Second service visit and changing the cabin filter

Yesterday, I took our Rav4 EV into Carson Toyota for it's second service visit.  I was a tad late mileage wise as we were around 12,700 but life has been so busy of late, it was hard to get in.  Richard Perez, my service adviser, was great.  I'd called Richard to inquire about an appointment and also to ask if there were any software updates or other updates that might cause an extended service visit.  He checked and said all looked good and it should be a quick visit.  He was right, I was out the door with a wash in 55 minutes.  Big Thumbs Up!

While I didn't ask Richard about it specifically, I'd read about folks at some dealers being charged some pretty high prices to change the cabin filter.  After $3.00 rebate available via the Fram website, my total cost with tax was $10.93  I've always enjoyed taking care of the simpler things with car maintenance on my own....oil changes, air filters and cabin filters.  Driving an EV eliminates two of the three so that just leaves the cabin filter.  In the Rav4 EV it's a super simple process.  I looked up this video on YouTube.

I purchased the Fram filter below from Amazon. 

Here is what the filter that I replaced looked like after 12700 miles of driving around Southern California.  Photo of each side.

The Rav4 EV continues to be a great vehicle at a lease price that just can't be beat.  If you're thinking about getting one, act quick as this is a limited run vehicle that will most likely be sold out by the years end if not sooner.  Dianne at Carson Toyota is the person to see, contact info at top of blog or shoot me a email if you need all her info.

11500 miles, zero problems, loving it more and more!

Wow, time flies!  Earlier in my blog I talked about how I'd be posting on a regular basis and now here it is a few months later since my last post. Mainly because I've been so busy driving all over the place.  The vehicle has performed flawlessly with no charger errors, no weird lights on the dash and most importantly hasn't left me stranded anywhere.  For a company that doesn't seem to give a hoot about EVs in general, Toyota working with Tesla has really created a fantastic vehicle that besides the Tesla Model S has more range than any other EV on the market today.  Having those extra miles available, while not needed on most days, has really come in handy those times when I needed to push the limits.  If you're considering an EV and don't have close to 100K for the Model S, go and take a look at the Rav4 EV.  You'll be pleasantly surprised by what you see, five passenger seating, lots of storage in back both on top and under the floor and for folks who like rocket like acceleration, the feeling you get when you step on the accelerator.  Only bad news is that you can only buy/lease if you live in California.

Two 118 mile days

Had two back to back 118 mile Southern California days. I had charged to 100% using extended mode both days. By coincidence, the miles each day ended up being the same(within a half of a mile) even though the destinations weren't. First day, Long Beach to Valencia to Universal City (plug in via 110 for 8.5 hours) then back to Long Beach. Second day, Long Beach to Yorba LInda to Universal City (plug in via 110 for 8.5 hours) then back to Long Beach. Because I was traveling in the middle of the day and late at night, 99% of the driving was all in a sporty mode, no laid back driving whatsoever with no concern with trying to maximize range. Carpool lanes and 110 Toll Road (free for green and white sticker vehicles with special three position Fast Track Transponder) were wide open. At the end of each day, on our Level 2 ChargePoint, I charged back up to 100% using extended mode and each day I used 40 kwh. I'm not able to track how many kwh I use at work via the 110 outlet but it appears that 3 miles of range is regained for every hour that I'm plugged in. First day I arrived home with 18 miles on the range indicator and second day with 20. I had the ac on the Eco High Setting which uses the least amount of range, for about half the miles each day.

I'm now past 5000 miles and set up an appointment with Sean Evans at Carson Toyota for my first service visit next Tuesday morning. He said to plan on about 3 hours (hopefully less) mainly due to software upgrades that most likely need to be performed.

While I'm definitely loving the range, I just can't get enough of the fun factor too. Each time I take off from a light or zip around somebody, it brings a smile to my face. Oh and now that gas in our area is past $4.00 a gallon again, based on 2000 miles a month, I'm saving $350.00+ a month in gas as compared to a similar vehicle that gets 20 mpg.

I don't want to jinx things, so I better stop with all the positives for now. 

Securing the portable charging cable on the Toyota Rav4 EV while charging.

After discovering the high cost to replace the portable charging cable that Toyota provides with each Rav4 EV, I decided to figure out a way to secure it. Toyota makes it super easy. All you need is a secure lock about the size of the one in the picture. The hole pictured is part of the welded frame underneath the back, driver's side of the vehicle. You route your cable though as pictured, lock and that's it. While someone could still unplug you, they couldn't take the cable itself without cutting it. My first thought was to simply put a lock through the tiny hole in the handle itself which would prevent someone from unplugging you but after having trouble finding a lock that would fit (and be somewhat strong), came up with this idea instead.

Using the Toyota Rav4 EV Center Row Seat Belt

After an embarrassing situation the other night where for the life of me I couldn't figure out where the center row seat belt was and how to use it, my mother-in-law found this video for me on youtube as we were stumbling around in the dark. We did look in the manual first and didn't see it addressed.  This video cleared everything up!

30 Days, 2112 Miles, Loving the Rav4 EV!

Today is our first month anniversary with the Rav4 EV. Drove 2112 miles in the first month. Who says you can't have an electric vehicle as your only vehicle?  We're loving it more than we thought we would. There are a few things I miss moving from the BMW to the Rav4 EV and those have been discussed before...however they are far outweighed by the extra range, larger cargo area, seating for five and lightening fast acceleration. Yesterday I was taking two friends from work up the hill at Universal Studios. We were driving approx 30 mph up hill, I hit the Sport Mode button, gave the accelerator a slight tap and proceeded to do a burn out...not after stopping but while going 30 mph uphill with three adults on board! Their faces lit up just like the tires. This thing is a blast and that's the best part of all. You get all these other attributes with the Rav4 EV and yet it maintains the most important one of all, it's a blast to drive!

KNOW GAS has a new home & Info on Extension Cord

Our personalized plates have found a new home!

Also, for those of you who need a little extra cord length when using the portable charger that comes with the Rav4 EV,I've been very happy with this 12 gauge extension cord from Amazon.  It's robust, doesn't heat up and like with the BMW ActiveE, works flawlessly with the Rav4 EV.  I get about 3 miles for each hour plugged into a standard 110 outlet.  Obviously, you wouldn't want to rely on this as your main charging source but it's great for those times when you're at your office or other places for extended periods of time.

Loving the Range!

For the past few days, I've been averaging just over 100 miles each day before plugging in.  I did charge to Extended Mode to prepare for these longer trips and each day I found I still had about 20 miles remaining. This was with mostly highway driving with speeds from 70 to 75.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to do this in our previous vehicle, the BMW ActiveE  Granted these days were unusual but it's great to know the extra range is there when I need it.

**Toyota's Rav4 EV lease just became more amazing!!!**

Do you drive a lot of miles?  Do you love driving Electric?  Do you like saving money?  Do you like a lease that is about as simple as it gets and that is so simple and straightforward a small child could understand it?
Well then, you better jump on this deal pronto:

In a nutshell:

2014 Toyota Rav4 EV
36 month lease
$447 a month plus tax for 35 months (First month paid)
Zero Down, Not One Cent
Unlimited Miles
You get tax free check from State of California for $2500.00 a few weeks after leasing/purchasing.
Qualifies for HOV aka Carpool Lane access

This deal is from Dianne at Carson Toyota in Carson, CA.

Just when I thought the deal we got back on January 12th couldn't be beat, Toyota makes the deal even more amazing.  Check out the full, easy to understand, straightforward lease details from Dianne at Carson Toyota at the link below.  Her contact info can be found at the bottom of her posting.  Please tell her hello, she'll take care of you, I promise.

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=937

The First 1078 Miles

In :06 via Vine here are my favorite things about the Rav4 EV:

:06 Vine Video

No gasoline, 100% Electric, charge up in our garage every night.
Consistent 94 mile range with mostly 70 to 75mph driving in Standard Charge Mode. Range of 125 to 150 in extended charge mode depending on driving style and weather.
Two glove boxes.  A smaller one above for glasses and other small things and a larger one below.
Large Navigation/Entertainment Screen with Reverse Camera.
Cargo capacity,seats fold almost flat. Two additional large storage areas under rear area floor. (Not having a spare tire helps)
Amazing LED headlights on low beam. They light up the road wonderfully.
Seating for 5 with headrests for all passengers.
Sun Visor Extender that almost covers the entire front window for both driver and passenger.
Not shown in video but power outside mirrors that fold in and out with push of button.

Things I miss or don't like:

Regenerative Braking that allows single pedal driving like on the BMW ActiveE and upcoming i3.
Backlight on the Steering Wheel.  The only button that has any lighting is the Mode button.
Rear Beepers to go along with the rear camera.  Many times something may be just out of camera range off to the side.  Rear Beepers would assist in these situations.

Have I missed anything that you like or don't like?  Please chime in via the comments below.

2/3/14  Update:  I miss the ability to be able to set the vehicle to charge at a set time rather than having to choose a departure time and having the vehicle determine the start time.

I took a peak online to see where other folks had put their California Carpool Stickers and decided to go with these two places.

What led us to the Toyota Rav4 EV.....

Prior to the Rav4 EVs arrival, we drove the 2011 BMW ActiveE, pictured below. 

Transport Evolved just put up a post about our electric journey and how we ended up with the Rav4 EV. 

Here's a great write up with photos and a video of the Rav4 EV. While ours is the 2014, everything looks exactly the same including the color.