July 17 (3) Start Day - Go East, young frog!

Leaving Westwood on the freeway heading east, the traffic is moderate by LA standards. There are lots of cars, speeding up, slowing down, speeding up again, as cars get on, move around, and get off the freeway.

It turns out that this is a great way to drive the electric Spark. Mo told me about regenerative charging. Now I see it in action. When I slow down by taking my foot off the accelerator or when I use the brake, the car RECHARGES the battery. The dash readout shows me when I am charging. It is very exciting. I want to see the green spinning arrows!

For a while, I am driving and driving, covering miles on the ground, but the dash shows the available miles going UP. After I have been driving for 20 minutes, it says I have 111 miles left, with a range of 120 at the top and 91 at the bottom. Magic!

And, yes, we all know magic is an illusion. So are those miles. They are potential, based on the way I am driving now and the road conditions, like the road surface and outside temperature. They will be actual only if I continue to drive exactly as I have been in the same conditions.

When I start driving faster consistently, above 50 mph, the numbers drop down. After 50 miles on the ground, the dash says I have 30 miles left, with a range of 40 to 20.

I head for the Upton Walmart with its level 3 charger.