The End of Vectrix - Liquidation Sale after Bankruptcy :-(

This time it looks like it is really over for Vectrix :-(

After filing bankruptcy few weeks ago, the second time in this history of the brand, Vectrix is really going down and a liquidation sale is scheduled for June in New Bedford

Liquidation Link: http://www.pesco.com/servlet/SelectAuction.do?auctionId=9256



Liquidation Photos: http://www.pesco.com/servlet/PrepareDownloadContent.do?auctionId=9256&lotId=0&documentSerialNumber=1026.0

The American company released their famous NiMH powered battery maxi scooter back in 2006, a machine with 'No Compromise', built with top of the line quality components:
- Marzocchi fork
- Brembo brakes
- Sachs shocks
- German planetary gear set
- 20kW AC Motor
- 4.7kWh NiMH Battery Pack
- Specific Aluminum Chassis

In 2009, Gold Peak or GP, the  Hong Kong based famous Battery maker, injected 5 Million in Vectrix to wipe of 3 Millions of debts and carry on 
They continued production, and a plant was built in Poland for the European market
Then they started the Li and Li+ version, with a new Lithium ion battery pack ...

In 2012, after hearing about brand new Lithium factory made VX-1 having battery pack problems after few months, I wrote this post about LiFePO4 Battery Charging, hoping some Vectrix engineer would read it and change the way they handle Lithium cells

Somebody could have taken over Vectrix again, and I was thinking of Renault, or Nissan, with AESC / LEAF Battery Modules that fit perfectly and require almost no change to the existing scooter ! But I guess they do not even know about it, although I talk a bout it to somebody at Renault about this possibility

So, now it is the end, and it is a shame and a waste, because it was a great machine, and this failure has been caused by the lack of knowledge on LiFePO4 charging method and management, which is so simple in the end ... I wrote a lot on this already and proved that it works over several years now ...

V is for Voltage thread : http://visforvoltage.org/forum/13769-auction-remaining-vectrix-assets

USA New Energy Storage Bill : Home owners can install their own ESS and get 30% off in tax credit !

US senators introduce energy storage bill

U.S. Senators have introduced a Storage Technology for Renewable and Green Energy Act for 2013. This Act, also known as the STORAGE Act, will promote the deployment of energy storage technologies in the U.S. All storage technologies are supported by the bill.

I read in this article that Home Owners could get a 30% tax credit building their own DIY ESS, which I think is great :-)

"Home owners can also install their own storage solutions. The Act will provide for 30% tax credit for homeowners for on-site energy storage to store off-peak electricity from solar panels for use when needed during peak hours."

Maybe some americans could be interested in my DIY ESS since they could pay only 70% of its cost ... which should be close to 3,000 USD after incentive (maybe less since many components can be found in the US). Pretty cool, things are starting to move...


My DIY ESS is doing exactly this, automatically: http://diyesskit.blogspot.com




Source: PV Magazine

Vectrix vs T-Max 2 - More pics side by side

Seeing the interest people got in my first Vectrix vs T-Max comparison post, I just took more pictures of the 2 machines side by side this morning