benswing]

Charging with the stock 120V cord, talk about pain!

We only used the stock 120V cord once or twice the entire way. It wouldn't be possible to average 100 miles per day while charging on 110V.

We had a 2013 Leaf (thank goodness!) and charged using 220V air conditioner plugs at night. During the day we would sometimes stop at an EVSE (on the East Coast or in CA) or at a 50A outlet at an RV park (in the midwest).

Charging ended up being easier than expected, but definitely not always easy.

 

[philipscoggins]

I was trying to find on Amazon too (to help bump it up in popularity scales) and can't find it either.

Someone post a link when it's found.

 

[Nubo]

Imho, a documentary of the trials and privations of driving cross-country in short-range electric cars, motorcycles (and mopeds!?), will only feed into the negative perceptions that people already hold. If I were one of the Koch brothers, I would have financed the entire project.

 

[asimba2]

We had a 2013 Leaf (thank goodness!) and charged using 220V air conditioner plugs at night. During the day we would sometimes stop at an EVSE (on the East Coast or in CA) or at a 50A outlet at an RV park (in the midwest).

I downloaded the movie and watched it last night. I definitely enjoyed it and it makes me want to take longer trips in my Leaf. (Not cross-country though.)

What type of EVSE did you guys use and did you have a variety of adapters for different outlet types (NEMA 14-50 10-30, etc.)?

 

[benswing]

Will look into the Amazon link. Right now it is available at http://www.KickGas.tv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Leaf charged every night using A/C plugs by putting a wire through the first floor window opening at hotels where we stayed. I believe this used a NEMA 6-20 connection. Depending how you count it (# of outlets or kWh), the Leaf charged 60 or 90% with that connection every night. (I believe this was a beta test for the Turbo Cord now offered by Aerovironment. We did not have the Turbo Cord as it is configured now.)

The Leaf charged during the day using a Level 2 charger with a J1772 connection about 15 or 4% of the time.

The leaf charged during the day using a NEMA 14-50 about 15 or 4% of the time.

A few times we were at a restaurant with no access to 220V outlets, and we got permission to grab a few electrons using the 110V cord that comes with the car. (10% or 2% for those of you keeping track...)

We had 3 separate charging cords and I believe there was one that we had that we didn't use (I don't recall which outlet it fit).

 

[Rat]

I tried to get this streaming through Amazon and could not do so. First, I had to register my Roku device. It was given to me by a friend when he got a new TV with a direct Internet connection built in. I've been able to watch Netflix there but not Amazon, so I first had to create a Roku account. That took almost an hour. It was one of the most painful Live Chat experiences I've ever had, and at the end they wouldn't take credit card information but they created an account for me that I can sign into to add the credit card info. I then went to the Roku interface and linked my Amazon account to the Roku device so that I could make purchases from Amazon through the Roku. That took about 15 minutes. Finally I got Amazon added to my Roku channels and a message that said I could now make purchases at Amazon; it showed the last 4 digits of my credit card I use for Amazon. I then searched Amazon movies. That's a slow process too, since the Roku interface isn't really designed for text searching, but after I go as far as KICK G it autocompleted with KICK GAS. Looking good, I thought. But as soon as I highlighted KICK GAS and pressed enter, it said the search produced no result and left me with a blank screen. So why did it autocomplete the full name if it had no record? If the problem was lack of a Roku credit card, then why didn't say that rather than say no record? Isn't technology wonderful? Almost an hour and a half and I got no further than I was before. (Not quite true - I can now hear my Pandora channels through the Roku, too.) So if anyone figures out how to actually watch it through Amazon, please explain it here.

 

[Volusiano]

I own 2 A2B bikes so it's refreshing to see some A2B riders in the mix. I'm curious how the A2B rider(s) kept up with the rest of the group going at top speed of 20 mph only? Also, the A2B battery range is also only up to 20 miles per battery. So how did it keep up with the charging? Unless several external batteries are used each day and charged in parallel at night.

 

[UBUYGAS]

I want one of those bikes! they look so cool!

I own 2 A2B bikes so it's refreshing to see some A2B riders in the mix. I'm curious how the A2B rider(s) kept up with the rest of the group going at top speed of 20 mph only? Also, the A2B battery range is also only up to 20 miles per battery. So how did it keep up with the charging? Unless several external batteries are used each day and charged in parallel at night.

 

[UBUYGAS]

Ben,

I want to be able to buy the movie on my Apple TV, I already bought it on my PC but I want to see it in my living room. I guess I can hook up a laptop to my TV but I'd rather just buy it on iTunes.

Any chance it showing up on iTunes?

Sal

Will look into the Amazon link. Right now it is available at http://www.KickGas.tv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Leaf charged every night using A/C plugs by putting a wire through the first floor window opening at hotels where we stayed. I believe this used a NEMA 6-20 connection. Depending how you count it (# of outlets or kWh), the Leaf charged 60 or 90% with that connection every night. (I believe this was a beta test for the Turbo Cord now offered by Aerovironment. We did not have the Turbo Cord as it is configured now.)

The Leaf charged during the day using a Level 2 charger with a J1772 connection about 15 or 4% of the time.

The leaf charged during the day using a NEMA 14-50 about 15 or 4% of the time.

A few times we were at a restaurant with no access to 220V outlets, and we got permission to grab a few electrons using the 110V cord that comes with the car. (10% or 2% for those of you keeping track...)

We had 3 separate charging cords and I believe there was one that we had that we didn't use (I don't recall which outlet it fit).

 

[TimLee]

I own 2 A2B bikes so it's refreshing to see some A2B riders in the mix. I'm curious how the A2B rider(s) kept up with the rest of the group going at top speed of 20 mph only? Also, the A2B battery range is also only up to 20 miles per battery. So how did it keep up with the charging? Unless several external batteries are used each day and charged in parallel at night.

Based on discussions with them at the stop in Chattanooga they had a lot of batteries that they charged overnight.

 

[Boomer23]

I bought the movie on Vimeo through the Kick Gas web site and paid via Pay Pal. I downloaded the movie to my PC and Vimeo's FAQs instruct that you can load a video from your PC to an iOS device via iTunes. I haven't tried that yet.

I enjoyed the film, and having made the effort to get a small group of LEAFers out to greet the intrepid and inspiring participants in Orange County, it has special meaning for me. They are an adventurous, energetic and committed group, who are among the few who have really "walked the talk" about publicizing the importance of electric transportation as an alternative to dirty oil. Those who say that the difficulty of the trip only emphasizes that EVs haven't arrived at a practical level yet are missing the point. Every paradigm shift starts somewhere and then builds momentum. There's no question that we're not at the point where EVs can replace all ICEs, but we need projects like this and many more to continue to capture the public's imagination and show that great progress has been made and continues to be made.

The director, Jonathan Becker, did a terrific job of editing what must have been many hours of content to produce not only a story about a disparate group of adventurers, most of whom started out as strangers, not only a story about a shared quest, but a very human story about America and some of its citizens that the group met along their way. Becker focuses on some crusty and compelling characters, a uniquely American human disaster in one town, and the story of Route 66 is woven into this film in a new way. The presence of English Ben (not benswing, but the older fellow who rode the A2B bike), and Rachel from Australia neither of whom had traveled the US before, give us a view of our country through newcomers' eyes. I always enjoy that. All in all, a very nice accomplishment.

 

[eHelmholtz]

I enjoyed the film, and having made the effort to get a small group of LEAFers out to greet the intrepid and inspiring participants in Orange County, it has special meaning for me.

You're famous Boomer!

 

[benswing]

The A2B bikes were very popular when we stopped by each town and often had a town party where we showed off the vehicles.

Yes, we had about 20 batteries for the A2B electric bicycles and sometimes the Leaf carried the extra batteries, sometimes the scooters would carry them, so Ben Hopkins could keep riding all day long. Some days other people joined him on the bike. I really wanted to do that for a day, but had to keep riding my motorcycle.

Sorry for you guys having difficulty seeing the movie. As far as I know the movie is not available on Amazon.com or iTunes, but you can see it at http://www.KickGas.tv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I don't know anything further about whether it will appear on different formats.

Glad you enjoyed the movie! We think it shows the Leaf in a very positive light!

 

[benswing]

For those of you who are Electric Auto Association members, there is a discount to buy the movie. Go to http://www.ElectricAuto.org and click on the link for Kick Gas.

If you aren't a member of the Electric Auto Association, I recommend joining. It's a great group and you can find people near you who also drive electric. In addition, their newsletter Current EVents is one of the most informative news sources for EV drivers.

Enjoy!