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Mitsubishi built an electric AWD Evo (an EVo?) back in 2005. The driver reviews at the time were favourable, but I don't think they ever mooted a price for it if it were to make production. We're seeing a good number of hybrids using an internal-combustion FWD powertrain with an electric RWD transaxle at the other end, so if the same manufacturer makes a FWD EV, and are paying attention to their parts commonality, it shouldn't be ridiculously hard to implement.
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Jan 19, 2012 20:52
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Don't forget, European cities have things like the G-Wiz running around as well as Smarts, so the trigger point for "Most pathetic sight ever seen on four wheels" is pushed back somewhat. I will say that the Smart is nice and roomy for its size thanks to only having the two seats. If you don't need any rear seats at all, it's a design element that makes sense over an Aygo or similar.
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Jan 22, 2012 17:26
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Batteries as bodwork, anyone? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17014808
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Feb 14, 2012 00:24
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Green sportscar needs food, badly. Green sportscar needs food, badly. Green sportscar needs food, badly. Green sportscar is about to die.
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Feb 24, 2012 20:00
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Cakefool posted:Seriously though, there are a couple of electric vans available in the uk & for a business running a set delivery route with a known distance, the ability to charge up overnight & the tax breaks based on CO2 emissions make them at least break even, just with a larger initial purchase price.
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Mar 3, 2012 15:34
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oxbrain posted:I'm waiting for the first series hybrid, traction motor truck. 
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Mar 4, 2012 00:32
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ijustam posted:I'm going to reiterate my frustration that a Ford Focus EV costs $40,000.
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Nov 1, 2012 21:02
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Ola posted:I really dislike unnecessary complexity like this. If you crash, flip over and catch fire - how will someone outside trying to save you get in? I can understand the need to eliminate parasitic drag, but surely there are simpler and more elegant solutions. But I guess the way to wow the masses is to load it up with gizmos that go The Fiat Barchetta, amongst several, managed the same trick for probably less than 1% of the cost: You push the leading end of the handle with your thumb, and the main section pops out for your hand. It's just a pivot and a light spring.
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Nov 26, 2012 21:23
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and Star Trek displays.
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It's not wireless, but quite a few car parks here have charging points.
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Feb 15, 2013 21:18
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On the cost front, Renault's Twizy manages to solve that problem - <£7k for the car, £40 a month "battery hire" (easily offset by fuel saving)... And then doesn't have proper doors or a heater. God. Damnit. The ZOE should solve those issues, and at £13k/£70 it's not out the way. While I'm not entirely convinced, I think the "Purchase car outright save for battery, which is effectively rented" model might be the best way to get over the sticker shock of EVs while still delivering savings in running costs.
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Feb 26, 2013 22:49
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roomforthetuna posted:But you know it won't (at least not the way costs are now) because the batteries for a Leaf, for example, cost $15000 and in a hot climate will almost certainly suck balls after about 5 years. So that'll come to about $250 a month even before the electricity costs come in.
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Feb 27, 2013 07:36
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Yes, it's April 1st. No, it's not a joke (unfortunately, it is only a prototype): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkCcWG4K93g Only a fifty mile range, but it's only 5% heavier than standard, and that same battery life is supposedly good for 8hrs of playing in the mud. I really want the electric powertrain in a traditional-looking Series II now. 
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Apr 1, 2013 15:11
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Could you come to an arrangement with them for a car not in your preferred colour, at sufficient discount to cover a vinyl wrap? They get to sell a car they have in stock, you get a car immediately in any colour you want, and the paint underneath will be kept completely untouched come resale.
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Jun 14, 2014 23:18
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Heat pumps. It's using a small amount of energy to move heat to where you want it, as opposed to having to use a lot of energy to heat something directly. Think air conditioning "backwards".
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Jun 17, 2014 11:52
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It'd be ironic if they hadn't checked on copyright for that image before putting it up. Also, http://xkcd.com/286/
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Jun 20, 2014 21:05
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Madurai posted:Prescient! My passenger door handle no longer opens the door from the outside. Harry Tuttle came and took it back to the Burlingame service center.
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Jun 26, 2014 22:44
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Having managed to do a pretty good job of mullering the Clio's piston rings, I decided to change my Renault with a broken engine for a Renault without an engine for me to break. Picked this up yesterday: Renault Zoe, in Dynamique Intens trim, metallic white. I was going to hold off on buying one, but a pretty good deal came up a short distance away (I asked my local dealer to match it, and they couldn't get within £3k of what I'd been quoted), so I took the plunge. I'm pretty busy for the next couple of days, but when I get a chance I'll post more photos and details, as well as my developing thoughts on the car (I've only driven it about 40 miles so far).
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Jun 29, 2014 21:07
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Sagebrush posted:I have a stripper-model car without any power options whatsoever (except cruise control, that's nice to have) and literally no one who I carry as a passenger locks their door behind them. Ten years ago everyone knew to do that, now people are initially confused at what I'm asking them to do.  Seeing as I'm posting in this thread: I've had my Zoe nearly two months now, and I never did get around to making a proper post about it. Is anyone interested? Let me know if you have specific stuff you want me to put up about it.
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Aug 24, 2014 21:30
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Well, this is all I have for now, but I'll sort out giving it a wash and getting some more pictures tomorrow:
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Aug 24, 2014 23:02
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DJ Commie posted:I bought a 1974 Fiat X1/9 that someone jammed in old forklift parts to convert it to electric power, should I post about it here?
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Dec 20, 2014 00:08
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More to the point, most electric cars are designed to allow fast battery swaps anyway. So in labour terms it really is more like a simple bolt-on modification than an engine swap.
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Jan 4, 2015 01:52
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Hillridge posted:I wonder if AAA will soon start offering a service where they show up with a big generator and a J1772.
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Jan 16, 2015 19:07
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ExecuDork posted:Do Norwegian engineers get a truckload of dynamite the day they graduate? Or do you all just HATE mountains? It seems like Norwegians are the most tunnel-happy people in the world.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:23
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Get rid of the bus lanes, no more worries over favouring electric car owners.
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May 8, 2015 15:29
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I got my annual summary of electricity usage, and it seems that a year of having an EV has upped my kwh total over the previous year by a whole 3%...
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Jun 12, 2015 21:08
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Ola posted:Don't mean to pry, but would you mind quantifying that a bit more? How many miles and kWh pr year? I have made use of free-to-use chargers at parking spots and services quite a bit. I guess I just wanted to say that without really attempting to "optimise" anything, owning an electric car made little dent in my average home power usage. Numbers should be accurate, as they had a meter reading off me a little over a week ago.
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Jun 12, 2015 23:16
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Ola posted:I think a lot of people have the same experience given how much free charging is available. I expect that to change towards pay to charge in the future, but not this year or next. But about the consumption, 65 kWh is 3% of 2166 kWh. Is that the annual number you got? It seems low, perhaps the difference is in utilities. I live in a small loft apartment, I don't need to heat that much in winter and I don't use A/C in summer at all - however I do cook and heat water electric, perhaps you use gas. My annual consumption is 6000-something kWh. I think I am a relatively "light" user model, though. Single guy, no TV, tend to only use one room at a time, things like that.
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Jun 12, 2015 23:38
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The Locator posted:Heh, I used 1898 kWh in just the month of August in 2013 (the last August I did not have solar to offset this).
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Jun 13, 2015 12:59
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Michael Scott posted:That's pretty textbook piss poor form letter customer service. That rep should be fired. I guess they had to get through a lot of inquiries that day and just skimmed over yours and hit the paste button? Michael Scott posted:What does this even mean?
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Jun 24, 2015 19:48
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Mange Mite posted:edit: for real, though, is there a way to turn the radio off? Like not on mute but actually off?
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Jun 24, 2015 21:48
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Yeah, I can schedule charging on the Zoe if I want to.
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Jul 8, 2015 08:43
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