RAV4-EV can be plugged into the wall, or into a rooftop solar system, can be fast-charged, can be controlled by the owner. A fast charger could have been installed by Toyota to plug into the wail. Add a small engine-generator, and it's an instant plug-in serial hybrid with 120 miles of all-electric range, 3 times.... more

RAV4-EV uses EV-95 batteries, as you've heard. What are these marvelous batteries? Are they invisible, immaterial? Can they be for real? Here's the story of how they came to be, and why they work in the Toyota RAV4-EV. And why GM never was much interested in using them for an EV -- because, it seems, they work. Something GM is afraid of.

Now that we've seen both the EV-95 battery and the car that it powers, what can we do with it? If these plug-in cars are made available for sale, some of the money that formerly went to the oil companies to pay for burning gas, leaving only pollution, can pay off your solar rooftop system. If you don't have a roof, the panels can go over your parking area.

Chevy Volt Scholium. How the serial plug-in hybrid EV works: it consists of a pack, chosen for the daily commute, a 40-mile pack, 60-miles pack, or 100-mile pack, that runs down to empty during the daily commute, just like a real EV. Normally, the gas genset doesn't come on during the daily commute; only if you.... more

Using a very long extension cord, keeping up with the other cars. Why not more commuter RAV4-EV?? Most cars you see in this video go less than 40 miles per day. Why not let them use the NiMH EV-95 batteries to drive in EV-only mode, as GM proposes? But GM is not serious.

Tesla Roadster - Wrightspeed X1 - EV1 - RAV4EV Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies and idling. Therefore, the potential to.... more

We can't buy an EV1 or RAV4-EV, but use of this picture of the EV1 (and the glimpse of the RAV4-EV) shows how the EV1 could have been used to help sell other cars. The new plug in conversions battery box and firmware shows how plug-in conversions must be done; the control system has to keep the battery less than.... more

EV vignettes, how to drive an EV long distances. Commuting in a RAV4-EV.

RAV4-EV is a REAL EV with an imaginary "range extender". VOLT is an IMAGINARY ev with a real range extender. RAV4-EV is still pretending to be a 100-mile-all-electric-range VOLT, and commentary on actual driving of an EV.

If you have a plug-in EV, the avoided cost of gasoline can pay for your solar PV system. The return on investment is up to 33%, so you can pay off the solar system in three years. Oct. 6 is the American Solar Energy Society Tour of Solar Homes, there will be a caravan led by a RAV4-EV. Today, it's delivery of materials to the homes.