PABLOG -By Pablo

1,000km electric car driving experience in Malta. Electromobility Malta project

2013-12-29T20:07:00.001+01:00

I have now surpassed 1,000km on the Mitsubishi iMIEV electric car. I am enjoying the test drive and wherever I go, people keep asking me questions about the car. Invariably, I need to dispel myths about electric cars; that they only last a few km per trip; that they cannot be driven fast enough; cannot be driven in the rain; that batteries have a short life span. None of this is true. The technological breakthroughs by the car manufacturers are taking electric cars to new limits due to advancements in battery and power technologies. Batteries are now very reliable and long lasting, the autonomy range for each charge keeps increasing and the driving power rivals that of any city car. I did notice a couple of amazed drivers when I overtook them with ease. The car is capable of 130km per hour, though I have not tested this claim yet...

It takes 6 to 7 hours to fully charge the battery and this usually gave me an autonomy of just over a 100km. The car could easily render 140km autonomy if driven gently under 50km per hour and without passengers, which is not my case since 60% of my trips are with passengers on board and I am usually driving at speeds over 50km per hour, where allowed. The higher speed will inevitably lead to wastage in braking particularly in urban driving. In any case, shorter charges are possible if the car simply needs a boost for a trip.

In order to log 1,000 km, the car required approximately 75 hours of charging time, consuming about 2 units per hour. 75 hours charged @ 17c3 (domestic rates tier 2) times 2 units per hour would amount to eur26. Driving a 1,000km in my petrol Citroen Picasso would require about 82 litres of petrol at a cost of euro118. Therefore, savings stand at higher than 75%. As electricity rates go down and fuel prices increase, the savings gap will widen further. I will continue to log the charging time and mileage to confirm the workings over 2,000km. Bearing in mind that in my case all the electricity consumed came from free solar energy produced from my PV plant, the savings in euro and carbon footprint becomes significant.

The car has an efficient energy recovery system. When the accelerator is released (engine break equivalent) the vehicle will utilise the inertia of the vehicle to turn the motor into a generator which momentarily recharges the battery. This way, all the downhill driving or any deceleration helps to recover energy and will increase the driving range. The iMIEV has three driving modes, marked D, B and C on the gearshift panel. D mode is for urban driving, tuned to be powerful but energy efficient; B mode increases regenerative braking during downhill driving and will slow the vehicle down whilst recovering energy; C mode is for economic driving on main roads (similar to the 5th gear on a standard car but usable at medium speed).

Key Benefits of electric vehicle:
1. Extremely quite drive. No vibrations or noise -no driving stress -the music sounds better;
2. Zero-emissions driving. This is noticeable if manoeuvring in garages or alleyways. I charge the car with power generated from my PV panels eliminating pollution (if charging is required from the grid, the CO₂ emissions at the power station to charge the car only equate to 30% of the CO₂ of a petrol city car);
3. Sufficient driving power - Strong acceleration is achieved through a compact and highly efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor, which generates high torque at low speeds;
4. Cost cutting. Even when factoring the cost of electricity, the running costs of the electric car stands at only 1/4 of the cost of petrol. An owner would also benefit from lower costs for registration, annual road licence and a grant of eur5,000 from the Scrappage Scheme. Servicing costs also plummet since the car has only 4 major working parts compared to over 300 in a typical internal combustion engine. There is no oil sump nor any oil and petrol filters to change.
5. Style. Driving the silent and innovative electric car is cool and enjoyable. Parking is really easy with a great turning circle.

My next car will be an electric car, the deliberation is simply on the model to go for.

visit Electromobility Malta on facebook and LIKE the page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ElectromobilityMalta?fref=ts

MALTA SENIOR OPEN 2013

2013-10-07T16:39:00.002+02:00

http://talktenpin.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9307&Itemid=134
-TALKTENPIN coverage of Malta Senior Open 2013

Paul Baldacchino bowls a 300 perfect game during the MALTA OPEN tournament

2013-06-16T23:05:00.001+02:00

WATCH TENSE FINAL SHOT HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW9Xv_z9BL8&feature=player_embedded
WATCH BUILDUP SHOT here; https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=494033293995743&set=vb.189524161113326&type=2&theater

Bowling -Mediterranean Challenge Cup - Malta leading all-time standings

2013-04-28T20:39:00.000+02:00

Malta wins an incredible haul of 9 medals in Mediterranean Challenge Cup 2013

-3 GOLD medals: -Justin champion of singles event/ Ladies Doubles Champions/Sue winner of All Events

-6 BRONZE MEDALS: Sue in Singles/ Mixed Doubles/ Tiziana All Events/ Justin in Masters/ Sue in Masters/ Team event

-Mediterranean Challenge Cup -All-time Medal standings 1998-2013:

Federation	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Malta	33	21	26
Greece	30	24	23
Italy	16	20	25
Israel	12	13	23
France	11	9	9
Spain	9	16	11
Cyprus	7	5	9
Turkey	5	11	8
Catalonia	4	7	6
Slovenia	1	2	0
San Marino	0	1	1
Croatia	0	0	1
Tunisia/ Gibraltar	0	0	0

20th Anniversary SILVIA KING

2013-04-13T23:53:00.002+02:00

In memory of SILVIA KING. 20th anniversary. Silvia was a keen bowler and she looked forward to the GOLD CUP tournament. I regularly cycle near her memorial at Fomm ir-Rih. In 1990, she played one season in my team. At that time I played for Bank of Valletta, winners of Division 1 in 1987. Her tragic death had shocked the bowling community. 20 years later, we still remember her..

Maltese Summers

2012-07-31T10:55:00.000+02:00

Comino Blue lagoon - Malta

Mediterranean Cup San Marino 2012 Bowling

2012-04-19T19:16:00.000+02:00

Team Malta came out with a good haul of medals from this year's Mediterranean Championships held in San Marino:

SILVER Medal - ladies doubles
BRONZE Medal - Male doubles
SILVER Medal - 4 player Team event
GOLD Masters -Sue Abela-Mediterranean Champion 2012

Malta in Winter

2012-02-19T17:08:00.000+01:00

MTBA annual presentation 'SPICEd up'

2012-02-05T19:54:00.003+01:00

MTBA annual presentation was an enjoyable night out. Bowlers in various categories were presented with trophies to commemorate their success. I always manage to earn an award! This year I walked away with a team award plus an individual award for my high game of 278 XXXXXXXXX.8/X

We must thank all the donors for supporting the event; EdenSuperbowl Master Cellars SIGMA Paints Right Deal SPICE deodorants/shower gel Deguara Confectionery RAMIS Jade Chinese food Globalair Sullivan: 360 Foods Imports Hili Frames Calleja Ltd A E Sullivan Ltd: FINA Oils

Malta views from my mountain bike

2011-11-30T09:08:00.001+01:00

Friendship Games 2011 - Siracusa

2011-10-21T23:08:00.002+02:00

Team Malta declared winners of the Malta vs Sicily bowling event during the Friendship Games 2011.
FINAL STANDINGS:
-Mixed Doubles 1st Malta
-Team event: 1st Malta
-Doubles (M): 1st Sicilia
-Doubles (F): 1st Malta
-All events: winners MALTA
-All events Male: 1st Neil Sullivan
-All events Ladies: 1st Sue Abela

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 - New Zealand

2011-09-09T22:23:00.001+02:00

The 2011 Rugby world cup is underway in New Zealand. I am supporting SAMOA and WALES. Link to the official site: http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/index.html

Update: NEW ZEALAND WORLD CHAMPIONS
- looking forward to ENGLAND 2015 ...I wanna be there!

off to Bologna - 'Italy senior open' bowling tournament 2011

2011-05-31T01:11:00.008+02:00

Its a new challenge... the senior open bowling tournaments. I am celebrating my 50th birthday in Bologna this week by taking part in my first senior challenge. About 180 bowlers are expected to compete for the top 34 slots. I will give them a hard time. They will surely give me a hard time because I will be playing scratch whilst all older bowlers will get 1 point bonus for each year over 50. Judging by the tempo of the first squads, i will need to play over 220 average scratch to make the finals.
UPDATE - XIH U SOD! - my two entries (valid for qualification):
204-205-254-233-242-204 = 1341
245-197-225-226-233-227 = 1353 Winners: DidoneFrancesco & Hildegard

BARCELONA city experience

2011-05-15T00:11:00.006+02:00

Plaça d'Espanya -View from the ARENA-

Barcelona is best known for its football club. The city has much more to offer. It is the heart of the Catalunya region. The city has a mix of attractions within reach; beaches, monuments, heritage, shopping, sports and lovely countryside beyond the ring of hills surrounding the city.

The Ramblas is the main tourist hub. A long pedestrian avenue lined with shops, buskers and artists but also abounding with pick pockets and cheats taking the fun away. There are lots of other attractions. The old city center has a quaint nostalgic touch. The harbour and the marina offer nice strolls and good cafes. The beaches are 10 minutes from the centre. Barcelona is steeped in history and architecture and brimming with shops. You can enjoy some of the best restaurants in Spain. The best ones are away from the centre, just follow the locals instead of the tourists. Other attractions include the Aquarium, a tour of the Nou Camp football stadium and the Olympic city. If its raining, head off to one of the various museums (http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_directory/museums); do not miss the Picasso Museum and the chocolate museum!

La Sagrada Famiglia

For antiques, head to the old town between the cathedral and Placa del Pi. There’s also an antiques market here every Thursday. Worth a visit.
My favourite spot in Barcelona is at Plaça d'Espanya. Its near the majestic Montjuic landmark and overlooking one of the city's biggest squares. On a nice sunny day, I recommend a visit to the viewing platform above the ARENA shopping mall (exceptional conversion from ex-bull fighting ring).

Hate-it or Love-it, the famous Sagrada Famiglia cathedral remains one of the main attractions in the city. Under construction since 1882, the building is truly amazing and original. Must-see. Set aside at least 2 hours for this.
And in the evening? Start off with a night out at Barcelonetta, an area best known for its sandy beach but which abounds with bars and restaurants. Then move on to clubs dotting the city and the periphery, local advice will surely point to a good choice suiting your mood.

RUGBY - Malta vs Croatia -European Nations Championships 2011-12

2011-04-28T14:25:00.008+02:00

Malta v Croatia 30th April 2011.

RUGBY - Malta 21 - Croatia 14 30th April 2011

Commonwealth Bowling Championships Malaysia -SILVER FOR MALTA

2011-02-21T10:26:00.039+01:00

JUBILIANT Neil -silver medalist

MEN SINGLES: Gold-Malaysia; Silver-Malta; Bronze-South Africa;
WOMEN SINGLES: Gold-Malaysia; Silver-Singapore; Bronze-Malaysia; 7th Malta (Sue Abela)
WOMEN DOUBLES: Gold Singapore; Silver ENG; Bronze Malaysia; Malta 6th
MEN DOUBLES; Gold-ENG; Silver-AUST; Bronze-Malaysia; Malta 6th
MIXED DOUBLES: Gold-ENG; Silver-Malaysia; Bronze-AUST; MaltaB 5th
TEAM EVENT: Gold-Singapore; Silver-Malaysia; Bronze-India; Malta 6th
Full results at: http://www.ctbc2011.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=5

2011 MTBA presentation -2010 Bowling achievements

2011-02-08T23:14:00.012+01:00

XXX9/XXXXX.XXX game

I enjoyed the MTBA presentation and the event turned out to be quite entertaining. The raffle prizes were perhaps the best selection in recent years. I did not win anything at the raffle but I did carry away 3 memorable trophies to commemorate achievements;
-774 scratch series (279-257-238)
-279 scratch game (xxx9/xxxxx.xxx)
- National league Champions 1st Place

These 3 awards are significant for me as they were won after 2 consecutve serious injuries requiring months of rehabilitation. Thank you MSV and other sponsors/donors.

Cycling during Christmas holidays

2010-12-28T23:17:00.014+01:00

Spot the castle!

I finally managed to overhaul the bike's breaking system. Its been a couple of months off the bike and I was rearing to go. The weather was too tempting. A splendid sunny day on 28th December is a bonus for bikers.
Winter and spring are the best months for cycling in the Maltese countryside. Throughout winter I will pray for rain on Mondays and for sunny weekends... Bowling season kicks off on 13th January. Meanwhile, I'll put in some mileage and enjoy our mild winter.

best wishes to all readers

2010-12-19T19:42:00.007+01:00

Doctor says I should cut down on bowling.... nah!

Enjoy the Christmas bowling break! Meanwhile
we are researching gossip for 2011 league...

MALTA RUGBY Malta vs Latvia EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP

2010-11-04T14:05:00.014+01:00

RUGBY INTERNATIONAL Kordin Hibs Ground Saturday, 6th November. Support TEAM MALTA and buy Malta Rugby Shirt and team merchandise at:

http://maltarugby.com/page.asp?n=newsdetails&i=12392
Malta 26- Latvia 33

update: October 2011: Latvia 0 - Malta 28

Malta Bowling -TEAM RAMIS ESTABLISH NEW NATIONAL RECORD...AGAIN

2010-10-15T00:50:00.016+02:00

Team RAMIS smash the Maltese national record for 4-Man team series...AGAIN! One week after becoming the first Maltese team to top the 2700 barrier, mighty RAMIS rewrote the record books again by smashing through the 2800 barrier. The old record was held by FINA since 2004 and stood at 2697. RAMIS, played a hi score of 2850 series.

RAMIS played 937, 986 and 927 games to become the first team ever to play 3 games over 900. The record team formation was made up of:

-KENNETH ARPA (244-254-258 = 756)

-RANKIN CAMILLERI (214 - 247- 216 = 677)

-JOHN BALANI (200 - 228 - 217 = 646)

-PAUL BALDACCHINO (279-257-236 = 772)
Pablo's 772 series is the highest ever played in DIV 1.

RAMIS hold a team league average of 835 per game. And that is yet another record! Read official report here: http://www.maltasport.com/modules/localsport/item.php?itemid=420 and here: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101031/sport/ramis-a-team-of-record-breakers

THE PYRENEES - France

2010-08-23T23:03:00.009+02:00

Carcassonne

The Pyrenees straddle south west France from the Atlantic to the Med. I started my adventure at the foot of the mountain chain. Carcassone boasts an incredible fortified citadel guarding the pyrennean approaches. It has the perfect setting for medieval films.
Divided by valleys, cloaked by pines and crested with snow for much of the year, the Pyrennes harbour wildlife and offer spectacular scenery.
The mountaintop tiny nation of Andorra stands on the east end of the Pyrenees mountain chain, perched along mountaintops and picturesque valleys. Famous as a skiing resort, it is also enchanting in summer.

Gavernie

Four days in the Luchon Valley rewarded us with stunning views and waterfalls. The area offers some fantastic walking treks to various points of truly exceptional beauty (along the route of the Tour de France):

- Lac D'Oo

- Superbagneres

- Hospice de France

- Bordes du Lys

- Genos
- Arreau

A short uphill drive from Luchon will take you to the Spanish border and then down to the picturesque Spanish Aran Valley, boasting nice views along rivers, lakes and small towns competing for the best cuisine.

At the Central Pyrenees await other majestic scenery. Many Maltese will know this area for the town of Lourdes which attracts thousands of Maltese each year to visit the shrine. If you are in the area, make it a point to spend a day visiting the Pont d'espagne. Do not settle for a 2 hour tourist bus visit to the outskirts. Take your walking shoes and spend the entire day, walk all the way to the waterfalls and beyond. Another full day excursion should be set aside for Gavarnie. Walk to and beyond Lac de Gaube. Do not forget your camera and spare batteries and memory card... you may need all of them in a desperate attempt to capture the beauty.

After a week of long walks along the mountain treks and the Parc National des Pyrenees, relax and dine at Biarritz on the Atlantic beaches or head a couple of hours south to the fabulous Spanish border resort of San Sebastian. Set aside not less than 10 days to truly enjoy this trip and I recommend that you lodge at Gites (family-run, French houses of character offering excellent local cuisine). Then spoil yourself at a good resort in San Sebastian and dance the night away...

Pablo bowls a 299 game at the EDENBOWL

2010-08-07T23:41:00.009+02:00

Almost the perfect game...XXXXXXXXX.XX9 = 299. This season I also twice bowled 279 games. So far I have twice notched a 300 game, both occasions during training sessions (in July 2005 and again in March 2008). Now to get one during League! WATCH VIDEO at Neil's website: http://maltabowlingfans.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/11532112-pablo-s-299-game

MALTA BOWLING LEAGUE 2010 - Div 1

2010-07-09T00:39:00.149+02:00

Pablo -772 Series- Bowler of the week
and highest series ever played in a
4man team encounter

For updates on bowling league -click on subtitle at top of page; MALTA Bowling LEAGUES

Standings:

RAMIS.........120 - CHAMPIONS 2010

FINA..........108
okmalta.com.. 106
Globalair...106

ROYALs...78

Pharmavet..70
TURU's.....70

Gladiators..52

HSBC.........46

CLAN.........44

mighty RAMIS set new record 2829 team scratch series
Pablo plays a 772 series, highest series in 2010
TURU's play team record of 2573..and lose 8
Ryan Grech shoots his first 700+

Back on 'TREK' ... again!

2010-07-08T10:46:00.004+02:00

After an abstension of almost 4 months off the road, I have finally tested my TREK bike again! Following my crash of last March which left me with a broken wrist, I ensured that wheels and shock absorbers are still in good condition by testing the mountain bike on the Pembroke Ranges, particularly the slopes between White Rocks and the AMF shooting range.
The bike is in good shape but the rider needs some tuning in....