An old RAV keeps on going strong...

[PaulScott]

In case anyone asks you about EV longevity, here is a recent post from one of the first to get the 2002 RAV4 EV. The author also has a LEAF in his family, but uses the RAV for his solar business.
(note: he is on his second battery pack)

Paul
*****

"Had yet another very long range day in my RAV4 EV today.

Great sunny weather. I started the day with a nice full charge at my home in Pomona,
with stops for meetings in Santa Monica, Irvine, and Brea.
I drove a full 125 miles on one charge before a coffee (and charging) break.
Even when I did charge at 125 miles, I still had about 10% charge remaining...
Total driving was close to 145 miles for the day.

My 10 year old RAV4 EV now has over 155,000 miles. The car, and especially
the batteries seem to be doing quite well for 15 year old, supposedly "obsolete"
NiMH battery technology that, to this driver, seems to flawlessly outperform most
of the latest Lithium batteries that we're seeing with the new crop of plug-in cars.

/wk

 

[adric22]

I keep hearing that these RAV4's are still on the road. I am curious how long the first battery pack lasted, and if it was changed because it just went bad, or because the range had reduced. And if it is the second choice, I'm curious what range the car was getting when they decided to replace it. For example if it was still getting even 40 miles, that would still be a pretty useful vehicle.

 

[PaulScott]

Most of the original RAVs of the 2002/2003 era are still on the original packs. I sold mine last year with 91,000 miles (exactly to the tenth!) and it was still getting 120 miles range (hypermiling). The new owner is still going strong.

Many of the NiMH packs that were changed were in the 90K-150K miles. The means were around 120-130K miles. The leader was over 150K miles when he the range dropped under about 80 miles. He's well over 200K miles now.

The range would gradually get lower, and the voltage would drop fast under load, so you had to baby it as it started to go. For many, it's still a great commuter car for well over a year after the battery started to go.

 

[plugzin]

I took delivery of a RAV4 EV 3/20/2002. By 2008, I had logged about 108K miles on it, and the battery pack became an issue for road worthiness. Sold it (sadly) in 2009 to Blue Sky motors. Couldn't rationalize the $18K they asked for a set of "gently used" replacement batteries with a 30 day warranty. This was the first car I bought new; it served me very well during the seven years I owned it. Maybe it didn't have some of the goodies my Leaf has, but I would have still been driving it if the battery deal would have been reasonable.

 

[PaulScott]

I took delivery of a RAV4 EV 3/20/2002. By 2008, I had logged about 108K miles on it, and the battery pack became an issue for road worthiness. Sold it (sadly) in 2009 to Blue Sky motors. Couldn't rationalize the $18K they asked for a set of "gently used" replacement batteries with a 30 day warranty. This was the first car I bought new; it served me very well during the seven years I owned it. Maybe it didn't have some of the goodies my Leaf has, but I would have still been driving it if the battery deal would have been reasonable.

Plugzin is right, Blue Sky had all of the left over battery packs from the RAVs Toyota crushed, many with very few miles. For years, they offered the replacement packs for really high prices, but about 2010, they dropped it to about $12K. Still high, but affordable to those who wanted another 100K+ of life out of their RAVs.

I'm hoping our LiIon packs last close to that number, but I'm sure replacement packs will be half that cost in 8 years.

 

[MichaelS]

I'm still trying to sell my RAV4EV. 104K. 90-100 mile range.

 

[Herm]

You can buy 27kWh worth of chinese LiFePO4 cells for $6500, and they will be lighter. Anyone doing conversions?

 

[PaulScott]

You can buy 27kWh worth of chinese LiFePO4 cells for $6500, and they will be lighter. Anyone doing conversions?

Lots of good engineers have looked at converting to LiIon. Most said it could be done, but all said it would cost a small fortune. I fear that when the existing reconditioned packs are gone, these historic SUVs will fade out. If an affordable replacement come along, you might see a few of them going for 50 years.

Already, RAV drivers are talking about who will be "the last RAV standing". Lots are still in that race.

 

[plugzin]

Comparing my ownership experience between the 2002 RAV 4 EV and my 2011 Leaf; I can say the range decrease in the Leaf seems far more rapid than what I had in the RAV. Can't believe my driving habits would have changed that much. In the summer of 2004, I was still making 190 mile round trips for business in my old RAV, charging at my destination during all day meetings. I'm not sure I would even attempt that now in the Leaf, only two years into the lease. The RAV had large air handlers that would run at certain times, and you really KNEW that car was charging; it made much more noise. But, range didn't become a real issue until quite late into the 108,000 mile journey of ownership. I am really glad I didn't buy the Leaf, although I'm quite pleased with it in all other respects. I think Nissan may have misjudged the effectiveness of passive cooling. Either that, or the Li-ion technology is really just not as good at the Ni-Mh, but that is hard to believe. Those Panasonic EV-95 packs must be worth their weight in gold now, if in good condition.