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My 2012 RAV4 EV makes a winning noise on deceleration but otherwise works fine. The Toyota dealership in Oxnard said my drive unit needs replacement and will cost me $14,500 to repair. Is there any after market repair place in California that can fix my RAV4 EV? Are re-manufactured units...

My 2012 RAV4 EV has 55,000 miles on it with no problems. Suddenly I have a pulsing noise from the right front when I apply the brakes. I've had the rotors turned and new brake pads installed but the noise is still there when I brake. The rotor appears not to be warped and are true. Did he do a...

I just received a request to renew my Safety Connect electronics in my RAV4 EV for $140. In the three years I’ve had the car I haven’t found any use for it. My phone has a far superior navigation system. What use is knowing that your car has completed it’s charge at 3:30 a.m. The system is still...

EV safety is a good argument for promoting EVs to replace gasoline cars. We should think about getting in a car that uses gasoline with its potential of cooking you in the event of a crash or a malfunction. EV manufacturers have tried to make their cars safer by isolating the battery in the...

DCH of Torrance updated my firmware to 1.3.83 and my mileage range now reads to over 120 miles after the last two chargings. I checked each time to confirm that the car was on a regular charge and not the extended charge. Dealer invoice update firmware...

There was a horrific crash involving a Tesla early Friday morning in West Hollywood and the battery pack was mostly separated from the car in about four pieces that caught fire. The individual batteries appeared to have stayed with each burning piece of the pack and only exploded one battery...

I noticed something different about my online charge report from last night. The email said the charge started at 12:30 AM and finished at 3:38 AM. The car’s computer is set to finish charging by 6:30 AM everyday of the week. Normally it starts charging about 3:30 AM and finishes a little before...

I have a general knowledge of the capabilities of my Rav 4 EV. It seems to know when it starts to charge and finish charging and sends me an email stating so. It has the knowledge of where it is at any time through GPS. It appears to have the capability to communicate with the internet and send...

In an attempt find a place to keep my portable EVSE and not have to unpack it from its bag to use it, I made a wall bracket for it. Just taking out two wing nuts it’s ready to go. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45428304@N05/11317638826/

If you are interested in building your own portable EVSE (charging station) here are some instructions and pictures of how to do it. This unit is partially assembled when you get it and you need some basic soldering skills and a couple of hours along with some hand tools. The box, the relay, the...

I bought a portable 40 amp EVSE from Electric Motors Werks with power cord and J1772 with cable and assembled it for $361 and it works fine. I opened my Leviton 40 amp EVSE and it appears much the same as the EMW EVSE. Where Leviton put the additional $1149 must be hidden under their printed...

I learned something today, never assume and past teachings can cloud those assumptions. I stayed at the Montage resort in Laguna Beach this week. A place where some arrive driving a Lamborghini and their luggage arrives in a Rolls Royce Phantom. I took my RAV4 EV and knew they didn’t have a...

Please forgive me, this is the first video I’ve ever shot Video on YouTube and instructions below for “Auto Folding Mirror Module Install Video For the YouTube video on how to install the Mirror Module go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvbZ8p-LLZo To buy the universal auto lock side mirror...

INSTALLATION OF AUTO MIRROR MODULE 1 through 7 connections are at center consul with 8 & 9 by left front door 1. Splice Black Module wire to the car’s stripped Black and White ground wire 2. Splice Yellow Module wire to car’s Grey wire 3. Cut the car’s White and Purple wires in the center...

This is the first video I’ve ever shot and uploaded to YouTube, please forgive the production qualities. Video on YouTube and instructions below for “Auto Folding Mirror Module Install Video For the YouTube video on how to install the Mirror Module go...

Two bits of knowledge came to me this day. I couldn’t get the cruise control to work. To my surprise the cruise control doesn’t work if the shift level is in “B” brake regeneration position. The second bit was that Blink charging stations work differently for RAV4 EV owners. Normally Blink...

Is there a service that reliably lists the location of all working charging stations? I live in the South Bay and have found web sites listing some but not all of the charging stations in my area. I suspect this is true for other places. Some listed are have not been working for a year or more...

I bought a little module online that, when installed, automatically closes and opens the folding mirrors. Locking the doors fold the mirrors and when the ignition is turned on the mirrors open. The instructions accompanying the module are easy to follow but it involves the under dash wiring. I...

I am looking for an inexpensive portable charging station. Has anyone bought a JuiceBox charging station? I’ve looked at their site and what they are selling looks promising...

My passenger and 2 side rear windows will not open this morning. The drivers window functions perfectly. I checked all the window fuses and none have blown. None of the other door switches will operate these windows.