Surplus inventory of RAV4 EVs

[Incredulocious]

Glenn, you're doing really GOOD to average 3.4+ on such a round trip route. Are you using the A/C and regenerative braking very much? What is your passenger and cargo weight? Surely, you must be doing something extraordinary to get such high efficiency out of your RAV4 EV. I don't believe the "average" RAV4 EV driver could get anywhere close to such a high AMPK (average miles per kWh) driving back and forth through the Sierra foothills every day, especially in the Summer time.

Not doing stop-and-go city driving and not doing freeway speeds (65-75 mph) makes a huge difference. I've seen similar on days where I'm avoiding both, which is rare.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Glenn, you're doing really GOOD to average 3.4+ on such a round trip route. Are you using the A/C and regenerative braking very much? What is your passenger and cargo weight? Surely, you must be doing something extraordinary to get such high efficiency out of your RAV4 EV. I don't believe the "average" RAV4 EV driver could get anywhere close to such a high AMPK (average miles per kWh) driving back and forth through the Sierra foothills every day, especially in the Summer time.

Not doing stop-and-go city driving and not doing freeway speeds (65-75 mph) makes a huge difference. I've seen similar on days where I'm avoiding both, which is rare.

I averaged 4.0 miles/kWh last summer during BC2BC-2013, from Canada to Mexico. 55mph and cruise control, over 1500 miles.

I was number one on the Entunes list for June 2013. I charged almost exclusively at either Tesla Roadster charge stations (70 amp) or at RV parks (40 amp).

 

[red_stripe05]

My daily commute takes me from Richmond to Fairfield and back again. Roughly 63 miles roundtrip. Even though its a reverse commute, there is still plenty of traffic to contend with. There are long sections of inclines on this commute going in and out of Vallejo.

I've tried out 3 highway scenarios so far: 1) keeping my cruise control at 60 mph as much as traffic allows, 2) driving like normal which means no cruise control and speeds from 60 mph to 75 mph as traffic allows, and 3) setting cruise at 70 mph as much as traffic allows. I see no noticeable difference in my trip average miles/kwh. My trip to work has consistently been around 3.0 to 3.2 miles/kwh. My trip home has been a consistent 2.7 miles/kwh. I admit its not a lot of data points, I've only had the car just over a week now, but it does seem no matter how I drive it, my efficiency won't change much. Granted, I haven't yet driven it in sport mode and I haven't pushed it on acceleration at all yet. Just trying out different highway speeds.

 

[user 340]

It took me a few weeks to maximize mi/kWh with my RAV4. I had been used to driving a hybrid (original Honda Insight) with good results, but the limited regen of the RAV4 was a challenge.

I almost always drive in B (when not using cruise control) and I really minimize braking. When I do brake I do it lightly to avoid engaging the friction brakes. This requires looking pretty far up the road and anticipating events or else trying to crawl at as steady a pace as possible when in stop and go traffic. You should be able to average about 3.3 mi/kWh while driving in CA traffic and keeping your top speed at 65 mph or below.

 

[boredcleaner]

Red Stripe, I travel over many of the same roads as you and see about the same efficiency. The hills you have to go over and the wind directions are likely the issue. Unfortunately, the only alternate routes for your commute are not comparable in speed. After 18+ months of driving those hills at 65+mph, I average 3.0-3.2 miles/kWh. I also see the variation in efficiency with direction, and I believe it is related to the primary wind directions on that path. For me, the trip home is more efficient (generally a tailwind).

 

[red_stripe05]

Red Stripe, I travel over many of the same roads as you and see about the same efficiency. The hills you have to go over and the wind directions are likely the issue. Unfortunately, the only alternate routes for your commute are not comparable in speed. After 18+ months of driving those hills at 65+mph, I average 3.0-3.2 miles/kWh. I also see the variation in efficiency with direction, and I believe it is related to the primary wind directions on that path. For me, the trip home is more efficient (generally a tailwind).

Thank you for confirming that. I actually ALWAYS get better efficiency driving from Richmond to Fairfield during my morning commute than the trip from Fairfield to Richmond in the afternoon return trip. I've been driving a Fit EV since June 2013 until last week when I leased the RAV4 EV. The Fit EV was always more efficient in the morning getting to Fairfield. The regenerative braking in the Fit EV is probably the best there is, and taking Richmond Parkway with all its stoplights was a huge help in maximizing range. I could get to work and only use 30% of the full battery. But getting home, the best I could ever do was use 45% of the battery.

It will take time to figure out how to maximize the RAV4 EV battery, and I just hope it will be as fun but less stressful than driving the Fit EV in the wintertime out here.

 

[boredcleaner]

From my experience with the RAV, I'd guess you will have almost no range anxiety within a few weeks. If you can, make sure you use the pre-climate settings when the weather is cold. I found only a small difference in GOM readings when using pre-climate effectively.

Now for the important stuff: use that Red Mode! It's a car and it is really fun in Sport mode. And don't be shy about the "B" mode either. I've completely stopped caring about that silly ECO symbol.