Great video, I teach auto shop in New Jersey and I did a conversion back in 2009. I learned how to build electric cars in a class in San Diego 2008. Class was put on by a group called The kick Gas Club A lot of the class members were inspired by this T-zero
I don`t think Alan Cocconi really gets enough credit for electric car development. I love this channel. I used to think AC propulsion stood for alternating current propulsion but I realize that it could also mean Alan Cocconi propulsion.
The way they fight li-ion battery fires now is they just continue pouring water on the burning battery purely for cooling, to keep the non-burning cells from getting hot and igniting. The cells that are already burning will burn completely regardless, but the cooling stops the fire from spreading. This is of course very difficult to do in an intact battery pack due to the metal enclosure, but if, like in this case, you literally just opened the pack, keeping it cool using water should work just fine. Also, as the pack isn't grounded, the risk of electric shock is small.
The trailer hitch was the Longer Ranger. It was a NG power motor from the xbox that they made 100% electric. I call it a detachable hybrid! The hitch had 2 side connrctions that made backing up simple. I rode in the Lithium T-ZERO with Tom Gage when he came to our 2004 Scottsdale SolFest. ED Begely Jr also came out and gave great talks on how to be more ECO and efficient. Low hanging fruit he called it.
That must’ve been painful to have to sit back and watch your buildng burn for 3 hours with all the treasures inside. Hopefully you rebuilt it bigger and better.
A real tragedy losing this piece of EV history. AC propulsion made a more viable EV than anyone else back then, and consequently inspired the Tesla founders to move forward. I remember seeing videos of this car smoking Porsches and Ferraris back then, and saw that this little car was the future of transportation.
It started whike they were charging a bricked pack they fixed. It has to be very slow and steady. Someone trying to speed that up on a Fruday afternoon to get donexatcwork.
What a piece of automotive history. The TRUE beginning of it all. Without Elon. There must have been a degree of pain in creating this video, Thank You So Much. BTW.......what do you think about the Aptera ?
They paved the way forTesla as we know it. In this car there was probably the entire concept for the Tesla Roadster and then Model S. This is absolutely a first to see 18650 Li Ion Cylindrical Cells assembled in packs, and this is th way Teslas were built. AC Motor as in Teslas before Model 3. What we can not see is the inverter technology and i am pretty curious if AC propulsion introduced the use of discrete TO247 IGBTs in parallel. This allows a cheap inverter construction.
I know it’s just a lightly modified kit car fiberglass body on their drive train, but GOD would I kill for one of these. The design screams late 90s/early 00s, and it’s electric to boot. Damn, reality sucks
Thank you very much for the information, and could you please let us now why do you think manufacturers don't allow that regeneration adjustment anymore? Thanks!
Wow...I did not know about the Tzero...Would be nice to still have one of them around...great story...thank you for letting us know about the back story of the Tesla Roadster birth.
Are you one of those insensitive idiots that berates parents who have just lost a child to an accident by holding them responsible? Do you really think we planned a fire, were negligent in any way for it occurring, and are flippant about as you point out losing a rare and invaluable historic icon? Your social skills and perspectives need a major overhaul.
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My heart skipped a beat when you spoke of the fire. Love this channel! Keep up the great work!
Great Video - thanks for posting, Pete about what must have been a very painful episode
Thanks for making this video! Will the remnants of the Tzero make their way to a car museum at some point?
We are planning on another video segment discussing a rebuild.
Great video, I teach auto shop in New Jersey and I did a conversion back in 2009. I learned how to build electric cars in a class in San Diego 2008. Class was put on by a group called The kick Gas Club A lot of the class members were inspired by this T-zero
Ron Grosinger: kick gas really kicks ass I guess.
This car was an inspiration to so many. EVen the backtracking range trailer was so innovative. Thanks for sharing this video of such a historic car!
Awesome story. I wonder if the EV community realizes the historical significance of this one of three pioneer cars.
I don`t think Alan Cocconi really gets enough credit for electric car development. I love this channel. I used to think AC propulsion stood for alternating current propulsion but I realize that it could also mean Alan Cocconi propulsion.
The way they fight li-ion battery fires now is they just continue pouring water on the burning battery purely for cooling, to keep the non-burning cells from getting hot and igniting. The cells that are already burning will burn completely regardless, but the cooling stops the fire from spreading.
This is of course very difficult to do in an intact battery pack due to the metal enclosure, but if, like in this case, you literally just opened the pack, keeping it cool using water should work just fine. Also, as the pack isn't grounded, the risk of electric shock is small.
Maybe they could squirt it with liquid nitrogen to cool it off.
Beautiful Video !!! Very informative. Sorry for the loss. I'm pretty sure today a T-Zero was a good $$$ investment as collectable.
Thank you for sharing historical information. What a pity that you lost the TZero.
Despite its current condition, the legend survives.
Awesome video Pete, I had seen this much earlier in history and had no idea that it happened @ Gruber Motors.
What precautions have you taken to prevent any future fires like this one?
Do you plan to rebuild it, or retrofit a Roadster to the t-zero chassis, so it could be "restored"?
Eat Amps That’s not a bad idea...maybe we could do another segment on a potential rebuild.
@@grubermotorcompany That would be amazing! Cheers!
The trailer hitch was the Longer Ranger. It was a NG power motor from the xbox that they made 100% electric. I call it a detachable hybrid!
The hitch had 2 side connrctions that made backing up simple.
I rode in the Lithium T-ZERO with Tom Gage when he came to our 2004 Scottsdale SolFest. ED
Begely Jr also came out and gave great talks on how to be more ECO and efficient. Low hanging fruit he called it.
Legendary stuff!
That must’ve been painful to have to sit back and watch your buildng burn for 3 hours with all the treasures inside. Hopefully you rebuilt it bigger and better.
A real tragedy losing this piece of EV history. AC propulsion made a more viable EV than anyone else back then, and consequently inspired the Tesla founders to move forward. I remember seeing videos of this car smoking Porsches and Ferraris back then, and saw that this little car was the future of transportation.
I'd like to thank you for the very interesting content of your video's.
👍🤙
Sorry you had all that loss. Interesting video.
How did the fire start?
It started whike they were charging a bricked pack they fixed. It has to be very slow and steady. Someone trying to speed that up on a Fruday afternoon to get donexatcwork.
What a piece of automotive history. The TRUE beginning of it all. Without Elon. There must have been a degree of pain in creating this video, Thank You So Much. BTW.......what do you think about the Aptera ?
Thanks Love it😊
Wow - really interesting piece of EV history.
I saw a T Zero at our World Record event for Teslas at SAP Cupertino
28 lead-acid batteries!? Remarkable.
That is insane, a sub 4 second car with lead acid.
@@macrumpton Maybe lead-acid ain't so bad afterall! haha
They paved the way forTesla as we know it.
In this car there was probably the entire concept for the Tesla Roadster and then Model S.
This is absolutely a first to see 18650 Li Ion Cylindrical Cells assembled in packs, and this is th way Teslas were built.
AC Motor as in Teslas before Model 3.
What we can not see is the inverter technology and i am pretty curious if AC propulsion introduced the use of discrete TO247 IGBTs in parallel. This allows a cheap inverter construction.
What a shame to lose all those cool cars.
So tiny even compared to the Roadster!
I know it’s just a lightly modified kit car fiberglass body on their drive train, but GOD would I kill for one of these. The design screams late 90s/early 00s, and it’s electric to boot. Damn, reality sucks
Rebuild it! Go!!
What a pity that you lost that car... 😮💨😮💨😮💨
Regenerative braking is adjustable in my Tesla Model 3.
The 3 can adjust to one of 2 settings. The TZero was variable on a slide switch. 10 to 100%.
Not anymore. And before it was only 2 settings.
Not as variable as the Tzero had. Model 3 had 2 settings. T zero had a slide adjustment for hundreds of levels.
Thank you very much for the information, and could you please let us now why do you think manufacturers don't allow that regeneration adjustment anymore? Thanks!
Wow...I did not know about the Tzero...Would be nice to still have one of them around...great story...thank you for letting us know about the back story of the Tesla Roadster birth.
They didn't know how to fight the fire back then, have they learned in case it happens again?
Thanks for letting perhaps the most important piece of transportation history burn to the ground.
Are you one of those insensitive idiots that berates parents who have just lost a child to an accident by holding them responsible? Do you really think we planned a fire, were negligent in any way for it occurring, and are flippant about as you point out losing a rare and invaluable historic icon?
Your social skills and perspectives need a major overhaul.
I hope insurance help you out on your lost"