article thumbnail

2023 Toyota BZ4X Review – Falling Short

The Truth About Cars

Instead, it’s a weird package that has pricing that is considered affordable relative to the average transaction price, but still not "cheap.” The juice comes from a lithium-ion battery pack with a 71.4-kWh Other standard safety ninnies included a rearview camera and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

Toyota 88
article thumbnail

2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon Review – Charged-Up Jeep

The Truth About Cars

Speaking of warning, we can’t say we didn’t warn you that this Jeep doesn’t come cheap. Then again, one can argue that a 392 Wrangler is also better than a standard one – it too offers prodigious power, and a V8 soundtrack is great. But if you have the scratch and the access to juice, it makes a strong argument for itself.

Jeep 90
article thumbnail

Wireless Heater Made From a Leaf Skeleton Is Fully Biodegradable

Cars That Think

We’ve gotten very, very good at making things that are cheap and durable. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Accenture Labs are putting this idea to the test with the design of a wireless heater that can warm up whatever’s placed inside of it when the heater is placed on a standard wireless charging pad.

Waste 61
article thumbnail

2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid EX Review – Urban Crossover, Right Price

The Truth About Cars

The juice is supplied by a 1.49 Some materials felt a bit cheap, though. This means that for $30K you get standard features like forward-collision assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, driver-attention warning, dual-zone climate control, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, and keyless entry.

Kia 83
article thumbnail

Why One LEAF-Driving Cop Can't Drive Straight Home After Work Anymore

Plugs and Cars

Bill lives a good 60 miles from San Francisco, so he needs to get some juice to make his trip home after work. A standard 120-volt outlet - Level 1 in EVspeak. Some argue it’s so easy and so cheap employers should just do it. Maybe they tout it as smart and cheap. Maybe they whisper it to Officer Bill''s station chief.

article thumbnail

False Starts: The Story of Vehicle-to-Grid Power

Cars That Think

Then, as electricity entrepreneurs expanded power generation and transmission capacity, they faced the new problem of what to do with all the cheap off-peak, nighttime electricity they could now produce. As utilities shifted to more reliable alternating-current systems, they phased out these costly backup batteries. Electric Car tzero 0-60 3.6

Grid 123
article thumbnail

Test drive: 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ half-steps into future

Baua Electric

But it’s not cheap; it’s not elegant; and Lexus’ tech foibles carry over from the standard RX and other models. Volvo’s system will automatically kick in the gas engine when the accelerator is mashed to the floor, but Lexus doesn’t engage the gas engine in EV only mode unless the juice runs out.

Lexus 52