Why I Drive A Plug-In Car

[BatusaiJack]

this guy doesn't have to worry about the gas price.

[tobie5000]

All the technology has been ready for quite some time; there's was nothing at all wrong with these cars but now they're coming back—to stay.

[jonnydorobantul]

TOYOTA...BIGGEST IDIOTS ON THE PLANET...they had this electric car in early 2000 and they sold the battery patent...idiots...

[eaaev]

Howdy,

Update on the odometer.

I watched it roll past 111,111.1 miles a few months ago.

Now I'm at almost 115,000 miles with the original batteries.

Maybe LiPo batteries can do that now, but this car was built in 2002 and the lithium batteries at that time had poor life spans.

Just drove a Toyota Plug-in Prius yesterday at the Green Drive Expo in Richmond, CA. It has lithium batteries - a first for Toyota. They plan to have a new electric RAV 4 EV in 2012 partnering with Tesla.

Adios,

Jerry

[rockondon]

why dont they use li-po?lipos way btter of a battery?nh is outdated in teh rc world

so is brushed motors brushless and lipo

[TheVirg]

Thanks Jerry, I'm glad you were able to keep your EV. I just watched "Who killed the electric car" and I'm considering converting my 91 Camaro RS to electric.  I'd rather rebuild my car, than buy a new one anyway.

[fengineer08]

Drive a hybrid, I need your gas.

Sincerely,

2003 SVT Cobra :)

[worldlymaggie]

OMG you are SO lucky to have gotten one of those EVs. Man I'd love to have one! Thanks for posting this vid

[Dilekz]

If i walk in a toyota garage here.. they said: Ah never knew toyota made an electric version of the Rav4... And when you say no plug no deal. They say: Can't help you we don't make the cars. There is only reason why EV's aren't a common thing. It's the battery. We need better and cheaper battery's.

[kuzb]

He drives an electric car, but he manages to completely suck at parking.

[n3sjh]

The reason that we don't have more EVs on the road is that based on the idiotic comments, most Americans are just too stupid to own one. I have a truck converted to run on CNG and after seeing it run most people do not honestly believe in their mind that you can operate a vehicle with anything other than what comes from the gas station. Until most of America is not Stuck On Stupid, we will never see cars and trucks that operate on anything but Gasoline or Diesel

[happytimes90]

00:27 "i want to be a part of the solution instead of part of the prooblem"

southpark anyone??

[Battery9876]

eaaev,

does your car have an alternator?

[ibpointless2]

i wish they kept making these cars, but instead i have to make my own conversion.

[dende145]

did you know that you can make that battery recharge as your driving .. yes its true normally the battery will lest you about a day or 2 and with some modifications you can make it run for more then a week

[canadiceconstruction]

Nice video. Hey check out our "Solar Wind Generator Green Construction" on You Tube. The news clip shows a practical application of solar energy, in of all places, Orchard Park, New York (home of the Buffalo Bills). We are mean, green and clean!!!!! We are also developing a solar wind charging station for electric vehicles. "Solar Garage"

[andyrin3]

batteries come from japan. thats where they come from ? maybe you need to go to school and learn how batteries are developed and how they are made. people recycle batteries and cellphones(batteries) because it come from forests and destroys habitat from many animals

[andyrin3]

garbage...where do batteries come from? forests yes it does...if you want to save the enviroment and save gas buy a diesel

[eaaev]

Batteries come from Japan. Where does diesel come from? Do you want your dollars going there? Unless you are talking about bio-diesel, all I can say is "yuck !". I hate driving behind a diesel. I call them "stink-o-matics". The main reason I will close my "fresh air vents" while driving is because of a diesel in front of me. If you really want to save the environment, route your tail pipe into the passenger compartment. Then there will be one less stink-o-matic driver on the road.

Jerry

[Swansen03]

@eaaev i know a year ago, but diesel has made leaps and bounds in a VERY short amount of time, unlike gassers which haven't changed much since invention. Anyways, diesels of the early 90s and previous were loud-ish and smelly, but its not that way anymore, especially since we are finally getting better quality diesel in the states, along with bio-diesel. Look up algae fuel, biodiesel form algae.

[satoshi0076]

@andyrin3 hmm although your statement is true you do have to realize what a renewable energy resource the forest is yes we can renew that but oil however is non renewable. although you mat think buying a diesel is the best way to save the environment you need a optimized bio diesel for that. I do agree that it is the best way to do it for now although when renewable energy kicks in we wont have to worry about city powering themselves with coal wich if you do the research still isnt as bad as gas

[rockondon]

@andyrin3 dielsel dont go through deq?why there the ones who pollute?

[eaaev]

Howdy, Here's an update and reply to some recent comments regarding the NiMH batteries. First of all, the mileage on my RAV 4 EV is now over 92K miles and still going strong. Secondly, I now have a 4.9 kW solar system that pretty much pays for the electricity my car uses. I drove an EV-1 for over 2 years with the PbA batteries - range was about 40 miles, however I was able to completely recharge while at work, so my round trip commute distance of 45 miles was not an issue. Adios,

Jerry

[Mikey95112]

Hi Jerry. I haven't been by EAASV meetings for awhile. Congratulations! BTW, ever considered having one of those scrolling signs boasting how you've saved some 2600+ gal of gas these past years?

[c33r0k33]

I stand corrected, the Panasonic NiMH arrangement appears to be held by Chevron, which based on GM's design was an improvement to what was in the EV-1. Either way Chevron "negotiated" a deal stopping Panasonic from producing their version of the NiMH back then. Am I more correct now Jerry?

[eaaev]

Howdy, Yes, you are correct regarding the Panasonic NiMH batteries and Chevron's strangle hold on the technology via their subsidiary Cobasys. I had the Ovonic batteries in a NiMH GM S-10 electric pickup I leased after my EV1 was crushed. Lots of problems with those batteries. The A/C ran much of the time just to cool the batteries and I had the truck in the shop several times due to battery issues. The Panasonic NiMH batteries in my RAV 4 EV are much higher quality & reliability. Jerry

[rockondon]

@c33r0k33 i believe bush/chevron/blair/bp are all in iraq looting right?

[c33r0k33]

...and GM (during Wagoner's tenure) sold the NiMH battery technology to an OIL COMPANY!!! No full size NiMH batteries can be built on any car in the world because an oil company holds its patents. So Tesla has to wire tiny lithium batteries and we have to develop a whole new battery system different from the large NiMH. I wish I had a RAV -ev.. I am so frustrated I'm planning to build a 2k motorcyle using lead acid batteries to understand electric vehicle construction.

[edstar83]

I'm going shoping for a little gas hatch back this weekend. It doesnt have a plug now... but it will when im finished with it.

[ih8u2be]

I drove Jerry's car and let me tell you... can't wait to own one.

[kushtrim25]

I sell cars and like the idea --no plug no deal .

[kostea13]

EV IS THE FUTURE

[capridrifter]

I cant help but wonder how much resources is wasted by building a new car rather then driving the one you already own for the life of the car. wanna make a difference? convert your own OLD car with recycled stuff. Or if you don't know how and don't care to learn or just cant how about spending the money of an already converted used car! recycle this stuff! no need to waste more energy turning it into a new car when its already a car!

[BLKcovenant]

oh i thought we were trying to be more enviromentally friendly

[eaaev]

Hello,

We are being environmentally friendly.

The video opens with "Every day is a spare the air day in an electric vehicle". Here in CA, we are asked not to drive gas cars on days with very bad air quality - those days are called "spare the air" days.

Regarding coal - we don't burn any in CA - your state may be different. Our power plants have excess capacity at night so we are helping the power company by charging at night. We showed a lot of solar panels in the video, also.

Adios,

Jerry

[BLKcovenant]

im on nuclear power (florida)

[ih8u2be]

"nuclear"... and that's being environmental friendly?

sorry if I disagree here, but you might want to do a search of the effects of toxic waste on human health, the planet and any life forms... One word to start searching from: Chernobyl

Nuclear is not the answer.

[BLKcovenant]

2 keys points you left out.

COST??

And if we all switched to electric fars wouldnt we burn more coal?

[eaaev]

"Gasoline has 35 MJ / liter = 9.6 kW-hr / liter.

Internal combustion engine has about 20% efficiency.

15.2 liters x 9.6 kW-hr / liter x 0.20 efficiency = 29.2 kW-hr. This is very close to 30 kW-hr for this electric car.

EV motors are much higher than the 20% for the IC engine, and with regenerative braking the perceived efficiency of the EV is probably close to 100% for the purposes of this calculation." - PW

[eaaev]

I bought the RAV 4 EV for $34K at the end of a 3 year lease in 2005. New price at dealer was $42.5K in 2002.

Some have sold for over $60K on eBay. It has air conditioning and heating - both work well. Natural gas is better than petrol, but you can't make it on your roof. You can make electricity on your roof with Solar panels.

Adios.

Jerry Pohorsky

[capridrifter]

I'm glad you bought a used one:) I hope it serve's well! I think it would be cool to convert a big car like a Lincoln to EV to use as a taxi around town! Imagine how cheap the fare would be without the cost of gas!

[ulubladerunner]

Hi Jerry Brian Kelly here in Alaska. I wonder how well the heating system would work and what are the drawbacks on the cold affecting batteries thanks ..Brian

[eaaev]

Bottom line:

Your fuel bill will be less overall by driving with electricity.

EVs are so efficient that the cost, per mile driven, is significantly less.

For instance, a 2002 Toyota RAV4 will travel 100 miles on 4 gallons of gasoline. At $4.56/gallon, this is $18.24

A 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV will travel 100 miles on 30 kWh of electricity. At 10 cents per kWh, this is $3.00.

[lesandallyssa]

Hey, I love the idea of driving of electricity from solar panels, and have thought about the idea of using wind generators to charge a vehicle while it is parked for people that live in more open areas. They are already using them to generate power for homes, why not for vehicles? I will be riding a bike to work in the summer so I won't have to use any gas going to work.

[cant7think7clearly]

Nice video and I love the final line, "No plug; no deal".

[vadik9777]

where can i get one?

[Saphiregun]

xD when gas prices go totally down,,,, because everyone's tryin to be good to the invironment, it won't efect me becuase no high gas price xD

[ih8u2be]

Then you're either a saudi prince with a private oil rig in your backyard or you come from another planet. In any case, welcome and share some of your wealth to protect the "Environment" if you enjoy Earth enough to care about it.

[Saphiregun]

oh yeah... i love oil... i BAITH in oil... we saudi's LOVE our oil

[Saphiregun]

jk. im not saudi. yeah i might buy a hybrid.

[ANewDay2007]

Boy do I envy you! I wonder if there is some tiny chance that there are any more RAV4 EVs still around...

[ih8u2be]

My cost is slightly lower since I pay under 9 cents per kWH because Santa Clara has its own electric company called Silicon Valley Power. Other cities use power from for-profit utility companies such as PG&E that have higher rates.

"Some EV drivers have installed Solar Panels on their roof to generate electricity.

The utility companies in California are required to buy surplus solar electricity from customers at the prevailing rate." JP

[ih8u2be]

"Since companies such as PG&E have time-of-use metering, daytime electricity can cost as much as 30 cents/kWH. Night time rates are much lower such as 12 cents/kWH." -JP

[ih8u2be]

By charging at night, the cost to fuel the EV is low,

while during the day the solar system creates surplus power since the owner is often away at work. This surplus power creates a "credit" that is used to offset the cost of electricity used when the solar panels are not producing as much electricity as the home uses.

[juscurious]

How much did this car cost? Why don't you tell us? Caliifornia is using Natural Gas to generate about 45% of its electrical power. This number will soon be 50%. California also imports more that 20% of its electrical power from Mountain States that use Coal to generate electricity. If we just used the Natural Gas in our cars we would do better than an electric car. Also the Bay Area has a mild climate. This car probably has no heat or cooling. It would not work in most states.

[ih8u2be]

1. RAV4 are no longer available as Toyota stopped productions years ago - Please watch "Who Killed The Electric Car" documentary showing how this happen.

2. A few of this vehicles survived the kidnapping and crashing in the desert by a***holes who couldn't see further than their own nose.

[ih8u2be]

3. A RAV4 gets 100 miles on four gallons (15.2 liters).

At $4.59 x gallon... you do the math...

[ih8u2be]

Bottom line:

Your fuel bill will be less overall by driving with electricity.

EVs are so efficient that the cost, per mile driven, is significantly less.

For instance, a 2002 Toyota RAV4 will travel 100 miles on 4 gallons of gasoline. At $4.56/gallon, this is $18.24

A 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV will travel 100 miles on 30 kWh of electricity. At 10 cents per kWh, this is $3.00.

[eaaev]

I bought the RAV 4 EV for $34K at the end of a 3 year lease in 2005. New price at dealer was $42.5K in 2002.

Some have sold for over $60K on eBay. It has air conditioning and heating - both work well. Natural gas is better than petrol, but you can't make it on your roof. You can make electricity on your roof with Solar panels.

Adios.

Jerry Pohorsky

[warriorpoeta]

I want this car! Where can I buy it? I changed my SUV is a planter. Cactus are now growing out of the engine. It's a pretty cool piece of contemporary art and a reminder that gas fueled vehicles are indeed dinosaurs ready to be retired.

[ih8u2be]

Or we'll do it for you:

"Gasoline has 35 MJ / liter = 9.6 kW-hr / liter.

Internal combustion engine has about 20% efficiency.

15.2 liters x 9.6 kW-hr / liter x 0.20 efficiency = 29.2 kW-hr. This is very close to 30 kW-hr for this electric car.

EV motors are much higher than the 20% for the IC engine, and with regenerative braking the perceived efficiency of the EV is probably close to 100% for the purposes of this calculation." - PW

I hope this helps.

[scottfree04]

Nice work, Enza! A great message that echoes that of our friend Tom Hanks.

No plug-no deal!

[RCCGroup]

Nice piece of work Jerry... I will use it as a nice way of sharing with non-owners the RAV4 EV experience. GOTJUIC

[tigard108]

Great clip Enza. I wonder though about the emissions from coal fired electricity plants versus the emissions from hybrid vehilcles. Which is better for the environment. Hydrogen fuel cells seem promising

 too..

[JoelsHitShow]

Except if they can't figure out vapor lock then the escaped hydrogen will combine with the ozone to make water, which means no ozone layer. What we need are solar panels on everything. But an electric car is a step in the right direction.

[dpringle35]

Coal fired plants are required to have 'scrubbers' on their smoke stacks. They release very clean air compared to the millions of cars on the road every day. Plus, more electric companies are investing in clean power sources every year.  Oregon, for example, has a surplus of power from its wind generation plants.

[darioeolie]

Ciao bella!!! Portami una macchinetta così a Filicudi perchè la benzina qui costa un botto... Baci

[ih8u2be]

Certo! Possiamo stare a casa tua pero'? O quella e casa di tuo padre?

Insomma facciamoci un giro in barca a vela!!! Abracci! ES

[ih8u2be]

Certo! Possiamo stare a casa tua pero'? O quella e casa di tuo padre?

Insomma facciamoci un giro in barca a vela!!! Abracci! ES

[fn048910]

Thanks Enza for your great job, lucky you Jerry for having that RAV 4.

Many thanks to both of you for the "clean" message you sent, heading us to EV.

Maurizio

[erpizello]

finalmente potremo toglierci dalle palle bush e tutto il petrolio del ca....

[DavidBFox]

Great video! I want an electric car... I'll trade my 2004 Prius for a plug-in model :-) And I did already tell Toyota I won't buy another Prius until a plug is attached.

[mjkobb]

I also drive one of these wonderful cars. I had a GM EV-1 before that.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to a gas station in the last 8 years, and yet I've driven over 100,000 miles in that time.  Isn't that a nice thought?

For the last 3 years, I've also had 5,500 watts of solar panels on the roof of my house. For the whole of last year, my electric bill was $180 -- for the house and all my driving!

The car and the solar together cost less than a Hummer H2.

[warriorpoeta]

Enza, great job shooting and editing this video.

Jerry is very lucky to have one of those RAV 4.

Mine was recalled and eventually crashed in the desert.

[darelldd]

Great work Jerry!

[abobaustin]

EV is a great way to GO places

[ih8u2be]

This is a winner! Now I want to drive an EV myself! How much is an EV RAV 4?

[mjkobb]

Unfortunately, they are no longer available for sale. When new, they were about $42,000. Most owners qualified for some state and Federal tax breaks that made the end user cost about $33,000. Occasionally one of these cars becomes available used (often on eBay), so keep an eye out.