Meet one of the smallest pickup trucks ever made. Now converted into an EV by a very clever Australian.

Join Nikki for EVcast #246 ReVolting!

This is the second in the series of articles on buying a used EV rather than a brand new one. Let’s face it, in today’s economic climate forking out an an extra few thousand big ones for the benefit of having a new car is not quite as attractive as it once was. Who wants to buy a car which will depreciate the minute it pulls, silently, off the dealer lot? My last article dealt with some of the issues you face when buying a second-hand EV either made by a big company or converted by one. Today we’re going to look at the other end of the spectrum. Looking at a car which has been completely converted by someone in their spare time.

I’m afraid I’m not posting my own article at www.aminorjourney.com today. As many of you may already know my partner Kate and I are getting married in two month’s time  and we are also going through the adoption process. Combined with the many tens of thousands of words we’re writing up in our adoption paperwork,…

EVs are now well and truly in the public eye. They’re clean, green and everyone knows that they’re on the way. You see them on TV and you maybe even see them in the streets. Three years ago you’d not have even entertained the idea of changing your gas-guzzler for something running off electricity, but now you’re starting to see the light. It’s time to change your car and while you’ve decided that you really want to go for a plug in you can’t afford the crippling car payment on a fancy new Tesla or you can’t wait until 2011, when most of the new wave of evs hit the market. You want an EV right away and despite your will to get down and dirty with a home conversion you know in your heart of hearts that the most technical you’ve got in the past was filling up the windscreen washer fluid. You can’t afford to pay someone to convert for you but you’re willing to spend some time learning about what makes EVs tick. Could a used EV be an option for you? How do you know that that second-hand EV you’re looking at is going to keep working and running for years to come? Let’s look at some of the common issues with second-hand EVs to help you spot which EVs are a good second-hand buy.

Today another quirky, comical EV hit the roads. But do we need them to help publicise how different regular Evs are to regular gas cars?

The Smart ED is reportedly coming to the UK in 2012 as a fully electric car you can buy or rent without robbing the bank. And with batteries from the famous Tesla Roadster inside it isn’t this little pocket rocket a safe bet for future EV owners?

Here’s today’s EVcast. I was joined by John Honniball, our resident guru on all things geeky. I’m afraid that’s all there is for today. Enjoy the show!     http://www.ustream.tv/flash/video/1650784

Ewart Energy has released a better video detailing their 70 mph Prius EV only mod.

If you’ve always wanted to know how a battery works then why not join us tomorrow on EVcast, where we’re going to be exploring how batteries work.