Electric Cars: The Basics
For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:
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How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car At Home: The Complete Guide For Ireland
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The Toyota RAV4 PHEV SUV
Toyota Motor Corporation, known simply as Toyota, is a leading global automotive company. The company is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world and is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. The company has already established an enviable track record for the development and marketing of environment friendly hybrid vehicles. Toyota has one of the largest portfolios of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs), currently 11 hybrid models. It is also a world leader in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The company currently has a portfolio of the following fully electric and plug-in electric vehicles:
- Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
- The All-Electric Toyota bZ4X
- Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell
- Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid
The RAV4 is a compact SUV and the first compact crossover from the Japanese manufacturer. It was introduced in 1994. The acronym RAV was derived from ‘Recreational Activity Vehicle’. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) variant was launched in 2019 at the LA Auto Show. Sales commenced in Japan in 2020.
Despite the RAV4 SUV being launched many decades ago and Toyota’s leadership in hybrid technology, surprisingly the PHEV variant was introduced rather late. Nevertheless, despite the increased competition in the compact SUV segment, the RAV4 plug-in hybrid has much to offer, for both families and company car drivers.
The Toyota plug-in hybrid SUV has a 18.1 kWh onboard EV battery, with a WLTP certified zero-emission electric range up to 74 km. Both the EV battery size and the claimed emission-free electric range, are above average, when compared to other PHEVs in this segment.
Though the real-world EV range will be lower, possibly closer to 60 km (emission-free), the EV still has much to offer those keen to save money by driving on electric mode. Depending on the cost of charging, driving an electric car will cost between 5 cents and 10 cents per km i.e. far cheaper compared to calling on the internal combustion engine (ICE). A 60 km EV range can be leveraged for both city and motorway driving.
Taking advantage of the EV range will also require inculcating a habit of charging the EV on a regular basis, which again is as easy as charging a smartphone. We at e-zoomed discourage the use of a domestic 3-PIN plug for charging an electric car.
A ‘topping up’ approach to charging will help improve the overall efficiency of the vehicle and also improve the long-term maintenance of the onboard EV battery. Toyota offers a class-leading 10 years or 240,000 km warranty. The PHEV has a 6.6 kW onboard charger and can be fully charged in 2.5 hours.
Of course, driving regularly on the electric mode will further improve the fuel economy of the electric vehicle i.e. lower motoring costs. The automotive manufacturer claims a fuel economy up to 1 l/100 km, but achieving anything close to this, will require taking advantage of the e-mode! In any case, the PHEV will deliver a better fuel economy, compared to the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) variant.
In terms of performance, the Toyota RAV4 is decent. The electric vehicle (EV) combines a 2.5-litre hybrid AWD-i petrol engine with an onboard electric motor, powered by the EV battery. Despite the additional weight of the EV battery, the RAV4 SUV PHEV can achieve 0-100 km/h in 6.0 seconds. This performance is not shabby! The Toyota plug-in electric car delivers 306 HP maximum power and 270 Nm torque. Top speed is 180 km/h. Of course, on the pure electric mode, the drive is more refined and quieter.
The interior cabin is spacious and practical, however, it may not feel as premium as the price tag. Toyota offers a host of feature and technology, to include: Toyota Touch 2 with Go Navigation, 9″ Toyota Touch 2 multimedia system with smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), follow-me-home headlights, 7″ multi-information screen, adaptive cruise control, voice recognition switch on steering wheel, reversing camera, pre-collision system with day & night-time pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert and more.
The all-wheel drive PHEV offers reasonably good headroom and legroom for passengers. The boot space is compromised due to the placement of the onboard EV battery (520 L), but remains useful!
Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet!
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Larger EV battery compared to other PHEVs | Interior quality has room for improvement |
| Good EV range and cheap to run on electric mode | More expensive compared to some rivals |
| All-wheel drive (AWD) as standard | Onboard charger limited to 6.6 kW |
Gallery
The Toyota RAV4 PHEV SUV (credit: Toyota)
| At A Glance | |
|---|---|
| EV Type: | Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) |
| Body Type: | SUV |
| Engine: | Petrol-Electric |
| Available In Ireland: | Yes |
| Variants (3 Options) |
|---|
| Toyota RAV4 Solar (from € 54,170) |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport (from € 56,120) |
| Toyota RAV4 GR Sport (from € 59,280) |
| EV Battery & Emissions | |
|---|---|
| EV Battery Type: | Lithium-ion |
| EV Battery Capacity: | Available in one battery size: 18.1 kWh |
| Charging: | DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 6.6 kW AC (0% – 100%: 2.5 hours) |
| Charge Port: | Type 2 |
| EV Cable Type: | Type 2 |
| Tailpipe Emissions: | 22g (CO2/km) |
| Warranty: | 10 years or 240,000 km |
| Average Cost Of Residential Charging | |
|---|---|
| Battery net capacity : 8.8 kWh | € 2.10 |
| Battery net capacity : 11.6 kWh | € 2.78 |
| Battery net capacity : 12.0 kWh | € 2.87 |
| Battery net capacity : 13.10 kWh | € 3.14 |
| Battery net capacity : 14.10 kWh | € 3.37 |
- Note 1: The average cost of residential electricity in Ireland varies depending on the region, supplier and type of energy used. An average for Ireland is 23.97 cents/kWh.
- Note 2: Not all EV manufactures make available the data on net EV battery capacity, and in a number of instances the EV battery capacity advertised, does not state if it is gross or net capacity. In general, usable EV battery capacity is between 85% to 95% of the gross available capacity.
| Charging Times (Overview) | |
|---|---|
| Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW): | 6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC) |
| Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW): | 3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC) |
| Rapid charging AC (43 kW): | 0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC) |
- Note 1: SoC: state-of-charge
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Height (mm): | 1690 |
| Width (mm): | 1855 |
| Length (mm): | 4600 |
| Wheelbase (mm): | 2690 |
| Turning Circle (m): | 10.6 |
| Boot Space (L): | 520 |
| 2.5 Petrol Hybrid AWD-i | |
|---|---|
| EV Battery Capacity: | 18.1 kWh |
| Pure Electric Range (WLTP): | 74 km |
| Electric Energy Consumption (Wh/km): | 102 |
| Fuel Consumption (l/100 km): | 1.0 |
| Charging: | DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 6.6 kW AC (0% – 100%: 2.5 hours) |
| Top Speed: | 180 km/h |
| 0-100 km/h: | 6.0 seconds |
| Drive: | All-wheel drive (AWD) |
| Max Power (hp): | 306 (hybrid system output) |
| Torque (Nm): | 270 (hybrid system output) |
| Transmission: | Automatic |
| Seats: | 5 |
| Doors: | 5 |
| Kerb Weight (kg): | 1,930-1,995 |
| Colours: | 5 |
| NCAP Safety Rating: | Five-Star |
Solar And EV Charging: An Overview
The benefits of renewable energy, in particular, solar and wind energy, is already well established across Europe, and in other parts of the world. With the increase in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) over the past three years, the advantages of using clean and renewable energy has been further enhanced.
Firstly, on-site renewable energy can be used for powering both business premises and homes. For on-site generation, we have witnessed a significant increase in distributed clean energy generating plants i.e. many commercial buildings and residential buildings have become generators i.e. generating electricity on-site! Solar roof projects have been popular for such on-site generation installations.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has further amplified the need to develop energy security, not only at a national level, but also at a local level, to include, businesses and households. Those households and businesses that already generate and consume clean energy on-site have been spared the significant onslaught of energy price rise in 2022, which is expected to continue in 2023.
Installing solar panels on-site, mitigates the risks associated with energy price inflation, a significant contributor to costs for a business or a household. On-site renewable energy generation also impacts the environment positively. For those with electric vehicles (EVs), in particular, pure electric vehicles, we strongly encourage the use of renewable energy for EV charging. Of course, we also encourage the use of solar energy for charging a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
Apart from the significant cost benefit i.e. generating renewable energy is a nominal cost per kWh (after initial set-up/ installation costs), to achieve true zero-tailpipe emission electric driving, renewable energy needs to be used for EV charging. This is also known as ‘well-to-wheel’. Just one electric car on the road can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2.
The good news for electric car owners is that a number of EV charging stations are now compatible with solar/ wind generation and battery storage. The UK manufacturer myenergi zappi is a good example of a solar/ wind compatible EV charger.
We encourage business and households to adopt an on-site ecosystem of ‘renewable energy-battery storage-EV charging’, to gain the maximum from the advantages of low carbon generation and zero-emission electric driving. Bottom-line, renewable energy is good for the environment and the wallet!
While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.
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