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Test driving the RAV4 EV today. Questions?

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Apr 5, 2011.

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  1. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I'll be taking a silent, ICE-less spin in Toyota's prototype RAV4 EV this afternoon here at the Sustainable Mobility Seminar. I have access to one of the RAV4's lead engineers so if anyone has any questions that I can ask, please reply in this thread and I'll try my best to get them answered. My full write-up will be up later this week. You can read more about the RAV4 EV here: Toyota reveals RAV4-EV with 100 mile "real world" range, performance of V6 PriusChat Forum Threads Tagged with rav4
     
    #1 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
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  2. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Where do they plan to manufacture it?
     
    #2 cycledrum, Apr 5, 2011
  3. Unlimited_MPG

    Unlimited_MPG Member

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    Can you "accidentally" take a wrong turn onto the freeway and see how it performs?

    Price of the new battery pack (maybe per KW)?

    Release date. Is it being released near the same time as the Plug-In Prius?

    That's it...just a few simple questions :) Thanks Danny!
     
    #3 Unlimited_MPG, Apr 5, 2011
  4. SaucyRed

    SaucyRed BEV jockey these days

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    I'm excited about this car. Toyota's car and Telsa's powertrain should be great.

    As a 2003 RAV4-EV owner, here's things I don't like about the old car:

    1. Cogging at low speeds (others EVs engineered that out). I assume Tesla's powertrain fixes that.
    2. Reliance on 12V battery (even with a full traction pack, if your 12V voltage gets low, the whole car dies). I assume Tesla's powertrain fixes that.
    3. The charger can only charge it to 100%, and then the level sags if you don't drive it right away. Can we charge it to 80 or 90%? I assume Tesla's powertrain allows that.
    4. At a high level of regen ('B' mode), the transition between regen and drive is very rough. I assume Tesla's powertrain fixes that.
    5. Lack of details SOC information. I assume Tesla's powertrain/instrumentation fixes that.

    And as a Tesla Roadster driver, the things I don't like about it:

    6. Will it come with a J1772 L2 port? Preferably 80A.
    7. Will it come with a TEPCO/CHAdeMO DC Fast-charge port?
    8. Will it use a heat pump for a heater? Resistive heaters draw an awful lot of power.
    9. Will it be priced reasonably? :)
     
    #4 SaucyRed, Apr 5, 2011
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I was in a dealership last fall, just waiting around while snow tires were installed. Just to pass time I asked a salesman: "So what do you think of this new RAV EV?"

    He looked at me like I was speaking Martian.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Apr 5, 2011
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  6. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    The RAV4 itself will continue to be produced in Canada, along with all other RAV4s. Telsa will produce the battery packs, electric motors, and other components at NUMMI. Where the pieces will all be put together is currently not finalized. All of the prototype conversions were built in Palo Alto by Tesla.
     
    #6 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
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  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    0-60mph? ;)
     
    #7 spiderman, Apr 5, 2011
  8. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    How much will the projected MSRP be?
     
    #8 sipnfuel, Apr 5, 2011
  9. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    The road course is about 7 miles, and I believe it does hit the freeway. If not, I'll do my best to veer onto it.

    No word on price, but the pack size is 37 kWh.

    Release date I think is targeted for 2012, along with the Prius PHV. I'll double check that to be sure.
     
    #9 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
  10. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    Is it FWD, RWD or AWD?
     
    #10 sipnfuel, Apr 5, 2011
  11. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I can only answer a few of these questions based on information I currently have, but I'll ask about the others.
    6. Yes, it will come with a standard J1772 port. Not sure about the amperage, but I'll ask.
    7. No fast charging. Level 2 charging will be the best you'll get with the RAV4. Charges times on the prototype are 28 hours on 110V and 12 on a 240V. They expect those times to be reduced GREATLY with the production vehicle.
    9. Yeah, they didn't come out and tell me that :)

    9 seconds flat.

    I wish I knew. I would guess $10k over whatever the Prius PHV ends up being priced, but that's just a total guess. So, maybe low $40s?
     
    #11 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
  12. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    fwd.
     
    #12 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
  13. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    Is the rate of regen greater than the Prius? (max energy regen per unit time)
    Is it 1.5x, double, triple ?

    Does it shift into neutral when you take your foot off the accelerator at 40mph? Can you manually shift it into neutral at 40mph and just coast along if you want to?

    Thanks Danny! :)
     
    #13 Rybold, Apr 5, 2011
  14. kev12345

    kev12345 Junior Member

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    Towing capacity? Can I tow my electric boat with my electric rav?
     
    #14 kev12345, Apr 5, 2011
  15. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    I assume there's no transmission? What is the max speed?
     
    #15 sipnfuel, Apr 5, 2011
  16. BC prius

    BC prius Junior Member

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    Any idea how many Km's per charge? Is it going to be like the 2003 version ~160km or better?
     
    #16 BC prius, Apr 5, 2011
  17. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I'll try to get answers to the other questions, but I can answer this one.

    Toyota is quoting a range of 80-120 miles, but they are also stating a 96 mile "real world" range. The 96 mile range is not based on any EPA tests, instead Toyota is using a proprietary test based on a real Toyota customer driving patterns. That means normal AC usage, acceleration, etc. No hypermiling.

    They seem very confident in the 96 mile number.
     
    #17 Danny, Apr 5, 2011
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  18. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

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    FWD rav4. I'm not sure what the point is. I often look at used highlanders and rav4s and shake my head in amazement at the (thankfully few) that were purchased as FWD versions.
     
    #18 Skoorbmax, Apr 5, 2011
  19. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Haha. My dad has an FWD 02 RAV4. (Personally, I think it's a piece of crap although it hasn't been unreliable.) I wasn't involved at all in his buying but he has no reason to take the car offroad and he lives in the SF Bay Area. It does not snow there and he doesn't go anywhere where it snows.

    There's no reason to penalize yourself w/the extra weight and/or resistance of AWD or 4WD if you don't need it. The extra weight alone hurts mileage. If you're asking about RWD... well, it's not sold that way.
     
    #19 cwerdna, Apr 5, 2011
  20. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    Well remember that electric motors are small, they could put the battery in the hood and the motor in the back without a drive shaft / prop shaft. The RAV4 has a rear mounted spare so there should be space back there.

    Maybe they should have electrified a Venza, I can see those being used for fleets & cabs.
     
    #20 sipnfuel, Apr 5, 2011
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