East Coast RAV4 EV possible?

I followed the thread about out of state purchases, do you fellas think it is possible for an East Coaster to get one?

I did call two local Toyota dealers and ask if they could provide service for the new electric RAV4, they said yes. I was a little concerned because they answered yes very quickly, with little follow up or questions. I am not sure they these dealers even knew what I was talking about.

I have a 240v plug to charge, as I have another EV right now. Is there a way to charge this EV on L2 without buying a station?

Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Eric

If some of our members who live in Washington and Colorado, have been successful in buying RAV4 EVs, then the same "process" should be applicable to you. You are just further away from CA, and further away you are, the more possible "issues" with that process.

In your case, the cross country "shipping cost" will be more significant, but probably you can find a shipping co. that will do it just as easily whether you live on the East Coast or somewhere on the West Coast outside of CA. Unfortunately, this cost is really a Crock of Sh!t because the CA Dealer destination delivery cost ($850, I think) would be the same whether the car was shipped from Canada to a dealer in California or in Florida. However, you more than make up for that waste of money, i.e. if you buy this month, because you would get the $6k off MSRP and 60 month financing at 0% just like any other buyer regardless of where they live in or out of CA.

As far as Level 2 charging, the RAV4 EV has the same industry standard SAE J1772 charge port connector, as do most all other EVs for sale in the U.S. market, so I presume YOUR L2 EVSE supports that as well.

As far as a local Toyota dealer near you on the East Coast, I am not so sure they can service this car, at least not as an "authorized" servicing dealer. For one thing to work on the (Tesla designed) drivetrain and battery, and many of the electronic modules, I believe specially designed diagnostics and tools, unique to the RAV4 EV, would be required. To remove the battery from beneath the car, I'm certain VERY specialized equipment would be required. A local dealer would not likely want to purchase such - likely to be expensive - servicing equipment for just a handful of RAV4 EVs in his local service area. I think this equipment on hand is really the only difference between a so-called RAV4 EV authorized Toyota dealer and any others outside of CA. Even in CA, not every dealer may have committed to obtain the necessary tools (and service tech training) to work on this vehicle.

Because of this, you probably would be at greater risk the further you are away from an "authorized" dealer.

Nevertheless, the RAV4 EV is a truly phenomenal electrified SUV, so if you are up for the cross country shipping hassle, and quite probable less than steller support from your local dealers, I say, GO FOR IT!!!

I don't see a problem, since I don't expect Tesla related issues. You might consider a 40kWh or 60kWh real Tesla Model S, which will have service in your state.

Otherwise, it's really not a big deal to have a Rav4 shipped to you.

I appreciate the feedback. I currently use the Nissan Leaf Upgraded EVSE for L2, so that wouldn't work with the RAV4. I currently have a Think City.

The incentives being offered on the RAV right now really drew my attention. Sure, even a 40KWH Model S would be great, but at this point it is a $15k difference plus any finance charges and the waiting time involved with the 40KWH pack.

Thanks again,

Eric

elmoll said:

I appreciate the feedback. I currently use the Nissan Leaf Upgraded EVSE for L2, so that wouldn't work with the RAV4. I currently have a Think City.

The incentives being offered on the RAV right now really drew my attention. Sure, even a 40KWH Model S would be great, but at this point it is a $15k difference plus any finance charges and the waiting time involved with the 40KWH pack.

Thanks again,

Eric

Click to expand...

I just got a note that one of the many wilting battery "Phoenix LEAFers" is also getting a Rav4 (after Nissan buys his LEAF back). I suspect all the out of state Rav4 sales will become a problem for Toyota, since a car sold in California but never entered service in California isn't the intent of CARB rules. But, surely, the privately owned dealers don't care who buys them.

For now, enjoy.

Being one of the "out of staters" I obviously went for it. Time will tell if I made a good choice.
The OP has abviously read all the posts on buying out of state and I think they pretty well sum up my experience. Getting the vehicle registered is a little hassle just becasue different states have different rules but at least in 2 cases they have been shown to be workable.

As to charging, it depends on your need. I used only the L1 that comes with the RAV4 for the first week. While it could not charge the car fully each night, it gained about ten miles each day over what the commute consumed. After a week it was fully charged. A small L2 would certainly be capable unless you drive like Tony and put on a couple of hundred miles a day.

The only unknown at this point is servicing. On the plus side is that Toyota would certainly have to service your car even if you bought it in CA and then had to move to a different state. And, there really isn't that much that can go wrong. Clearly if you are counting on the car and could not live without it in case of a failure, even if just for a few days, this might be a problem. Even the CA dealers are just getting to know this car.
I would say the answer to your question is "It depends on you needs and apptitude". If you need to count on 100% availablilty and are the kind of peerson who hates to deal with car problems, this is probably not a good choice. There are a lot of unknowns.

On the other hand, if you are able and willing to put in some time and jump through some hoops, I can say that driving the car is a lot of fun. So far, once I got past the buying challenge, the car has been flawless. That is easy to say after 2 weeks.

I would also like to add that this particular "EV" is largely based on Toyota's standard model RAV4, which has proven itself over many model years. The new additions provided by TESLA seem to be very well engineered, except for a few relatively minor areas (e.g. scheduled charging for one). The other thing to keep in mind is the factory warranty is the same no matter where you live, and that's fairly decent with respect to the drivetrain, battery and probably most of the electronics that were designed by Tesla. If you are not leasing, you might want to purchase the extended warranty but that won't help you much on the Tesla side of this car. With respect to the latter, after 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, I think that's all the coverage you'll get from Toyota even with an extended warranty. At first, I thought an extention would be worth buying, even at a lofty price, but after analyzing all the "exclusions", I rejected that idea. Fortunately, my location and the type of driving I do, will be quite easy on the car. Also, I live within only a few miles of a large "authorized" Toyota dealer.