Comments on: Toyota. EV. Think About It

By: Demetri

Demetri — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:08:56 +0000

“25, unless you are willing to walk home.”

Yeah, I started thinking about that later. My commute is about 22 each way, so it wouldn’t work for me. Also, they say 50, but with the way EVs are, it could be half as much depending on conditions and driving style.

By: PeteMoran

PeteMoran — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:28:17 +0000

@ wave54

11 kWh=1 gallon gasoline (which is commonly quoted as the Gasoline Gallon Equivalent GGE) is not really intended for this type of calculation.

Neither is accounting for efficiency (or lack of).

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:51:23 +0000

reclusive_in_nature :

I’m sure most auto critics and everyone that just hates Detroit vehicles for the sake of hating Detroit vehicles will be lined up to kiss this vehicles ass no matter how well the domestic’s EVs do.

Oh come on now. It doesn’t HAVE an ass to kiss!

But then if I get a second vehicle for those drives to the office (which I COULD do, since I only live 10 miles from my job), it would have to have no ass. I have too many tools in my garage, so any second vehicle must be short. Very short. And narrow. Very narrow.

By: reclusive_in_nature

reclusive_in_nature — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:36:45 +0000

By: wave54

wave54 — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:11:40 +0000

Wow, $0.04/kWh for electricity in Sacramento? It’s about $0.18/kWh in my area (CT) with no discounts for off-peak available. Using the same calculations (11 kWh=1 gallon gasoline), it turns out that gas is cheaper for me right now at $1.70/gallon.

By: cmus

cmus — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:03:33 +0000

egads that’s ugly. like a micro-yaris. worse than the new Toyo thing (vezna?)

By: PeteMoran

PeteMoran — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:56:16 +0000

Looks like every manufacturer is nearly ready with their pure EVs, just in time to hand GM/Chrysler their freshly lengthened dunce caps.

By: Hank

Hank — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:10:23 +0000

Ugh.

By: bomber991

bomber991 — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:50:56 +0000

Woah, did everyone just forget about the RAV4 EV?

By: eh_political

eh_political — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:07:21 +0000

Peanuts to run, quick to build if demand spikes. Toyota is doing the smart thing.

All first gen EVs should be light two seaters, until those hoped for advances in battery tech come to pass. This is the car as consumer electronics item,,so by keeping it cheap and city-friendly sized, Toyota ensures that its product will actually retain some value and utility for low end buyers, long after better solutions have been devised and implemented. In 10 years, a college student might consider a used one, picked up for a song, that is cheap to charge.

Who knows what the operating costs for a current hybrid will be in 10 years, or how badly they will be outperformed by coming generations.

This is a shrewd move by Toyota.

By: Robert Schwartz

Robert Schwartz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:31:07 +0000

“I won’t be able to drive out of a 50 mile range from my house, but that isn’t necessary.”

25, unless you are willing to walk home.

By: Demetri

Demetri — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:01:13 +0000

$20,000 + 50 mile range sounds like pure win to me. I won’t be able to drive out of a 50 mile range from my house, but that isn’t necessary.

By: esg

esg — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:56:46 +0000

It’s a Toyota. Obviously it will be better engineered and a higher quality than anything GM could produce (Volt). Order up!

By: RedStapler

RedStapler — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:47:12 +0000

I agree the promotional livery on the car looks odd.

As a value proposition for a daily driver commuter car it could work at a low price point.

Some areas have rock bottom subsidized electric rates for charging EVs off-peak. There between 2300-0600 there is often unused baseload capacity in the utility system.

The city utility in Sacramento charges $0.04/kWh. At 11kWh=1gal of gas equivalent it works out to gas at $0.44/gal. Throw in all the other social engineering love for EVs like tax credits, solo carpool privileges and it starts to become attractive.

By: KalapanaBlack

KalapanaBlack — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:32:44 +0000

Ugly little bugger. Why is it covered with gold stars? Are those from the EPA for sucking up the most?

Anyway, it’s less useable than the Volt, not a sports car like the Tesla, and not as conventional as the Chrysler (pie-in-the-sky) EV “concepts.” So it’d better be affordable and ultra-frugal, or it’s not gonna sell.

Of course, the absurd looks could play in its favor with the “gotta be different” green car crowd. The Hollywood branch members would probably even pay decent coin for it.