Important Innovations

 Toyota's 1st Fully Electric Pickup :   Hilux Revo BEV                                                                                                                         Source:  Toyota Toyota's Holistic Approach to Electrification Toyota has unveiled its first, fully electric pickup truck. The battery electric vehicle (BEV) is called the Hilux Revo BEV prototype and it's designed to be an everyday, workhorse truck capable of a mix of functions. It has a unique configuration of cargo and passenger space. It appears to be ready to go into production.  The debut took place in Thailand as part of Toyota's 60 years of operations there.  The big question is:  will it be sold in the US?  Toyota hasn't announced its intentions with the EV yet, but it has been teasing about an electric pickup for the US market since 2021. More Details The Hilux Revo BEV is a midsized truck with a single cab and an extended bed.  The charging port is on the front, left fender.  Toyota h

    World's Greenest EV                                                                           Source:  Citroen Could Radically Change What Cars Are Made of Citroen's new electric concept vehicle Oli is a sporty, funky, fun lightweight pickup truck that's made from recycled honeycomb cardboard and other recycled and recyclable materials.  That has to be an automotive first.  According to Citroen executives, it is designed to be affordable, sustainable and built on the principle "the less you weigh, the less you consume".  The automaker says it equipped Oli with "just enough of everything" to really keep the weight down and the driver and passengers happy.  The EV weighs 2.204 pounds and the 40-kWh battery provides a range of 248 miles on a charge. It can recharge from 20% to 80% in about 20 minutes. Citroen hasn't provided power figures or the number of electric motors that the EV has. But Oli's maximum speed is 68 mph. The boxy EV harkens bac

  US Startup Beats Tesla, GM, Ford and more                                        Source:  Rivian Tough Pickup That Wades Through Water & Climbs Hills of Sand EV startup Rivian is the first automaker to produce, launch and market an electric pickup truck.  The US electric truck maker beat out the world's #1 electric vehicle maker Tesla, along with GM, Ford and others.  The company's first R1T pickup truck for a customer drove off the assembly line at the Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.  More are rolling off the production line and the company says they are saleable to customers.  In fact, they are "ready for sale in all 50 states".  The R1T has a range of 317 miles on a charge and prices start at $67,500.  As you can see in the photos, the e-pickup is so tough it can climb hills of sand and wade through water as high as the top of the tires.  With a deposit of $1,000, the truck can be reserved for purchase. Fully Certified  The R1T comes with a tailgate you can

  US Startup 1st to Produce E-Pickups for Customers - Beats Tesla, GM, Ford and more                                        Source:  Rivian R1T Tough Pickup That Wades Through Water & Climbs Hills of Sand EV startup Rivian is the first automaker to produce, launch and market an electric pickup truck.  The US electric truck maker beat out the world's #1 electric vehicle maker Tesla, along with GM, Ford and others.  The company's first R1T pickup truck for a customer drove off the assembly line at the Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.  More are rolling off the production line and the company says they are saleable to customers.  In fact, they are "ready for sale in all 50 states".  The R1T has a range of 317 miles on a charge and prices start at $67,500.  As you can see in the photos, the e-pickup is so tough it can climb hills of sand and wade through water as high as the top of the tires.  With a deposit of $1,000, the truck can be reserved for purchase. Fully Cer

Inspired by James Bond 007 Source:  Tesla Futuristic Design but Shattered Windshield Needs Work It was an embarrassing moment for Tesla CEO Elon Musk this week.  His pet project, Cybertruck, the all electric muscle truck with what was billed as bulletproof windows, wasn't bulletproof.  During its debut launch in Los Angeles, the shatterproof windows shattered when hit by a metallic ball.  Musk watched in horror as his armored glass windows were smashed into broken glass, not once but twice by a metallic ball.  Obviously, the windows need more work.  But, the cybertruck is a striking piece of engineering and a world first as a green, electric pickup truck, which Musk thinks is essential to start cleaning up toxic exhaust from trucks Like a Space X Rocket The truck is made of the same stainless steel used by Musk's SpaceX for space rockets.  The steel is designed to make the cybertruck an armored truck that is so bulletproof that a 9mm Lugar round can't penetra