Making the leap to an EV - persuasive info

Toyota Rav4 EV Forum

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Karen

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
20
I've test driven way too many vehicles and I keep coming back to the Rav4 EV. I really like it. We are spending apprx. $500 a month on gas just for my minivan which is paid for and runs fine but doesn't have much value because of the high mileage. My weekday driving is 50-100 miles all local driving. I would like to gather some opinions and facts on buying a Rav4 EV and how that would make good sense. I think we should keep the gas guzzling minivan for out of the area trips and transporting lots of kids around. Our electric bill is almost non existent as we own our rooftop solar system. Husband wants to get a Volt which I like but the seating of four people is an issue for carpooling. We really need a five seater. Husband's concerns with the Rav are the battery and what happens once it is out of warranty, that it is a compliance car and not a real car, and range anxiety. Help me convince him!
I was one of the folks who was interested in the pre owned Rav4 EV in Carlsbad and I've been lurking on this forum for weeks learning about the Rav4. I first test drove one back in November.
Would you buy your Rav4 EV again?
Thanks!
Karen
 
Would I buy one again - Absolutely!

My families situation is similar to yours, but you may have an even better case!

We were able to justify our RAV as a 3rd car, by steering our running gas costs into financing the RAV. You're monthly gas costs are $100 worse and your purchase price will be $5k better (additional Toyota incentive). Assuming ~$35k for the car after all incentives, and $500/mth. The car would literally have paid for itself in under 6 years - then it's gravy after that - while still having a low mileage van. Versus if you maintain your situation now, you'll have sunk that money into gasoline, and come out the other end with a old worn van and no RAV for the same outlay.
 
Karen said:
I've test driven way too many vehicles and I keep coming back to the Rav4 EV. I really like it. We are spending apprx. $500 a month on gas just for my minivan which is paid for and runs fine but doesn't have much value because of the high mileage. My weekday driving is 50-100 miles all local driving. I would like to gather some opinions and facts on buying a Rav4 EV and how that would make good sense. I think we should keep the gas guzzling minivan for out of the area trips and transporting lots of kids around. Our electric bill is almost non existent as we own our rooftop solar system. Husband wants to get a Volt which I like but the seating of four people is an issue for carpooling. We really need a five seater. Husband's concerns with the Rav are the battery and what happens once it is out of warranty, that it is a compliance car and not a real car, and range anxiety. Help me convince him!
I was one of the folks who was interested in the pre owned Rav4 EV in Carlsbad and I've been lurking on this forum for weeks learning about the Rav4. I first test drove one back in November.
Would you buy your Rav4 EV again?
Thanks!
Karen

I would absolutely buy another one. In fact, had I known about the giant discounts I wouldn't have leased our Volt and would have bought two of them, and we are out of state. You are in state, so don't bother with the used one. We had the Leaf, and range anxiety was a real issue for us, but I haven't had one moment of range anxiety with the RAV, and we have yet to do an extended charge.

The Tesla roadsters have been on the road for years now, so if you are interested how they perform long-term, do some lurking around the Tesla forums. Even though the RAV is a compliance car, it still has a Tesla battery, motor, and controllers, so I think you can be confident you are buying a quality product.
 
Karen said:
... Husband's concerns with the Rav are the battery and what happens once it is out of warranty, that it is a compliance car and not a real car, and range anxiety. Help me convince him!
... Would you buy your Rav4 EV again?
Thanks!
Karen

Yes, I would definitely buy again only because of the price and current availability. Otherwise, I'd just buy a 40kWh Tesla if I wanted another 100-140 mile vehicle without a DC quick charge option. List price is $60k versus $50k for Rav4. Both cars have tons of interior room but the Tesla rides much, much smoother.

I can't really help your husband. They are the same issues over and over, and frankly, some folks get it and others don't. It is a "real" car, and a quite good one overall.

Range anxiety... eh, with the miles quoted, there won't be a problem. If you're concerned about the warranty, buy the extended one, although I don't recommend buying it until JUST BEFORE the current warranty runs out.

You'll need to buy a 30 or 40 amp charging station and have it installed. Since you're pushing range a bit, I'd recommend the faster 40 amp ones for quick midday adding of miles.
 
Karen said:
Would you buy your Rav4 EV again?
Thanks!
Karen
YES, especially now, with a price tag so much LESS than I paid back in November! Fwiw, tell your husband it is both a compliance car AND a "real" car as good as if not better than most of the EV competition. The price would have been the only "REAL" issue, but not right now. A VOLT would be another good choice, but if seating capacity and electric range are important considerations, with a RAV4 EV currently available for essentially $20,000 of sticker price, AND 0% financing, I don't see how you can go wrong. If replacing the battery out of warranty is still of concern, then just lease! :mrgreen:
 
Absolutely. I concur with all of the responses above. My daily commute is 50-100 miles as well. Very comfortable 125 mile range with mild climate control on extended charge setting. Lots of room. The Volt is fine too, but with $10k rebate and $10k in tax credits AND 0% financing, it is a great time to buy a RAV4EV.

As for battery warranty, its already 8 years/100k miles. I too am concerned about eventual range degradation over time, so I have personally purchased the individual cells that are used in the RAV4EV and will be cycling them to get an estimation of cycle life using an actual driving profile (rather than using generic information off of a datasheet). I will be sharing the results with the list.

You can't say anything to convince your husband. Your best option is to get him behind the wheel of one, press the "sport" button, and let him drive it. He will be converted in less than 30 minutes!

I have a 40A/240VAC wall socket in my garage. I use an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) that supplies the on-board charger with 30A. This usually recharges my daily usage in the middle of the night over 3-4 hours (~20 miles per hour of charge time). During my first week of ownership, I've averaged 70 miles per day, requiring ~22kWh/day to refuel. That only costs me $2.50 in electricity, which in your minivan, would get you about 10-13 miles worth of fuel.

EVSE's can be purchased for $750-$1500, so take that into consideration. Charging at 120VAC is not going to work for your needs.

Hopefully after the extended test drive, the only debate with your husband will be on which color to get!
Good luck on whatever you choose.
 
This might be hearsay on these boards, but if your husband was considering the Volt, then the both of you may just want to give the Honda Accord PHEV some consideration.

It's a proper sedan with seating for 5. And more comfortable and upscale than the RAV4 EV. I won't lie, as it was a very strong consideration for us. Alas, it wasn't quite out when we purchased. You'll likely be falling on more gas supported miles than pure EV. But then you wouldn't ever have any range anxiety and it would offer the flexibility for real road trips. It does have limited pure EV range, which could be okay if your typical day is a lot of short trips. It has incredible efficiency overall.

Honda-Accord-PHEV-2014-Rear-Seat-Interior-Wallpaper-7.jpg
 
First, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to post their thoughts, recommendations, and experiences with the Rav4 EV. I appreciate everyones' input and it has been very helpful... and persuasive. He knows it will make me happy to drive an electric car and so that was the final tipping point. We talked about the Tesla this morning - he likes the car and range - and it's out of our price range. I've been given the green light on the Rav4 EV!
I did look into the Honda Accord PHEV - thank you TeCKis300. I don't think it's hearsay at all to offer suggestions on other vehicles. It's not readily available and it's being marked up. The discounts, incentives and 0% financing on the Rav4 EV make it a smart choice. I think the Accord PHEV may be a good choice for my husband when he needs to get a new car (probably next year).
So, now I have more questions on buying:
I live in Ventura County, California and I would like to get the best deal. From this forum, it looks like Carson Toyota has been most favorable on discounts. Anywhere else? Closer? The dealer closest to us - DCH Toyota of Simi Valley is one of the Toyota certified EV service dealers, so that is good. Ideally, I would like to buy from them since they are local (two in stock) but when I talked with the salesman it didn't seem like they were going to discount hardly at all.
Charging station: Best recommendation? I don't mind purchasing over online and having an electrician install if that is the best choice. How about Toyota and Levitron? Overpriced? If you had a chance to do over your charging equipment choices, what would you do the same or different? I am thinking about the charging / timer issue and someone on this forum recommended using a charger that was like $15. Thoughts? Or has Toyota solved the issue yet?
Finally, do we leap this week and take advantage of the 10k Toyota cash and 0% financing or wait until after April and see what "new" incentive Toyota will offer (I'm sure there will be one). Gambling anyone?
I can't hardly wait!!! Super excited
 
If Toyota didn't sell something close to 76 plus units this month, continued or even increased discounts are likely.

It is a gamble, however. If they still have 1000 of these sitting in Woodstock, Ontario in 20 more months, they might pay you to take them!!

Good luck with your gamble, and welcome aboard.
 
Karen said:
First, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to post their thoughts, recommendations, and experiences with the Rav4 EV. I appreciate everyones' input and it has been very helpful... and persuasive. He knows it will make me happy to drive an electric car and so that was the final tipping point. We talked about the Tesla this morning - he likes the car and range - and it's out of our price range. I've been given the green light on the Rav4 EV!
I did look into the Honda Accord PHEV - thank you TeCKis300. I don't think it's hearsay at all to offer suggestions on other vehicles. It's not readily available and it's being marked up. The discounts, incentives and 0% financing on the Rav4 EV make it a smart choice. I think the Accord PHEV may be a good choice for my husband when he needs to get a new car (probably next year).
So, now I have more questions on buying:
I live in Ventura County, California and I would like to get the best deal. From this forum, it looks like Carson Toyota has been most favorable on discounts. Anywhere else? Closer? The dealer closest to us - DCH Toyota of Simi Valley is one of the Toyota certified EV service dealers, so that is good. Ideally, I would like to buy from them since they are local (two in stock) but when I talked with the salesman it didn't seem like they were going to discount hardly at all.
Charging station: Best recommendation? I don't mind purchasing over online and having an electrician install if that is the best choice. How about Toyota and Levitron? Overpriced? If you had a chance to do over your charging equipment choices, what would you do the same or different? I am thinking about the charging / timer issue and someone on this forum recommended using a charger that was like $15. Thoughts? Or has Toyota solved the issue yet?
Finally, do we leap this week and take advantage of the 10k Toyota cash and 0% financing or wait until after April and see what "new" incentive Toyota will offer (I'm sure there will be one). Gambling anyone?
I can't hardly wait!!! Super excited

I bought last night from DCH Toyota of Oxnard. They matched the price offered by Carson Toyota of $48,444 and was here in my backyard. The salesman I worked with is Al Gaines, the manager of the internet dept. He was very knowledgeable and easy to work with. The experience was very painless. I think they have 4 more in stock.

I thought the same thing... do I wait another week or pull the trigger now. They made me an offer for my trade that pushed me off the fence.

Good luck!
 
AvLegends said:
I bought last night from DCH Toyota of Oxnard. They matched the price offered by Carson Toyota of $48,444 and was here in my backyard.
$48? Surely you mean $38,444 after the discounts (but before the tax credits)?
 
shikataganai said:
AvLegends said:
I bought last night from DCH Toyota of Oxnard. They matched the price offered by Carson Toyota of $48,444 and was here in my backyard.
$48? Surely you mean $38,444 after the discounts (but before the tax credits)?

Yes, before Toyota Financial cash. $38,444 final deal.
 
Yeah I am pretty lucky to be at the airport almost every day!

You better look me up the next time your in town. :D Im just due east of the restaurant on Beech Taxi.

Do you make it up often? A nice 30 min flight from San Diego in a Baron.
 
AvLegends said:
Yeah I am pretty lucky to be at the airport almost every day!

You better look me up the next time your in town. :D Im just due east of the restaurant on Beech Taxi.

Do you make it up often? A nice 30 min flight from San Diego in a Baron.


I'll be driving by on July 7, 2013 while finishing up this year's Canada to Mexico electric car rally "BC2BC - 2013":

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=596#p596

If you have some 50 amp 240 volt service over there, I might want to steal some go juice. It's 134 miles from my previous stop in San Luis Obispo.

Tony
 
TonyWilliams said:
If you have some 50 amp 240 volt service over there, I might want to steal some go juice. It's 134 miles from my previous stop in San Luis Obispo.

Sure Do... just picked up a CS-60 yesterday and should have it up and running sometime today at the hangar.

That Sunday will be our monthly 1st Sunday open house. I can make sure there is parking available for you when you arrive as sometimes we have car clubs show up during the summer open house days.

You are welcome to come by for a charge anytime!
 
AvLegends said:
TonyWilliams said:
If you have some 50 amp 240 volt service over there, I might want to steal some go juice. It's 134 miles from my previous stop in San Luis Obispo.

Sure Do... just picked up a CS-60 yesterday and should have it up and running sometime today at the hangar.

That Sunday will be our monthly 1st Sunday open house. I can make sure there is parking available for you when you arrive as sometimes we have car clubs show up during the summer open house days.

You are welcome to come by for a charge anytime!

Reserve me a spot for about 10am-ish. Ill need a full tank to make it home!!

Mucho grande thanks.

Tony
 
TonyWilliams said:
Reserve me a spot for about 10am-ish. Ill need a full tank to make it home!!

Mucho grande thanks.

Tony
You bet! :) Should be a nice day to stop in... 1st Sunday in July.
 
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