toyota rav4 electric

[lipower]

Unveiled!

$50K

Steep.


LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today revealed the highly anticipated all-new Toyota RAV4 EV at the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. This all-electric SUV has an expected driving range rating of approximately 100 miles and charging time of approximately six hours on a 240V/40A charger. The RAV4 EV's driving performance, dynamics and cargo capacity are equal to or exceed the gas powered RAV4 V6. Arriving fully-equipped with an MSRP of $49,800 the RAV4 EV doesn't compromise on performance, comfort or versatility.

 

[lipower]

4 wheel drive would have been nice for 50k

The front wheel drive RAV4 EV allows drivers to select from two distinctly different drive modes, Sport and Normal. In Sport mode, the vehicle reaches 0-60 mph in just 7.0 seconds and has a maximum speed of 100 mph. Normal mode achieves 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 85 mph. Maximum output from the electric powertrain is 154 HP (115kW) @ 2,800 rpm.

 

[TomT]

As far as I am concerned, it is a non-starter at that price.

Unveiled!
$50K
Steep.

 

[TRONZ]

Ouch! Is it lease only and what are the production numbers???

 

[lipower]

The RAV4 EV will go on sale in late summer 2012 through select dealers, initially in four major California metropolitan markets including Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County and San Diego. Sales volume is planned for approximately 2,600 units over the next three years. The battery warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles.

 

[DaveEV]

As far as I am concerned, it is a non-starter at that price.

I disagree - it's not too bad a price. 10% cheaper would be really nice, though.

Still - you're getting a 40 kWh battery pack (37 kWh usable) for $50k. Nearly twice as much as the LEAF. How much would you be willing to pay to get a 40 kWh battery in the LEAF? In city driving, I expect range to be north of 150 miles. Freeway range will be around 100 miles. This is a true "100 mile" EV as Toyota has claimed it will be.

The only other car you can get with that much battery is the base model Tesla Model S, which is a bit more expensive, starting at $57k. Of course, the Tesla should be a bit more luxurious than the RAV4...

Sales volume is planned for approximately 2,600 units over the next three years.

Pretty low volume - less than 100 / month. I would think that Toyota could easily sell 2-3x as many. Toyota does tend to be fairly conservative in their sales projections, though.

 

[TRONZ]

It's clearly a "CARB Play" or "Compliance Car" now.

 

[mxp]

In city driving, I expect range to be north of 150 miles. Freeway range will be around 100 miles. This is a true "100 mile" EV as Toyota has claimed it will be.

The only other car you can get with that much battery is the base model Tesla Model S, which is a bit more expensive, starting at $57k. Of course, the Tesla should be a bit more luxurious than the RAV4...

Not sure where you extrapolated your estimates given the size and considerable weight of the vehicle, but if your estimates are close, $50k is not bad. Too bad it's lease only which I presume you have to return the car with no option to own at end of term.

 

[kubel]

$50K and no AWD? Even if 100 miles will be the EPA rating, it still won't be anywhere near being viable. </rav4ev>

 

[lipower]

Too bad it's lease only which I presume you have to return the car with no option to own at end of term.

$50k is the purchase price. They have not released any lease terms yet. At a production rate of 1,000/year I'm not sure who would lease anyway...

 

[DaveEV]

In city driving, I expect range to be north of 150 miles. Freeway range will be around 100 miles. This is a true "100 mile" EV as Toyota has claimed it will be.

The only other car you can get with that much battery is the base model Tesla Model S, which is a bit more expensive, starting at $57k. Of course, the Tesla should be a bit more luxurious than the RAV4...

Not sure where you extrapolated your estimates given the size and considerable weight of the vehicle, but if your estimates are close, $50k is not bad. Too bad it's lease only which I presume you have to return the car with no option to own at end of term.

1. Usable battery capacity was leaked in a Toyota RAV4-EV article.
2. Total capacity is an educated guess based on the assumption that Tesla is aiming to reuse as much tech from the Model S as possible to reduce costs. For example - RAV4-EV will have a 240V/40A (from the wall) on-board charger. Model S is shipping with a "10 kW" onboard charger - I would bet that it's actually the same 240V/40A charger, though it's possible they might squeeze another 2A to bump it to 42A (80% of a standard 50A outlet).
3. Cd is same as the LEAF - Toyota did a good job getting the Cd down - but frontal area is about 15% larger than the LEAF. Combined with more weight, assume that it's an 80 MPGe vehicle - LEAF is 73 miles on EPA test on 21 kWh - a bit of math gets you 100 miles from the RAV4-EV on the EPA test.
4. You can buy the RAV4-EV. Otherwise what's the point of giving a 8-year 100k mile battery warranty?

 

[EricBayArea]

...Still - you're getting a 40 kWh battery pack (37 kWh usable) for $50k. Nearly twice as much as the LEAF. How much would you be willing to pay to get a 40 kWh battery in the LEAF? In city driving, I expect range to be north of 150 miles. Freeway range will be around 100 miles. This is a true "100 mile" EV as Toyota has claimed it will be.

The only other car you can get with that much battery is the base model Tesla Model S, which is a bit more expensive, starting at $57k. Of course, the Tesla should be a bit more luxurious than the RAV4...

I think people will look at it less in terms of how big the battery pack is for the price and more in terms of how far you can go for the price.

LEAF: EPA 73 miles - $34,500
Coda: EPA 88 miles - $38,000
Rav4: EPA 100 miles (maybe) - $50,000

With that being said, people typically end up paying more for a SUV over a sedan. And a family of 4 who require the space of a crossover SUV, who cannot get by with the room in a LEAF or Coda would already be looking to pay more for a crossover SUV. But the question is, are they willing to drop an extra $10k+ for the Rav4 or compromise for an ICE/Hybrid SUV.

 

[LEAFfan]

It's clearly a "CARB Play" or "Compliance Car" now.

+1 Toyota is obviously not serious about BEVs.

 

[Herm]

You guys are willing to pay nearly $40k for a Leaf, Focus, Coda or Volt and yet you balk at a measly $10k more.. for an SUV!!

just being the devils advocate, dont hate me.. I wont even mention the odious Versa = Leaf argument either.. bunch of cheapos

I think this baby will sell out VERY quickly.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+rav4+electric+evs26.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sales volume is planned for approximately 2,600 units over the next three years.

 

[lipower]

You guys are willing to pay nearly $40k for a Leaf, Focus, Coda or Volt and yet you balk at a measly $10k more.. for an SUV!!

just being the devils advocate, dont hate me.. I wont even mention the odious Versa = Leaf argument either.. bunch of cheapos

I think this baby will sell out VERY quickly.

I agree, this will sell out fast. I was just hoping Toyota would try and take the lead from Nissan and offer a $30k - $40k SUV for a wider adoption of customers and corner the market instead of having a niche market of 1,000/year sales. Unfortunate. I love my Leaf, I would just love more competition in the EV field to assist faster EV sales.

 

[TRONZ]

I think this baby will sell out VERY quickly.

I hope you are right in a big way.... but the real question is what will Toyota do IF they sell every one up front? Will 2-3 thousand cars be it?

Almost all the people in the market for an EV know the significance of what their purchase is really doing. They are not just buying a random car but are trying to invest in a better future and help capitalize better EV's to come. They take a good long look at the car company they are handing over hard earned cash to. If its to companies that are just playing the quota system then EV buyers are likely to be very cheap with them. This is just keeping ones interests correctly aligned and being aware of the bigger picture.

Toyota has had a very fuzzy and conflicted stance on BEV. This car is not clearing anything up.

 

[mkjayakumar]

$12K more than a Leaf for:

- an SUV
- with an appreciably higher range.

I think it is definitely worth it. All the comparable ICE SUVs are in the 20-25 mpg range and cost close to $35K anyway. So with Fed rebate this one has a premium of $8K and that would easily give an ROI within 2 to 3 years. To me 100 mile range at 65 miles highway speed is the magic limit for many metros for most people.

But unfortunately no QC ports ..? WTF ?

 

[mitch672]

but the real question is what will Toyota do IF they sell every one up front? Will 2-3 thousand cars be it?.

Ill bet once they sell the 2,600 cars, its done. Just like the LAST time they did this in 2004 with the RAV4 (notice how similar this is)

It's clearly to meet the CA CARB mandate, and from all reports, they are making these at cost, not making or losing any money on them, its clearly so they can continue to sell their gas guzlers in CA, in fact, the car is ONLY availble in CA as well, and only in 4 markets too.

 

[dgpcolorado]

No AWD/4WD takes the "Utility" out of "SUV" by my standards. So, what's the point? Better to have put the big battery in a regular car with a better Cd and get even better range numbers.

I agree with TRONZ: this looks like nothing more than a CARB play. Given the tiny production numbers I don't doubt that it will sell out quickly. But it could have been so much more...