Rickard Electric Beck Speedster, Руководство пользователя

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Rickard Electric Special Edition – Owner’s Manual
Page 13 of 30
Turn the ignition key one detent to clockwise (right). A single red indicator
light should light on the combination gage indicating the vehicle is ready for
operation. You may hear some very quiet, but audible sound from the coolant
pump, heat exchanger fan, and AC induction motor fan in the rear engine bay.
GEAR SELECTION
The Rickard Electric uses the same familiar VW transaxle common in the Beck
Speedster class. Reverse is a little interesting until you become accustomed to
it as you need to push down, or “in” on the gear shift selector for this gear
alone before putting it into position left and aft towards you.
The remaining gears are 1
st
through 4
th
in the standard H configuration with
1
st
gear left and forward, second gear left and aft, third gear right and forward,
and fourth gear, right and aft.
It is actually not necessary to use the clutch at all when pulling away from a
stop or when stopped at a stop light. But it is suggested that you use the
clutch when shifting gears while in motion to match the electric motor rpm to
the new gear ratio.
We went to great lengths in selecting gear ratios to properly match this drive
motor to the Speedster driving characteristics. The motor is capable of a top
speed of 6500 rpm but is electronically limited to 6300 rpm. A brief study of
the performance graphs in the front of the manual will familiarize you with
optimum shift points. But you will very quickly develop a feel for the car and
you can really operate at almost any speed in any gear without harming the
motor or drive train.
DRIVING
Do take care on acceleration during your first few weeks of driving this car. A
great deal of our sense of speed and acceleration is derived from the “roar of
the engine” we are accustomed to in ICE cars. There is no roar from an electric
vehicle and you can find yourself far in excess of the speed limit in just a few
seconds if you are unaccustomed to this.
Similarly, there is no engine compression to slow you down when you take your
foot off the throttle. In many electric cars, they employ a kind of pseudo
“neutral band” regenerative braking that engages when you remove throttle
pressure. This will slow the car and recapture some of the kinetic energy of the
cars forward motion to recharge the batteries and simulates the engine
compression pressure we are all accustomed to.