Gateway EV Club fills my empty nest. So when Chris Adelmann of the St. Louis Auto Dealers Association asked us to provide EV rides at the first EcoCity during the annual St. Louis Auto Show, there could only be one answer. But never mind the rides for other folks, move over Mr. Toad! Lucky I strapped myself in because Bugatti’s Veyron couldn’t have given me a wilder ride.
Kyle's '75 CitiCar in place at the EcoCity que for test track rides
January always drags in my business, so working in the show wasn’t impossible. And we didn’t need to deliver the cars until Thursday. We’d done two-day shows before and this was only twice as long. I emailed for volunteers to drop off cars Thursday at door 2A between 1 and 5 p.m. and pick them up on Sunday at 5 p.m. Separately, I asked for folks to work the booth and drive if necessary. Enough people stepped up, some who had another show the weekend before – what a great group! Emailed details to show volunteers.
Excitement for the show ramped up January 9th at our monthly meeting with two new members. Kyle Feller and dad Helmut told us of Kyle’s recent acquisition, a bright yellow ’75 CitiCar in superb condition. We had to show that car! (I had never seen one, and I’m certainly old enough.) And the Tesla. I wasn’t about to ask Teresa Knight and Marc Clemente to have people climb in and out of their automotive work of art for four days, but knew people would flock to see it displayed.
After the meeting I drive by the bicycle shop that a member recommended we contact about the show. No bike shop to be seen at that address. I also drive by the convention center. No door 2A. There’s a 2 and a 3A. No 2A!
Schedule a go-cart committee meeting Tuesday night before the car show so members can talk about the project before the next monthly meeting.
Call another bike shop in Tennessee about showing bikes. They’ll call back. They didn’t. Call the bike shop I cannot find. He’s out of the business – too seasonal.
Thursday, January 20, four of the seven cars I had planned on will not make the show! Email another plea for volunteers – and another member comes through with two cars with more seats. When one door closes . . .
Sent emails to media folks who’ve covered our appearances in the past. Kristen Cornett of KMOV could only get a photog on Wednesday morning. I have an assignment at 1 p.m. in West County, but I should make that, so certainly, I’ll be there (and Jeff Dale will too and he lives in Alton, IL. What a trooper!) Suddenly the show had grown to five days.
Marc Clemente answered Tesla questions for four days of the Show
An email from Chris asks if our cars could be there on Tuesday between 1 and 5 p.m. instead of Thursday. Sure – six days. Later, a member can’t make ’til 5:30 p.m. Tuesday just got a little longer.
Monday night Jean Ponzi’s scheduled call comes at 7:28 p.m. for her Earthworms show on KDHX. We discussed the need for charging stations, the coming St. Louis Auto Show and the beautiful Yellow Wood tree in City Garden.
Monday evening offered an assignment Tuesday morning that would end about noon (the chance to make a buck and still do the club stuff – great)! Downside – I’ll be tromping about St. Louis in dress clothes and nonsensical shoes.
On Tuesday, everyone shows up early. Mike the electrician DELIGHTFULLY provides power to our chargers. Leza Fluchel, Director of Communications with the St. Louis Auto Dealers Association, asks me for someone to do a live shot for KMOV, the CBS affiliate. Sure. Be here at 4:30 a.m. Who could I ask? I’ll be there. Later I learn that I need to be at the convention center at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. At about 5 p.m. Tuesday the member I expected at 5:30 p.m. arrives early! Thank you, my dress shod feet screamed! Drop a member home on my way to Chesterfield (opposite direction from home) for a 7 p.m. meeting about our go-cart project. All went well with plenty of pictures for our next monthly meeting.
Wednesday, 4:15 am RING RING! Leza . . . something about a fire . . . the live shot is dead. Later I learn Wenneman’s Meat Processing in St. Libory, IL burned. Even the piggies get out unharmed (saved for now!) Live shot re-scheduled for Thursday. I had told Kristen we might be able to chauffeur her and her photog around the EcoCity track. When the time comes all of our vehicles sit on the wrong side of the ‘air wall’, a divider to keep out the bitter cold. But a word to Chris and we were off to EcoCity in the Rav4 EV. All goes well. Made the afternoon assignment.
Thursday, 4:15 a.m. RING RING! Leza . . . equipment problems . . . this story is cursed . . . be here at 6:30 a.m. My groggy brain takes 10 minutes to figure how long I can sleep. The reporter and photog finally show up at 7:30 a.m. My five second sound bite amuses my daughter because it refers to economics (the class I smoked cigars in at college)! Then the people come to talk about electric cars. And to ride in them. And talk about solutions.
But you don’t want to hear about how well the next four days went. Or how the club pitched in. Well maybe about the little girl I drove around the track in the electric VW who said, “I want a bug like this!” Or the hotel manager who asks what it takes to install a charging station. Oh, I almost forgot! The Chevy Volt looked really cool sitting next to the CitiCar. People really liked it.
Things go so well I have bruises from pinching myself – until the show is almost over. Sunday, the storm of the century charges toward us (but it’s only 2011!). Concern over the weather makes sense. How soon can we get these cars out? Rotate them, charge them so they have juice to get home. Deal with the great rush to empty the convention center so the EcoCity can disappear as quickly as it arose.
It all works out except I can’t reach the Fellers. Only the Citycar won’t move under its own power. Kyle hadn’t time to replace the old batteries. They had trailered it in and we had pushed the tiny car down the sidewalk. But Kyle didn’t get the memo (’cause I hadn’t sent it to him). I have Kyle’s email address, but no phone number (sure thought I did). I phone a member to email Kyle to call me, but I can’t wait. Fall-back plan: push the Citycar down the block to a parking garage until we reach the owners, but I don’t like the idea. On Tuesday, I had seen the Model T club bring in a vintage Ford truck on a trailer. Maybe there will be room for the little electric behind the truck. Those guys had been friendly and would understand my plight. I stand by the door brainstorming and overhear a security guard, “Tell ‘em to come to door 2A.” I can’t bear to tell him.
Good news, Marty Luepker of the Model T club (and more importantly, owner of “The Feasting Fox” restaurant and bar) wants to help, and he has a warehouse not far away. But even such a little car won’t fit on the trailer. Do we have a rope. Nope. Marty finds a web strap (camo, no less) and goes for his Jeep.
What had looked like a 10-foot strap shrinks to five as I look down the steep yellow nose of the Citycar at the Jeep’s BRAKE LIGHTS. Then I find out how touchy the thirty-five year old brake pedal is. Before I can melt down, we’re off for parts unknown. Will Kyle ever forgive me if I wreck his barn find? The stuff of legends? But Marty has done this before. The Jeep’s brake lights never glow. Looks like I’ll buy the beer at “The Feasting Fox.” I relax as we settle to a halt at a traffic light next to a car with two lovely young ladies in the front seat. As the passenger snaps a phone photo she giggles, “We love your car! It looks like a grilled cheese sandwich!”
