Roderick aka "Wildman"

Roderick Wilde was born in a time and place that no longer exist of an alien mother and a mechanical father and that is the truth! The time was September 16th 1948 and the place was Shelton General Hospital which they tore down years ago. His mother is still an alien, registered that is, and is originally from Canada. His father who passed away several years ago was for years the Service Manager of a Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. Roderick grew up around cars and started building his first Street Rod while still in grade school.

When he graduated from high school he went into the machine trades and became a journeyman Aerospace Machinist in record time. He also managed to get in a couple years of college. Over the years he has worked as a motorcycle mechanic in Fairbanks Alaska, an auto mechanic in Valdez, Alaska, Ogden, Utah, as well as Boulder Creek, California, Shelton, Washington and Port Townsend, Washington. He also worked as a machinist from Washington to California. He has owned and run his own auto repair shops.

He first got interested in electric vehicles back in 1992 and was a founding member of NOPEC (Northern Olympic Peninsula Electric Cars) the local electric car club in Port Townsend. In 1993 he entered his first electric car race held at PIR (Phoenix International Raceways) in Phoenix, Arizona. In a ten lap race to showcase street legal EVs (electric vehicles) he lapped three fourths of his competition and was about two thirds of a lap ahead of his nearest competitor, a Ford Mustang built by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Because of the speed on the PIR track without a roll cage they decided to not have any street electric races there. With a good car and nowhere to race he started experimenting and hopping it up even more and thus began his electric drag racing career.

He still has the car that won in Phoenix so long ago. It has morphed into the “Maniac Mazda” which is the first electric street bodied car to break the 100 mph barrier in the quarter mile. It also holds two class World Records with NEDRA (the National Electric Drag Racing Association). Roderick is currently the President of this organization. With some driving tips from Chip Hanauer he improved his driving skills and later went on to enter electric road racing at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix with a converted Ford Taurus which was built in 1994 at his first EV business Wilde Evolutions, Inc, with partner Bob Rickard. The second and third vehicles they built became quite famous.

One was the world’s first electric Street Rod named “Lightening Rod II after the late Ed Rannberg’s “Lightning Rod” electric land speed racing streamliner. This car was featured on the front cover of the September 1995 issue of “Street Rod Action” as well as in the September issue of “Street Rodder” magazine after being named one of the top ten cars by “Street Rodder” in the Sixth Annual Goodguys Spring Rod and Custom Nationals held in Pomona, California. It was also a featured car in two International Auto Exhibitions and the “Concors de Elegance” in Palm Springs as well as the magazine “EV World” of Tokyo, Japan. In 2000 in took a first place in the Portland Rodster show. It has also appeared on television, most notable ESPN’s RPM tonight and “The New Edge” as well as on three major German TV networks.

The other vehicle of notoriety was the 1971 British Land Rover Series IIA 88 that they converted to battery power. It entered the San Francisco Clean Air Rally in 1995. It logged a very respectable 50 miles of city and freeway driving in it’s over two ton, un-aerodynamic form. It later went to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab in 1999 and astounded many there by climbing the famous “Dump Bump”, an over 50 degree slope that many attempt but according to Jim Allen writing for “Four Wheeler Magazine” “Perhaps one in 50 vehicles is able to scramble up it. Some end up on their roofs. Many scatter drive train parts across the countryside in their attempts.” The January 2000 issue of LRM (Land Rover Monthly) from Britain had a great article on this adventure as well as the December issue of “Four Wheeler “.

In March of 1996 at the EVTC and APS sponsored Saturday Night Electric Drags at Firebird International Raceway Roderick was lined up next to General Motors’ new electric “Impact” that was the prototype for the EV1. This vehicle had earlier done 183 mph at a track in Texas. With a gearing change the GM team felt no electric car could out accelerate them. When the light turned green Roderick must have been sleeping as the GM car launched ahead of the red Mazda RX7. When he finally woke up and nailed it he stormed past them before they reached the Christmas tree lights and left them in the dust. The crowd cheered and screamed “DC Rules”. Earlier in the day in a road race with their 216 volt powered Ford Taurus Roderick had passed all the competitors in the straightaway but spun out in the turn one hairpin. Tom Sneeva of Indy fame was the second one into the turn and hit the Tarus head on in his APS sponsored Ford Probe. In reporting on the event The Las Angelos times refered to Roderick as a “racing daredevil”.

That night at a local Pizza eatery the amp heads talked of forming an electric drag racing association. In the spring of 1997 ampheads from around the country gathered in the Wilde Evolution offices in Jerome Arizona for two days of intense meetings to iron out the bylaws and class divisions. Present were John “Plasma Boy” Wayland from Portland Oregon who became NEDRA’s President, Roderick who became Vice President, Lou Tauber from Portland also who became the Secretary/Treasurer, Bill Dube, an engineer from Denver Colorado who became the National Tech Director who wrote all the safety rules, Dean Grannes and Stephanie Matsumora who took on the duties of webmaster and membership secretary. Dennis Berube showed up to give his input. This was the beginning of NEDRA which is still growing and putting on EV drag racing events. In 1999 Bill Dube and Roderick lobbied the NHRA to include electric cars and electric motorcycles in NHRA racing. The NHRA had a rule in their book since their formation in 1953 that you must have an internal combustion engine. The new rule allowing electrics was approved and was first published in the 1999 NHRA rulebook.

Around 2001 Roderick’s partner in Wilde Evolutions, Bob Rickard, wanted to retire. Roderick wanted to start a new business that encompassed all vehicles powered by electricity. He met “Father Time’s” son Tom True who had believed in the viability of EV transportation for years and wanted to be involved in the business so EV Parts was formed. Roderick became the President of EV Parts and Tom True the Vice President. EV Parts is a little over two years old and continues to expand. With racing in his blood Roderick is still burning rubber and providing more fuel for the “Wildman” handle.

Donald Crabtree aka "Father Time"

Donald "Father Time" Crabtree was born in Kingston, WA, in 1936. He served 7 years in the Coast Guard, studied engineering at Olympic College and holds a degree in Fine Arts / Sculpture from the University of Washington. While studying there in the early 1970's, he developed an interest in alternative energy, which was further stimulated by Douglas Adams' reference to the "Improbability Drive" in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Don spent 20 years designing machinery for the panel sawing industry. During this time, he became involved in electric hydroplane racing with Seattle Outboard Association. This led in 1997 to designing and building vehicles for electric drag racing with NEDRA (National Electric Drag Racing Association). Don has held world records in both electric hydroplane classes and electric motorcycle classes.

In 2000, Don "retired" and became busier than ever building/converting electric vehicles for others, in addition to his own race vehicles. Don continues to explore mechanical design supporting the practical applications of alternative fuels.

Casey aka "The Welder Dude"

I have fabricated projects using foam, rubber, leather, wood, ABS, Lexan, Plexiglas, aluminum, glass, sheet steel, Delrin, and stainless Etc… I can create a controlled burn as small as an electrical match or as large as half an acre of national forest. I can blow up your mothers in law’s car or your bookie’s house (but I won‘t, I promise).

Current projects:

• 1967 Nissan Patrol 4x4 restoration/drive train conversion
• 1973 BMW 2002 restoration/drive train conversion
• PM AUTO Independent auto repair
• Finding a way to beat my eight year old son at playing Madden 2003

Tim aka "The Kid"

Well I'm 19 years old and have been messing around with cars since I was 14.  I have lived my whole life in Washington state and the last 8 have been in Port Townsend.  I have been skateboarding since I was 12 to keep in shape... proved to bend me out of shape a few to many times, but I still skate when I can.  Before I met Roderick I didn't have much knowledge of electric vehicles and in the short time that I have known him now he has taught me more than I could have wished to know.  I enjoy building cars no matter what is the moving force behind it as long as we can make it faster than it would be stock.

Rich Rudman aka “Madman"

Rich was born November 11th, 1961 in Seattle, Washington. At about two and a half years old his family moved back east to Pennsylvania. He also lived in upstate New York during this period before moving back to the Northwest when he was 15. He now lives on the Kitsap Peninsula in Kingston Washington with his wife of six years, Andrea aka “Madman’s Redhead” where he runs Manzanita Micro Systems which designs and builds high output, power factor corrected battery chargers. While attending college at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho in 1981 he met Joe Smalley and became good friends. In 1985 they started Manzanita Micro Timing systems to design and manufacture autocross timing systems. They ran this business until 1992. Both he and Joe were heavily into autocross racing as well as drag racing. In 1997 he joined forces with Damon Crockett “Damon the Demented” to design and develop high performance motor speed controllers and DC to DC converters. This company was called DC Power Systems. After leaving DC Power systems Rich founded his own company, Manzanita Micro with design help from former partner Joe Smalley and his dad Dave Rudman. It was during this period that he got his handle “Madman” It had something to do with a disagreement over a new product called the Rudman Regulator with a fellow amp head, John Wayland aka “Plasma Boy Wayland”. John named him “Madman” and for some strange reason the handle stuck Madman is probably most famous for his smoking burnoffs in “Goldie” a not too pretty 1978 Ford Fiesta which has held some NEDRA class records. He helps on “Gone Postal” when time permits and they need some head bashing engineering.

Otmar aka "Oat" or "Mr. Zilla"

Otmar Ebenhoech was born and raised in Palo Alto, California. From an early age he has dissected everything mechanical and electrical, often to the chagrin of his parents who wished he might put some of it back together again. These mechanical tendencies soon led to a job as a mechanic at a local bicycle shop. He attended Gunn High School where he earned the distinction of honors in Industrial Arts and would have graduated in 1984 had he not dropped out to work on cars.

Unwilling to settle in the traditional rat race,  Otmar lived for many years in a VW van while travelling around the western United States. During this time he divided his time working at hang glider factories, flying hang gliders, working in auto shops and taking time off to enjoy the countryside.

Feeling like auto repair was playing a supporting role in destroying our environment, in the early nineties Otmar discovered Electric Vehicles as a worthy cause to which to direct his efforts. After assisting with several gas-to-electric car conversions, he settled down in his hometown of Palo Alto, where he still lives with his cat Cleo. Here he has dedicated his efforts to designing, developing and producing high power electronics for the electric vehicle market.

Otmar often tries things differently from the norm. He has won trophies for driving his high speed loveseat in fast furniture races as well as piloting a 50 mph shopping cart in a race which was featured on the Discovery Channel. These vehicles have been retired but he still races EVs on the dragstrip and builds artistic vehicles for the annual Burning Man festival.

Paul Gooch aka "Neon"

I'm a 36 year old terminal mechanic. I've been playing with electricity since I was a child, and working on Volkswagens since I was 15. Its only natural that those two had to cross at some point. In 1998 I set about building my first electric car, an old Beach Buggy. Its light and fun - but I'm on the hunt for more power. After completing my first EV I decided to build another. I've since sold my second EV, can a third be far behind?

Some call me "Neon" because I have been trained to build neon signs. I keep turning up with different neon signs in the house and garage. My wife doesn't appreciate them in the house so its down to 3 signs. Did I mention that I really like to play with electricity? Of course no electric beach buggy of mine would be complete without some neon lights!

My wife and I live in Everett WA. We have been married for 17 years and have one son. A good family and a 2 car garage is enough to keep any man happy. There is something I've gotta go work on...