Member Introduction

[TonyWilliams]

Guys, don't we already know that GM basically lies with their data? They've quoted 400 foot/lbs of torque for the upcoming Spark, but this teeny, tiny car can't out accelerate a LEAF with 105 foot/lbs ?

Why.... hmmm, could it be... SATAN?

Ok, probably not that, but I'm thoroughly convinced that GM publishes post gear reduction data, and not data at the motor output shaft. The VERY simple test of a 4000 pound car that with the same "torque" at presumably a similar RPM (that's what horsepower is) can easily outrun a much lighter GM car seems obvious.

Like many things GM, it's bullshit.

 

[waidy]

Does anyone know what are the towing weight for each of them?

 

[Khaihon]

Hi everyone,

My name is Khai and I'm from Gardena. Married, one kid and commute to Century City. I've only just discovered the existence of the RAV4EV less than a week ago. I was seriously contemplating getting a Leaf as my commuter (I've been driving my 2002 Camry. At 200k miles now and looking to retire it. Love the thing.)

After researching more info and especially after all the fantastic information from the thread below:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=291

I finally bought my own RAV4EV. I feel it is a car that perfectly fits who I am. Hard to explain that but no other car has come close to being attuned to who I am.

Bought my car from Trung Tran at Santa Monica Toyota which has a bunch of White Blizzards in stock. Easy purchase no pressure. You should ask for him if you're interested in a car. Originally, I was going to get one from Carson Toyota via Dianne Whitmire, but she didnt have any white in stock. Trung got me a great deal on top of the deal offered by TFS for April.

I feel bad because I was going to buy a silver (second choice) from Dianne but Toyota Santa Monica came through. I apologized to Toyota Carson, but referred my brother to lease a Prius from them, so I guess I don't feel that bad!

I want to thank all the members who have helped me be so well informed and confident with such an awesome vehicle for years to come. Looking forward to sharing back!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Welcome aboard!!! Maybe we will see your car down here in San Diego this Saturday? If you drive down at 65mph with no heater, you can make it non-stop with an extended 100% charge.

We can put your car on my 40 amp charger to get you home.

 

[Khaihon]

Thanks Tony! I'm pretty much grounded until summer since my wife works on the weekends and I need to take my daughter to her classes on the weekend. Btw, what happened to your motor and why does it need to be replaced?

 

[TonyWilliams]

Thanks Tony! I'm pretty much grounded until summer since my wife works on the weekends and I need to take my daughter to her classes on the weekend. Btw, what happened to your motor and why does it need to be replaced?

The gearbox is making grinding noises (there's a recording of it), so today I dropped it off for its new motor.

All the guys from Toyota / Tesla apparently are going to be at the dealer Tuesday.

 

[Khaihon]

Damn that sucks. I haven't noticed if any noises happen on mine yet... on the plus side, my wife has the weekend off is going to let me go to the meetup this weekend. I haven't heard any strange noises except the expected low-speed proximity sounds, which sounds really strange from the inside... I can't tell if it is normal or if something is grinding. Haven't had a chance to go a higher speeds yet due to all the traffic the past few days but I'll keep note of that.

 

[boredcleaner]

Hello Forum,
We bought our RAV4 EV two weeks ago, ticking over the 1000 mile mark on the way home this evening. We live in the Bay Area just South of the Carquinez Bridge.

I've been following the forums since we joined the club. There is a lot of very helpful information here. I'm looking forward to the Q&A.

_tom

 

[locman]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks everyone here for all the valuable information.

We got our 2012 Silver RAV4EV yesterday....loving it!
It's replacing our 16 yrs old 4-runner with 270k mi on it. The 4-runner will now be our out-of-town car :lol:


One question:
When I come to a stop, I hear some electro-mechanical sound, just like the lowering of the landing gear in an airplane!!!??? for couple seconds.
Is this normal?

 

[AvLegends]

Welcome!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks everyone here for all the valuable information.

We got our 2012 Silver RAV4EV yesterday....loving it!
It's replacing our 16 yrs old 4-runner with 270k mi on it. The 4-runner will now be our out-of-town car :lol:


One question:
When I come to a stop, I hear some electro-mechanical sound, just like the lowering of the landing gear in an airplane!!!??? for couple seconds.
Is this normal?

Hello, congrats, and welcome!!!

You might be hearing the electric brake assist.

 

[locman]

You might be hearing the electric brake assist.

Thanks Tony. I think you're correct. However mine is really loud. Let me open a separate thread and see if I can get some ideas.
-locman

 

[Deere9798]

Hello,
my name is Charlie and I am 15 years old and I live in western NY.

I love all electric and plugin cars esp. the RAV4 EV. My parents are thinking about a new car preferably electric
and i hope to lead them to the RAV4 EV.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Hello,
my name is Charlie and I am 15 years old and I live in western NY.

I love all electric and plugin cars esp. the RAV4 EV. My parents are thinking about a new car preferably electric
and i hope to lead them to the RAV4 EV.

Hi Charlie!!! I'll bet you like John Deere, too?

Tell your parents all about it, and let us know what they say.

 

[Takinamulligan]

Hello Everyone! I'm in So Cal. and I'm not there yet but I am considering an EV. My circumstance is a little different than most I've seen post here in that I have a 140 mile daily commute, 70 one way. I do have the option to charge during the 8 hours I am at work. I would have to pay for any charging equipment but the electricity would be free. Also, I am able to make the trip in before daylight when it is a lot cooler, even in the summer. I could rough it with out A/C on the drive back if necessary.

I've read the post about the various home charging options and level 2 charging stations away from home and I have to admit at this point I'm still a little confused. There is a charging station at the Valencia Town Center mall that has a paddle charger and Edison's logo but I cannot identify a model number or anything else that would indicate if it would work with a RAV4 EV or not. There is another one on the other side outside of J.C. Penny and the food court that looks completely different and a third station with just a 110v plug (I think) so I guess that one would be useless.

Despite the great tax incentive, rebates, and dealer incentives, the cost isn't quite where I need it to be without any spare cash to add to the project.

I saw a link to a blog by Diane of Carson Toyota. In the blog she mentioned that she prefers emails for casual undecided buyers but when I emailed Carson and asked for her, a sales manager got back to me instead. Anyone have her email?

Thanks for all of the great information all of you have been posting. Regardless of which direction I go I've really enjoyed learning about the Rav4 EV and EV technology in general.

Takinamulligan

 

[BSki]

110 volt charging for 12 hours gave me about 30 miles.

You "could" do extended charging all the time, and plug in to a 110 at work and that should give you enough juice for a comfortable round trip. 70 miles one way, then maybe get 20 miles in 8 hours charging at 110.

But this would of course require a level 2 at home so you are topped off each morning.

But then again, if the financial numbers are not there, this is a moot point. At 0% financing, why on earth would you want to add any cash to the deal? Live with the high payment and take the cash you would have put down to lower your monthly payment and stick them in a mutal fund to earn some money for you.

If I could, I would borrow a billion dollars at 0%.

 

[Bassman]

I commute 126 miles a day on the normal 83% charge no problem. I use a Leviton 16 amp Level 2 at work and I'm usually charged to full (83%) by 2:30 to 3:00pm. I typically get to work with 40 to 50m miles of range remaining and get home with 30 miles to 40 miles of range remaining. I live in the foothills at 1500 feet elevation and commute into the valley, so I use less range going to work then going home, back up the hill. Most of my commute is at 55 to 65 mph. 140 miles with charging at work is easy for the Rav4 EV.

 

[Takinamulligan]

Thanks Bassman! Reassuring.

 

[AvLegends]

I saw a link to a blog by Diane of Carson Toyota. In the blog she mentioned that she prefers emails for casual undecided buyers but when I emailed Carson and asked for her, a sales manager got back to me instead. Anyone have her email?
Takinamulligan

Dianne Whitmire <[email protected]>

 

[snoltor]

Hello!

My name is Steve, I joined the forum a couple of weeks ago but haven't formally introduced myself. I am eagerly waiting delivery of my Rav4 EV the week of May 6. Ordered a ClipperCreek LCS 25 for home charging, that should also arrive at the same time. In the mean time I'm driving a second generation Prius (Model III with the solar panel / moon roof).

I've been in love with the idea of electric cars for about 6 or 7 years, since I saw "Who killed the electric car" back in 2006. Moved to Davis in '07 and saw that there were still several first generation Rav4 EVs driving around. Talked to two people who owned and still drove first gen Rav4 EVs and they completely sold me on every single aspect of the car. But availability and price were issues.... so I bought a Prius (which I love). Since then I'd been following developments in the EV field. I eagerly awaited delivery and reviews of the first Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model S. Was also keeping track of development of other cars like the Aptera... unfortunately the Aptera didn't pan out, but then again the design of that car was not going to get the attention of the average person (I liked it). After Nissan's started selling Leafs, the main thing holding me back was utility, and price was a bit of an issue. I'm going to use my EV for a daily 50 mile roundtrip commute and weekend errands. The daily commute involves dropping off the kids at their daycare/school, so the car has to roomy enough for car seats. More to the point, weekend errands usually involve my wife, the two kids in their car seats, myself plus whatever food or junk we buy. Sometimes we barely fit everything in the Prius, and on more than one occasion I had to make two trips to bring home items we'd bought from Home Depot. Long story short the Rav4 EV is big enough and with the recent incentives it's just too good a deal to pass by. I cannot wait to get behind the wheel for good! I've enjoyed reading posts here and thank those who've been posting... I've learned a lot. I notice that many of you have solar panels on your homes and my dream has been to offset whatever electricity I use for the car (and the house I hope) with solar panels. For now, the EV is the first step, solar panels will be my next big project (my south facing roof is at least half in shade). One last note, here's a link to a story about a guy who is, for the most part, off the grid:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/magazine/20solar-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all