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Toyota discounts RAV4 EV for extra $5000 + $2500

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by spwolf, Dec 16, 2012.

  1. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    With all these discounts, EV lowers can get cheap prices right now. Too bad it is not a good sign for the industry.
    Toyota Discounts The RAV4 EV By Up To $7,500 And Offers 0% To Gain ZEV Credits
     
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yeah, I posted about this at December '12/early Jan '13 RAV4 EV So Cal deals | PriusChat.

    The $2,500 "EV loyalty cash" apparently is only for current owners of the previous gen Rav4 EV. Oh well.

    Yes, their sales are very poor and not on track to hit 2600 over 3 years. I think I've seen and heard 0 advertising for them though. If they advertised touting a few things (e.g. range, cargo capacity, white HOV sticker and acceleration), I think they could snag a few sales.

    Tony Williams (of MyNissanLeaf) bought one and ditched his remaining Leaf after renting one. He got 130 miles out of a charge on his rental and I think he wasn't trying that hard either.

    I posted links to some of his more notable posts over at Rav4EV | PriusChat and further down in that thread.
     
  3. Electric Charge

    Electric Charge Active Member

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    What a tease ...
     
  4. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    If they:
    a) Were available outside of California
    b) Didn't have an operating range that precluded their usability in extreme AZ summers

    I'd consider one. They accelerate like a bat out of... ;)
     
  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    You can get the Tesla S. Same group that did the Rav4 EV. The one with the 40kWh pack costs about the same, and should have the same, if not better, performance than the Rav4.
     
  6. dipper

    dipper Senior Member

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    wait, you are saying you can get one for $35k Tesla S instead of a Rav4 after all the discount/rebate/tax credit in CA?

    Uh, you might want to redo your math, because I see $15k difference.
     
  7. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Tesla S 40 kwh 57500 - 7500 federal - 2500 california = $47500
    Rav4 EV $50000 - 75000 federal - 2500 california - 5000 toyota = $35000

    Those of us outside of california can not get the california or toyota discounts so price difference would be $7500 if toyota sold the car outside of california. That's still a big chunk of money --- but... tesla S looks like a lot more car. Think about a Rav4 V6 versus a BMW 535i, and $7500 more for the beemer looks like a bargain.:) In california though with the extra toyota cash it looks like a deal, until you look at the deals on the volt and leaf.
     
  8. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    last time I checked, places like Mojave Desert, California Imperial Valley California etc, are hotter than Phoenix averages. just sayin' . . . Gen II Rav4-EV's do have active cooling, right?
    .
     
  9. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Yes they are actively cooled. I would expect that the pack would do better than say the leaf pack in hot/cold places because of the liquid cooling/heating.
     
  10. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    If they were somehow able to stick that 40 kwh battery into a Prius probably decimating the entire cargo area but offer up to 150 EPA miles and cost $35k, I'd be driving that instead of the PiP.
     
  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    I was replying to HTMLSpinnr. Being outside California, he can't get a Rav4 EV. At least not new, so no discounts on it at all.

    Plus, the car will be outside its service area if something were to go wrong. Though, if there was a Tesla dealer in the state.....

    Most will likely not like the compromises with the cars, but at least Ford and Mitsubishi offer an EV outside of the west coast.

    The Leaf is more than a compliance car to Nissan.
     
  12. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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  13. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Good for him. I thought Toyota wasn't allowing them to be sold out of state. Perhaps that was policy before poor sales. There is also a Tesla service center being built in Denver. That will cover the what ifs.

    With ZEV credits being the motive behind the discount, will it apply to buyers out of state?
     
  14. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    oh for crying out loud ... don't you think you ought to wait for at least 1 year to determine if sales are on target - rather than just the 1st couple months worth of sales? Pre & mid winter is after all some of the lowest time for car sales.

    SGH-I717R ? 2
     
  15. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    why wouldnt you get $5000 discount if it was sold outside of Cali? Thats weird way to compare things.

    Toyota will not offer it outside anyway because they lose money on it.

    But at $35k, this is very well priced... and probably nobody will buy it.
     
  16. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Yes... they can be - but the point remains ;)

    Yes, but by active, the power is reduced in extreme climates.

    When the pack reaches above 108°F (42°C) or below -4°F (-20°C), the power output will be reduced. Once it reaches 122°F (50°C) or -22°F (-30°C), the RAV4-EV will throw a warning advising the driver that the battery pack it outside of it's operating range, and the vehicle will not be driveable..

    For extreme cold, -22°F to -4°F - the car will operate "normally" with a grid-powered pre-heat. Off-grid, the power output will be reduced in the same fashion as the between 108°-122°F until the pack can warm up above -4°F/-20°C.

    It's this upper limit that would make the RAV4-EV unusable in most AZ summers. Just sitting in the sun all day at 105°F or so would be enough to super-heat the pack if the temperature was linked to interior cabin temps.

    Toyota simply isn't marketing the vehicle outside of California - whether it's a profit/loss decision or a regulation decision, that is what is. That translates to limited to none serviceability.
     
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  17. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    I do not know... they'd need to average ~72 sold a month to reach 2600 over 3 years. So far, not a single month has reached that. Per November 2012 Dashboard | Hybrid Cars, last month 32 were sold. Going backwards from there, the sales were 47 and 61. The month w/61 is screwy though because it was only a fraction of a month because it came out late September '12.
     
  18. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    The Rav4 ev is a compliance car, and discounted like one. Toyota gets ZEV credit if its sold in California If they sell it in Texas they get no credits, that's why toyota isn't going to sell them at that price outside of California. I do hope they do sell enough to decide to go forward and offer them to other states.
     
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  19. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    I think another RAV4 EV may be in the works for the other states.
     
  20. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    And what would be the point of that? There's nothing special about the CA version that makes it "generally unsuitable" for other states other than laws, incentives, lack of dealer training, etc.