The New RAV4 EV

[dpeilow]

The forth bottle is urine, because that's what they are taking with this price.

 

[DuncanWatson]

I am deeply disappointed. The cost is too high, it has no quick charge capability and the volume is way too low. I doubt I will even be able to buy one in Washington state. I don't know what I am going to replace my Jetta TDI wagon with now.

 

[bonnie]

Yep. I've left a request for this forum's moderator (I have Model S and Model X forums).

 

[Kipernicus]

inside it's the 10kw charger of model S

Why would they claim a 6 hour recharge if that's the case? The battery can't be much more than 30-40kWh.

 

[GSP]

Yeah, how many different fluids do they need? Coolant and windshield washer... what are the other 2?....

The yellow one is brake fluid. The other three could be battery cooling, inverter-charger-DCDC cooling, and Motor cooling. They could be designed to operate at three different temperatures, and therefore need three different cooling systems.

I don't see one that looks like windshield washer, so that may be elsewhere, or one might be windshield washer after all.

Sounds like an attractive vehicle to me. They may not have enough to meet demand.

GSP

 

[qwk]

It looks like brake fluid, coolant and power steering fluid on the drivers side and windshield washer fluid on the passenger side.

 

[GSP]

It seems to be a lot like the previous RAV4 EV.

Yes, but quicker, newer, with features like Stability Control, TPMS, advanced airbags and more of them, HD Radio, Bluetooth, backup camera, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED taillighrs, and more I am sure. Did the original RAV4-EV have heated seats?

GSP

 

[CyberDutchie]

Yes, but quicker, newer, with features like Stability Control, TPMS, advanced airbags and more of them, HD Radio, Bluetooth, backup camera, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED taillighrs, and more I am sure. Did the original RAV4-EV have heated seats?

Yeah, the EV version of the RAV4 is fully loaded with lots of tech. Of coarse, you'll see the skeptics make a comparison to the ICE version and make the point that it is more than twice the price.

In fact, here's the quote from a Bloomberg article:

Toyota said its electric RAV4 sport-utility vehicle with batteries and motor from Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) will cost more than twice as much as the gasoline version of the compact crossover.

Toyota will sell the RAV4 EV for $49,800 this year in California, and plans to deliver 2,600 units over the next three years, the company said today at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. The base price of a 2012 RAV4 with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine is $22,650, according to Toyota’s website.

 

[GSP]

The gas RAV4 costs less and will sell better, but it has a primitive, rough, engine with large recriproting masses (pistons) and you can feel the tranny shift. You even have to go to gas stations fairly frequently. No EV grin either. That is worth the extra cash if you have it, but it will take a while for people to realize that.

GSP

 

[Larry Chanin]

Toyota RAV4 EV is California-Only, Costs $50,610


The limited-production electric RAV4 returns almost exactly as it had left nine years before.

"Right now, we're looking at it as more of a market test," said Jana Hartline, Toyota's environmental spokeswoman, to Exhaust Notes. "It's really going to allow us to gauge customers."

The RAV4 EV comes with a 41.8-kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery supplied by Tesla Motors, nearly double the capacities of the batteries in the Focus Electric and Leaf, yet Toyota claims the same 100-mile range as those two cars. Tesla plans to introduce a similar 40-kilowatt hour battery in the upcoming Model S, due this winter, and promises a 160-mile range at a constant 55 mph. Hartline said the estimate was conservative ("we'd rather underpromise") and that prototypes have been "at 100 or above." Several charging modes will also be available, Hartline said, one of which will extend the range by maxing the battery's capacity, just like in the current Tesla Roadster. Charging takes about five to six hours on a 240-volt Level 2 connection. Unlike other Japanese EVs, a fast-charge port will not be available.

Larry

 

[ggr]

The forth bottle is urine, because that's what they are taking with this price.

My first thought was that they were ink cartridges for the embedded printer...

 

[JRP3]

Of course people will compare it to the base model pricing, but I'd bet for similar features and performance you'd need the V6 version with some options, might push the comparable ICE price closer to $30K.

 

[ckessel]

It's rather confusing the Rav4 has a 100 mile range on 41.8 kWh and the Model S has 160 at 40 kWh. The Model S is quite a bit bigger I think even if it's drag coefficient is lower (the Rav4 wasn't bad, something like .30 was listed in an article).

Either the Rav4 does a lot better than 100 or the Model S is much worse than 160.

 

[JRP3]

Hartline said the estimate was conservative ("we'd rather underpromise") and that prototypes have been "at 100 or above."

I'd say that probably explains is.

 

[ckessel]

I'd say that probably explains is.

Yea, I saw that, but that's still a big gap with the Model S. We're talking a 60% difference from 100->160.

 

[Larry Chanin]

It's rather confusing the Rav4 has a 100 mile range on 41.8 kWh and the Model S has 160 at 40 kWh. The Model S is quite a bit bigger I think even if it's drag coefficient is lower (the Rav4 wasn't bad, something like .30 was listed in an article).

Either the Rav4 does a lot better than 100 or the Model S is much worse than 160.

Here's an excerpt from Tesla's 10-K Annual Report.

We plan to offer Model S with a variety of battery pack options—40 kWh, 60 kWh and 85 kWh—which we estimate will offer a range on a single charge of 160 miles, 230 miles, and 300 miles, respectively, while traveling at a steady speed of 55 miles per hour. The EPA’s new fuel economy requirements will require us to label Model S utilizing new and different energy efficiency testing methodologies. These methodologies differ from the one we have used to estimate the range of the vehicles at a steady speed of 55 miles per hour and could reduce the range reported on the required labeling of our vehicles by up to 30% as compared to our current estimates.

My interpretation of this paragraph suggests that the new EPA testing methodology could result in an EPA range of about 112 miles for the "160" mile battery pack.

Larry

 

[Larry Chanin]

Interesting photo in terms of marketing.

Larry

 

[TEG]

Maximum output from the electric powertrain is 154 HP (115kW) @ 2,800 rpm.

That seems like a rather low RPM for max HP.
Roadster makes max HP at something like 5K RPMs, so I wonder why the RAV4EV motor starts getting torque limited so low in the rev range.

 

[ckessel]

That seems like a rather low RPM for max HP.
Roadster makes max HP at something like 5K RPMs, so I wonder why the RAV4EV motor starts getting torque limited so low in the rev range.

Is the Rav4 more likely to be hauling things? It'd make sense to gear down to lower RPMs for that.

 

[Lloyd]

Yes, Max speed for the Rav 4 is 85 mph!