Re: Kits

[Lee Hart <leeahart@earthlink.net>]

There are some big advantages to kits:

1. The kit's producer doesn't have to set up a manufacturing plant.
   This is especially important because there is such a limited market
   for most EV products that it wouldn't pay to set up an assembly line.

2. Since the end user builds it, the end user is liable for quality and
   workmanship issues. This is a big advantage to a small manufacturer
   who cannot afford rigorous testing, and could be bankrupt by a single
   product liability claim, however frivilous.

3. The design can use patented technology without licensing fees.
   You can build a patented device for your own personal use "for
   research and testing purposes", as long as you don't sell it or
   use it for profit. Thus, the kit company is only providing parts
   and plans; the end user actually builds the patented devices, and
   pays no licensing fees because it is for non-profit personal use.

4. It's educational: Building the product teaches you how it goes
   together, and how it works. You're now in a much better position
   to fix it if/when it breaks. Done right, the kit company includes
   the extra information to encourage this. It cuts down on their
   repair and customer support costs. For the customer, it makes it
   far more likely that the product can be fixed in 5 years, when the
   company is out of business or has lost interest in supporting an
   old product. 

5. Kits can be much closer to the leading edge of technology. When a
   new integrated circuit or charging algorithm comes along, a kit
   manufacturer can have a kit using it in production much faster.

6. Kits are easier to adapt or modify to suit your needs. Manufacturers
   can make a change by just putting the new parts in the box with a
   piece of paper to modify the directions (instead of having to rip
   apart an assembled product, change a part, put it all back together,
   retest it, etc.).
-- 
Lee A. Hart                     Ring the bells that you can ring
4209 France Ave. N.             Forget the perfect offering
Robbinsdale, MN 55422 USA       There is a crack in everything
phone (612) 533-3226            That's how the light gets in
leeahart@earthlink.net                  Leonard Cohen