eBay find of the day: RAV4 EV
Another RAV4 EV is up on eBay. The last time one of these rare fully electric cars was put up on the auction block it sold for nearly $70,000. It was a 2002 with less than 50,000 miles on it. This time it's a 2003 model. The 2003 was stripped of a few perks. No heated front seats, and no heated front windshield for defrosting. But the battery was said to be improved for the last model year the car was made. And the car being sold has shown its chops; it already has over 125,000 miles on the original battery pack. The seller says the car still gets 100 miles per charge. The seller's thorough report makes some interesting reading about electric cars and service. One example: the car, which utilizes regenerative braking, is still on its first set of brake pads. [Source: eBay]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 4:15PM (6/09/2008)
Perhaps more interesting: There's also a Toyota RAV4 on eBay that's been converted to an EV.
Toyota's RAV4-EV uses NiMH batteries - but this conversion has Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries with a battery management systems. The auction claims a 150 mile range, though the car has only seen 570 miles since the conversion.
This conversion is RWD (the RAV4-EV is FWD). They say the air bags still work (but no mention of ABS). The seller also sidesteps questions about battery cost.
The EV market is getting interesting! See eBay item 290236861318.
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len simpson 4:31PM (6/09/2008)
The most interest is in longevity & service. If Toyota can do it , maybe the rest can too. Why did EVRV4 production cease?
What did ebay sellers buy next?
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Phil L. 4:39PM (6/09/2008)
Basically, RAV4-EV production ceased for the same reason all the other OEM EV models (GM EV-1, Ford Th!nk, etc.) ceased: The end of the California ZEV mandate.
While well-intentioned, the mismanaged California mandate may sadly be remembered mostly for delaying large-scale EV efforts by a decade or so.
All the big makers jumped into the EV marketplace because California said they had to. When it didn't work out quickly - and legal challenges first weakened and then killed the mandate - everybody jumped back out, losing piles of cash in the process. After that, there seemed to be a fear of serious EV projects in all of the big OEMs that is only now beginning to disappear.
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steven 4:48PM (6/09/2008)
WHO KILLED the RAV4 EV?
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/rav4ev/
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fnc 5:48PM (6/09/2008)
As I understand it, battery prices regularly take any electric car "out back" and have a tense talk (translated : savage beating) with it.
I've heard these RAV4's cost on the order of 100 grand. So even though they're fetching princely sums on eBay, they still wouldn't be profitable to sell. Unless the price of NiMH batteries has dropped considerably. Good luck sorting out the patent license with Chevron on them. What we need now is the same thing we needed back then, cheaper batteries. Maybe a large increase in demand for electric vehicles will ramp up production to the point where a sub-25K$ electric vehicle with ~100 miles range becomes viable and commonplace. Personally, the day I never have to have the cooling fluid changed in a car is one I've long waited for. Course, then I'll just have a battery cooling system to fret over. Tit for tat, I guess.
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TIMMAH! 7:50PM (6/09/2008)
I'm surprised that Toyota hasn't jumped back into the EV market with the RAV4. It's not like the RAV4 was a dedicated vehicle like GM's EV1. How hard would it have been to redo the tooling for RAV4 EV drivetrains given the base car was still in production?
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Chris M 8:58PM (6/09/2008)
Timmah: The RAV4-EV was based on a RAV4 model that had room under the floor for the battery pack, and a sturdy suspension to deal with the weight. Aerodynamically, it was less than perfect, but it did well enough to market.
That RAV4 was discontinued with the end of the RAV4-EV production, the newer RAV4 models don't have the same underfloor space. I think it highly unlikely that Toyota will make a new RAV4 EV anytime soon.
Toyota plans a PHEV version of the Prius, if the price and performance of improved batteries work out right they may consider making a "Prius EV" or perhaps a new car designed as an EV from the ground up.
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Phil L. 10:12AM (6/24/2008)
The RAV4 EV met reserve and closed for $45,988.88.
The RAV4 conversion auction I mentioned above saw 45 bids to get above $30K - but then was closed early; looks like the seller sold it outside of eBay.
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