Electric utility

One of the first questions from a prospective electric car buyer is: “sure I’m not buying gas anymore, but how much will my electric bill go up?”  The answer, just about everywhere, is that an electric car is cheaper to drive, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out by how much.

It’s a complex question to answer because of different electric rates around the country, time-of-use rates, and fluctuating gas prices as well.  But last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested that Tesla could build software into their vehicles to answer just that question – and to help owners save money as well. The idea came, as many have, in a late-night answer to a tweet.

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Two weeks before Christmas 2017, US Charging network Chargepoint filed a patent infringement suit against its competitor SemaConnect. In its request for a restraining order against SemaConnect, Chargepoint claimed that its patents gave it the exclusive right to sell and operate networked EV charging stations in the US. Obviously this has large implications for the Electric vehicle market…
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At just $5,000, the Pickman is one of the cheapest electric utility vehicles on the market.

But before you start planning to tow your RV with it, make sure you check the specs. This little guy’s 1,100 lb capacity and low top speed make it more of a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). Even so, the Pickman is poised to fill an interesting niche in the US, and that could be the secret to its success.

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