Wednesday went well with over 25 area fleet managers and car dealers coming in to take a look at the hydraulic hybrid system and to talk about the retrofit that we will have available for fleets in the Fall. (We will post more about that later this week.)
Friday dawned clear and sunny and all was looking good with the car. The door was opening, the hydraulics were functioning, the car was running. Around 2 p.m. a huge thunderstorm hit the area with strong winds and torrential rain. And yes, some spectacular lightning.
At the same time, the LH4 clamshell door started malfunctioning. Then we blew a hose in the hydraulic system which drained it, making it inoperable.* You can imagine, the tension in the garage was very high.
As 4:30 drew nearer, the sky cleared, and we came to grips with the fact that the car was going to stay in the garage for the open house. (Sorry Mayor Pielin - we'll take you for a ride soon!)
We braced ourselves for the crowd at the door at 4:30 and were pleasantly surprised with the support and understanding of our guests. Over the course of the evening we showed about 350 of our fellow Lovelanders, and others from as far away as Minnesota, our shop and the temporarily docked LH4.
Tim Reeser, Lightning Hybrids Co-Founder (center, gray shirt), talks to the open house crowd. The LH4 is on the left with the clamshell door open. (Photo courtesy Jeff Barr.)
Thank you to everyone who came out! Your enthusiastic show of support and your thoughtful comments and suggestions were just what we needed at the end of long week.
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*If you're wondering what happens when you blow a hose in the hydraulic system, the answer is: nothing dramatic, just a big puddle of hydraulic fluid... Unfortunately our technician, Chris, happened to be under the car at that moment. His hair really glistened after that.
photos copyright Reuters/Rick Wilking 