Toyota RAV4 News
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We're all familiar with alternative lifestyles, but the EX electric tricycle looks like an attempt at an alternative deathstyle. Concocted in the mind of Nils Ferber and realized with the aid of a pair of Bosch drill/drivers, this is an EV for the motorist with a Rube Goldberg fetish and a death wish. Even the description of how to drive the vehicle is frightening: "The driver controls the vehicle with brake and gas handles and by tilting the back wheel with its body." It tilts the back wheel to turn the EV. It puts the lotion in the basket. Other key features extolled by Nils Ferber: "The...
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Abarth ScorpION: The Electric Car With A Sting In Its TailWhat happens when you give an Italian design studio free reign to create an electric car wearing one of Italy's most celebrated badges? You get the Abarth ScorpION concept, by IED. Unusually the ScorpION wasn't present on Abarth's own stand amongst the hotted-up Fiat 500s and a single seater series...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Renault Twizy: A Closer Look, And Do We Need It?Is it a car? Is it a scooter? No: It's a Twizy, which could be considered a combination of the two. If you're following the world of electric cars with a keen eye then you'll no doubt be aware that French manufacturer Renault is taking electric vehicles quite seriously, just like its Japanese...
Antony Ingram -
Mia Electric: 2011 Geneva Motor Show, The Microbus ConceptIf you read our guest post by actor, TV presenter and electric car convert Robert Llewellyn, you may have noticed his mention of a little electric microbus by the name of "Mia". Sitting in the middle of halls 4 and 5 with major manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, Renault and Ferrari in all...
Antony Ingram -
Silly Little Electric Cars Doing Damage To The Industry?Tucked away in a little corner just off Hall 6 at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, something weird and frightening lurked. Hiding behind the shiny stands of Kia and Smart and sitting in what looked like a poorly-carpeted entrance foyer, a collection of electric motoring misfits vied for the attention of...
Antony Ingram -
8 Reasons Why Gearheads Shouldn't Hate Electric CarsOf all those that electric cars have to impress, the toughest crowd to crack has to be gearheads. Brought up on a diet of power, speed, noise and passion, it's tough to get into the clean, green and silent world of electric cars. And we should know - here at AllCarsElectric we aren't just electric...
Antony Ingram -
Chevrolet's Volt has only been on sale for a short while but sales are respectable and Chevrolet have pulled out all the stops to build a quality product and bridge the technology gap between the vehicles that everyone is used to and the new generation of electric cars. In Europe, General Motors' brand Opel is planning to do essentially the same thing with essentially the same vehicle, and Chevrolet will be selling the Volt alongside it. The 2012 Opel Ampera is a Volt by any other name, but don't be fooled into thinking the two cars are identical. AllCarsElectric was able to compare the...
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Now, You Can Like Ford's Electric Vehicles On Facebook (But Will You Like Them In Real Life?)Ford has been burning the midnight oil for several years now, and its hard work is paying off. The automaker's One Ford philosophy has resulted in a slimmer product lineup, two fewer brands, and a healthy bottom line. Ford also boasts a much spiffier brand image among shoppers these days, thanks in...
Richard Read -
2012 Renault Fluence ZE: 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Quick DriveThe Geneva motor show has always been known for its green vehicles, but electric cars played a greater part than ever this year. French marque Renault was one of the main players with its range of four production electric vehicles. As part of the "Papillon Vert" (Green Butterfly) exhibition...
Antony Ingram -
Has Your Electric Car Stopped Working? Flatbed It, Don't TowFabulous creations that electric cars are, they're still machines designed by mere mortals and as a result, they may occasionally go wrong. As they're operated by mere mortals too, you may find one time that you're unable to reach your destination on a charge thanks to a miscalculation, or you've...
Antony Ingram -
Electric Cars And Roaming: Following The Cell Phone's Lead?If you use a cell phone, you'll be more than familiar with the concept of roaming. It allows you to continue using your cell phone when your home network isn't available, thanks to collaborations between networks in different countries. Now, it appears a similar concept may be heading towards the...
Antony Ingram -
Can an EV Be Too Small? Toyota Says No With iQ EV for GenevaWe have said it before and we will say it again: Electric vehicles will be all the rage in 2011. We have seen some great strides in the market, so much so that auto manufactures that were saying just last year that the technology wasn’t ready for the electric vehicle (EV) are now putting new...
Jonathan McGrew -
A few days ago we told you what you needed to know about Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt servicing. After all, an electric car doesn't have many of the serviceable components you associate with a fossil-fuelled vehicle. Not one to be left out, Ford are now extolling the virtues of simple servicing on their upcoming 2012 Focus Electric. Despite the higher initial cost in buying into such new technology, Ford are joining Nissan and GM in showing the financial and convenience benefits further down the line when it comes to maintaining your vehicle. Ford have come up with a list of not one, not...
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RAV4 EV Not The Only Tesla-Powered SUV: 'Model X' Due 2014EV fans the world over have been getting excited about the prospect of Toyota's upcoming electric RAV4 model. The original RAV4 EV is still celebrated by its owners and EV enthusiasts alike - and commands impressive prices when examples come up for sale. Launched with a fanfare at last November's...
Antony Ingram -
What You Need To Know About Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt ServicingA few months ago we asked the question, what exactly do you have to service on a 2011 Nissan LEAF? After all, the LEAF doesn't even contain many of the items that require regular attention on a regular car, such as oil changes, spark plugs, filters, transmission fluid and muffler parts. Brakes...
Antony Ingram -
The Dolphin: Super Aerodynamic Homebuilt Electric CarThe practice of home-building electric vehicles is not uncommon amongst hardcore EV enthusiasts. Our own Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield has converted her own EVs before, and several members on the website Ecomodder have done the same, often using the economy driver's favourite, the Geo Metro, as a...
Antony Ingram -
Audi CEO: No "Euphoria For Electric Cars" Despite E-TronStrange as it may seem from the CEO of a company now embarking the electric car bandwagon, Audi's boss Rupert Stadler still seems apathetic at best about EVs. Of course, the aim of any big business is to grow and make money, so perhaps Rupert is thinking of the lack of short-term financial gains to...
Antony Ingram -
Why Didn't We THINK Of It Before? EV Spawns Delivery VanCar-derived vans are big business in Europe. Pick a subcompact at random and chances are there will be a light delivery van variant. Usually fitted with economical diesel engines, the small size and high economy suits small businesses down to the ground. Electric delivery vehicles have been...
Antony Ingram -
As we've discovered, some car dealers are less than enthusiastic about the prospect of selling and servicing electric cars. Luckily, others are more game. Either way, what can you expect from your local electric car dealership when you take your shiny new EV in for a service? Training You'd be hoping for highly trained technicians, and according to megadealer Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation Inc, that's what you'll get. He can't wait to start servicing EVs. "Fixing these vehicles will require special training and special tools, and dealerships excel at that". Only the cream of the crop will...
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Smart Goes Topless: Electric Roadster To Appear At Geneva?Smart's current range, just like its sole product, the ForTwo, is short and sweet. The lineup consists of the Pure and Passion specifications, and convertible versions of each. A Ford Fiesta rival is expected in the fall, based on the new Nissan March/Micra subcompact. And although it's not...
Antony Ingram -
Renault Spy Scandal Update: Prosecutor Begins Inquiries2011 has been touted as the year when electric cars will well and truly break into the public consciousness. Unfortunately for Renault, the story making all the headlines so far hasn't been the launch of one of its upcoming Z.E. models, but the news of industrial espionage and selling technical...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Mitsubishi i To Go On Sale Across EuropeThe U.S. EV market will become wider next year with the appearance of the 2012 Mitsubishi "i" electric car, itself wider than those available across international markets. Early reports suggested the American market wouldn't take well to the original's Japanese kei-car dimensions and relatively low...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Detroit Auto Show: Electric Car Round-UpBetween the wreck of a Volvo and a $300k Mercedes supercar, the 2011 Detroit Auto show is giving the electric car fan plenty of variety, so if you're planning to visit the show between now and closing time on January 23, here are the electric vehicles you should make the time to see and the EV...
Antony Ingram -
Battery Wars: General Motors Licenses American Argonne TechA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Actually, no--fairly recently and not so far from home, the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory patented a battery technology known as nickel manganese cobalt (NMC). Discovering and patenting new battery technology in an era so...
Antony Ingram