Leasing RAV4EV without home charger - feasible?

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anonymous4

New member
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
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4
I would *love* to get a RAV4EV. However, my landlord did a feasibility survey and said they can't approve installing a home charger (I live in an apartment with open parking lots for residents). Is it feasible to lease the RAV4EV without a home charger, just depending on public chargers? Or am I dumb to do that?
 
If you have a steady and reliable access to charging away from home (usually at work), then it can work. And if you can charge at home with the supplied "trickle" charger, that would help. However, I think it would be very difficult for the RAV to be your main vehicle without having a dedicated 240V EVSE.
 
You technically should be able to lease the RAV4 without having any dedicated charging solution available at home, but it can be a very substantial risk, especially if it's your only car.

Is there a standard 110V "wall" jack near your space? While 110V charging with the included cable is very slow, it can be enough for some people who drive infrequently. However, I assume that you have already addressed that issue with the landlord, and no power is available in your building's lots.

If there's a charger you can use at work, the answer is maybe. Some folks with workplaces that have as many or more chargers than EV drivers can get by with having a charger at work but not at home. Some workplaces that have chargers, however, have far fewer chargers than EV drivers - even though my wife works for a company with several EV charging stations, there are enough EV drivers that she rarely has a chance at the plug.

If there isn't a dedicated or mostly dedicated charger available at home, at work, or another location you commonly leave your car for several hours, the answer is that the RAV4 probably isn't the car for you. Shared public chargers often have limited availability, generally provide a slower charge than even a 240V dryer outlet, and are difficult to rely upon for day to day driving.
 
I agree. But, I think your landlord must be living in the dark ages if he thinks he can avoid the inevitability of allowing installation of EV "home" chargers (i.e. EVSE L2) in his apartment complex. If he continues to avoid that, in five or ten years nobody will want to rent any of his apartments unless they don't already own a relatively new vehicle. :mrgreen:
 
Thanks all. The problem is that the parking lots are not below the apartment complex. Each building has parking lots on the side of the building, and there are no outlets nearby. I was told that there are fire safety issues and the fire-marshal won't allow running power cables through the lot. I've asked if atleast a normal outlet can be provided near the parking lot.

I do have access to a charger at work, but it is shared, so there is no guarantee that I can use it when I want.

Yes I agree --- I'm based in CA. Now they are requiring new houses to have necessary support for EV chargers, I don't understand why my apartment complex won't let me install one! :cry:
 
anonymous4 said:
Thanks all. The problem is that the parking lots are not below the apartment complex. Each building has parking lots on the side of the building, and there are no outlets nearby. I was told that there are fire safety issues and the fire-marshal won't allow running power cables through the lot. I've asked if atleast a normal outlet can be provided near the parking lot.

I do have access to a charger at work, but it is shared, so there is no guarantee that I can use it when I want.

Yes I agree --- I'm based in CA. Now they are requiring new houses to have necessary support for EV chargers, I don't understand why my apartment complex won't let me install one! :cry:

Its a far fetched idea but perhaps you live next to a church or some other type of place that would allow you to plug in during the week near your apt (or maybe near your work) if you throw a few bucks their way in the process. You never know unless you ask! Chances are somebody there drives a prius or something and will sympathize.
 
It is!
Use sites like Plugshare.com, where EV owners share their charging station at home.
Pick the one nearest you, talk to that person and offer to share for charging expenses.
Second option, have a dedicated meter at work.. as long as you're paying, i'm sure you're company will be more than happy to accomodate you.

By the way, how many miles do you drive a day?
 
Thanks for the replies. I didn't know about plugshare, it seems like I have atleast half a dozen homes within 5 mile radius with EVSEs! I'll definitely try that route.

On weekdays, my drives are short---mostly within 25 miles round trip. Weekends, I might have round trips that are around 95 miles (this might be a stretch for the RAV4EV?). I'm not the kind of person who goes on road trips, and I looked at my trip patterns over the last couple of years---I think a RAV4EV would be perfect for me as a daily commute vehicle; that's why I would love to get one.
 
anonymous4 said:
Thanks for the replies. I didn't know about plugshare, it seems like I have atleast half a dozen homes within 5 mile radius with EVSEs! I'll definitely try that route.

On weekdays, my drives are short---mostly within 25 miles round trip. Weekends, I might have round trips that are around 95 miles (this might be a stretch for the RAV4EV?). I'm not the kind of person who goes on road trips, and I looked at my trip patterns over the last couple of years---I think a RAV4EV would be perfect for me as a daily commute vehicle; that's why I would love to get one.
One of the best parts of owning an electric vehicle is the convenience of charging at home. If you are regularly going out of your way to charge the car, you will be missing out on one of the best aspects. However, with a short commute like yours you could probably charge at work every 2nd or 3rd day without worrying about it. The RAV4 will do 95 miles easily - with even more margin if you do an extended charge for that trip.

By the way, the stated reason for not allowing an EVSE at your complex (fire safety issue) is nonsense. It could be that there is no convenient electric service near any of the parking spaces, so it would be cost prohibitive to install properly. That is a "real" reason. I guarantee that a fire official did not disallow it. If you really wanted to pursue it, you could get your own estimate from an electrical contractor and present that to the building manager. If you are willing to pay half of the installation cost and it remains their property, I don't see why they wouldn't do it.
 
You can upgrade your stock charge cord at evseupgrade.com and it will double the speed if you are able to find a 240V outlet at some location. You also may be able to use a quick220 with it.
 
If you drive 100 miles and then plug in at 110V, you're not even going to fully charge the car by the next day. I believe the documentation I read said it could take as long as 45 hours.

Sounds to me like the Rav4 EV isn't for you. If it were me, I'd save my money and go buy a gas-electric hybrid. Perhaps a Prius plug-in is more up your alley? Then you can charge when it's available, but otherwise get very reasonable gas mileage.

Of course, if you need an SUV, then I believe the only non-electric only option at this point is the Mitsubishi Outlander.
 
Blastphemy said:
Of course, if you need an SUV, then I believe the only non-electric only option at this point is the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Outlander US introduction has been delayed into 2015.
 
If an SUV is not mandatory, you might want to take a serious look at Chevy Volt. It can be fully charged overnight from a standard 120V outlet in ~10 hours. But, when charging is not an option at home or at work, or you need to take long trips, you can drive it on gasoline and get reasonably good mileage. I get about 42mpg at the speed limit on freeways. The 2014 VOLT stickers for $5k less than last year's model, (which means leftovers from 2013 will be discounted even more). Leases are probably going for about $250/month with nothing up front. If purchased, the VOLT also qualifies for the $7500 federal tax credit, and CA's $1500 rebate as well as for "HOV" lane access.

Nevertheless, in your apartment dweller situation, I think you would only be a good candidate for a lower range "EV", like a VOLT, if you can charge at work and have a relatively low mileage commute.
 
Thanks all again.

I'm not a fan of hybrids. Currently I'm trying two things as per advice in this thread---contacting a few plugshare members nearby to see if I can depend on them, and in parallel pushing my landlord hard for either a few shared EVSE installation or allowing me to spend money myself to install one in my lot.
 
I own my Rav4ev and do not have a level 2 charging station at home, and for now do not plan to get one

who ever stated " best thing about the ev is charging at home" is a delusional !!! the best thing about my EV is i DO NOT charge at home and its FREE !!!!!
 
branstone said:
I own my Rav4ev and do not have a level 2 charging station at home, and for now do not plan to get one

who ever stated " best thing about the ev is charging at home" is a delusional !!! the best thing about my EV is i DO NOT charge at home and its FREE !!!!!

You're living the dream! :D
 
branstone said:
I own my Rav4ev and do not have a level 2 charging station at home, and for now do not plan to get one

who ever stated " best thing about the ev is charging at home" is a delusional !!! the best thing about my EV is i DO NOT charge at home and its FREE !!!!!

I charge at home and it is free. :p
 
branstone said:
who ever stated " best thing about the ev is charging at home" is a delusional !!! the best thing about my EV is i DO NOT charge at home and its FREE !!!!!
:lol: Home's free for me too (well, prepaid), and way more convenient than fighting all the Volts and PiPs out there for the free spots. Being assured access to a free spot "in the wild" is only going to get tougher over time.
 
pchilds said:
branstone said:
I own my Rav4ev and do not have a level 2 charging station at home, and for now do not plan to get one

who ever stated " best thing about the ev is charging at home" is a delusional !!! the best thing about my EV is i DO NOT charge at home and its FREE !!!!!

I charge at home and it is free. :p

Time to move out of your mom's basement. :mrgreen:
 
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