Featured Toyota bZ4X limited leasing

Source: Daily Automotive News

TOYOTA bZ4X ONLY $199/MONTH

If you’re interested in a Toyota bZ4X, now is the time to get one. The model can be leased in some states for as low as $199 per month for 36 months, which is cheaper than a Corolla. It’s also including a free-year of charging at EVGo stations. The deal is available until the end of September, which is when the federal EV tax credit is being eliminated. Through the first six months of the year, Toyota has sold around 9,200 bZ4X’s in the U.S., which is down 2% compared to last year.​

I have plenty of EVs but if you're on the fence, a relatively low cost to 'test the waters.'

Bob Wilson

 

Like "Who Killed The Electric Car?" <GRINS>

Bob Wilson

 

As long as China continues exporting every EV they can make (and they make boatloads,) any well run company (and country) will keep their EV teams active. As for the others, they will continue to slowly see their markets decline until they start working for a Chinese company.

Let me share my example:

• $42,000 will buy a new EV car (list price of my 2019 Model 3 before trade-in)
  • Replacement battery, $9,000, was ~20% of purchase after 6 years for another 6 years
    • 20%/6 years ~= 4%/year until the Chinese EVs arrive
• $64,000 will provide a solar PVC roof for free miles within the EV car range
  • Also the first and last segment on a cross country trip
  • Replacement PVC panels when the more affordable Chinese panels arrive

Bob Wilson

ps. I did not include my backup EV, a BMW i3-REx, that I bought used for $15,000 two years ago.

 

Gives me good shot to reference my system, again: Home Solar | Page 6 | PriusChat

A retired engineer, I respect that a quality job requires skilled, experienced engineers: GOOD, FAST, CHEAP.

• GOOD - I would not have thought about the smart circuit breaker panel but it has been my teacher on how to maximize use of the ~30 kWh generated each day.
• FAST - I sold my TSLA stock when I knew Elon had gone nuts and faced with a significant 30% capital gains tax. I needed the solar credit in time to neutralize the capital gains so I had to go with GOOD.
• CHEAP - two out of three ain't bad. In hindsight, I should have sold my TSLA stock at $400/share in January 2025 instead of $250 in late Spring 2024. I have my clever moments but timing is not one of them.

Sharing one lesson learned, I have two EVs:

• BMW i3-REx - 106 mi range, small, quick, "goin' for groceries" car that carries its own, 25 kW, gas fueled charger that runs while running down the road.
• Tesla Model 3 - 204 mi range, comfortable cruiser, for self-driving, and cross country trips.

My original plan was to swap EVs every day so one is solar charging and the other in use. But this does not work in practice. So now:

• BMW (28 kWh battery) - is used for daily errands usually in the morning. Back on the charger in the afternoon, it rapidly charges for the next day. If not fully charged, what was done handles the next day's errands. Meanwhile, the Tesla is on charger.
• Tesla (45 kWh battery) - remains covered and normal cabin cooling takes about 1 kWh even in this heat. About supper time, about two hours before sunset, I switch the charger from the BMW to the Tesla to top it off to 75% for a future trip.

I'm also relaxed about buying a small amount of extra power from the Grid. But absolutely dedicated to never giving an excess power back to the utility company. So the first month of summer:

• $214.27 - June 2024
• _$46.83 - June 2025
• $167.44 - year over year savings

The TSLA stock never paid a dividend.

In effect, the same as if I bought a diesel car, drilled an oil well in the back yard, and put the filtered oil in the diesel.

Bob Wilson

 

I just wish Toyota hadn't let a fan of Joe Btfsplk name their EV 'bZ4X'. Toyota was correct with the name Prius.

Toyota's EV should have been called 'Proxi' or 'Filius' or 'Nepos' ('next' or 'son' or 'grandson'.) Instead, it sounds like something one might have said when the Mirai sales numbers came in.

Any idea of where the name "bZ4X" came from?

It is a reasonable EV:

My backup, 2017 BMW i3-REx measures 28 kWh/100 mi.

Bob Wilson