Featured Get the First-Ever 2021 RAV4 Prime Starting at Under USD$40K MSRP

From the post in the review thread: almost, not quite.

 

I’m waiting for it...

 

Reports are 2500lbs for towing at this time.

 

The RAV4H does not fold down perfectly flat either...
I did not check the RAV4 gasser for that.

We seem to be getting 39 MPG which now included lots of miles over the mountains DC to Pittsburgh (not the best for good MPG). I feel like short trip 5-minutes trips is 40 and probably as good as our older Gen2 for the short distances we do in retirement. Actually it is unbelievable MPG when you compare the RAV4 size with Prius. It's a big front profile.

 

I must retract this Prime MPG figure. I can't re-find where I saw it when building a vehicle comparison spreadsheet, which opens up the possibility of brain fart in confusing battery miles with MPG.

A salescritter said it would have slightly lower MPG than a RAV4 Hybrid, due to increased weight. This prompted me to recheck my sources.

 

FYI your car does not have an L3 charger. The whole point of DC fast charging is that the charger is outside the car in the charging station, not inside the car anywhere the way it is with AC charging.

 

I've sent a note to the local Toyota dealer asking them to contact me when (if) they get a "plug-in RAV4." It is curiosity . . . kick the tires. But a few questions:

• What is the maximum L2 charge current and voltage range?
• Is there a CCS-1, fast DC charging port and at what peak power?

Our former Prius Prime had an anemic, L2 only charging port.

Bob Wilson

 

The base model is the same as the Prius Prime, with a 120V/12A charger powering a 16A L2 charger. The highest end model upgrades that to a 32A L2 charger. So, 240V 16A or with an option for 240V 32A.

Of course not. Since it's a PHEV, it can effectively charge out on the open highway with gas at a rate equal to around 5 megawatts so DC fast charging is not necessary, nor is it very useful with 42 miles of EV range.

 

So you can easily connect a CHAdeMO or CCS charger to your Prime then?

 

No, it lacks the wiring and ports.
As stated earlier, EVs have an onboard charger for L1 and L2 charging. Those are both AC power.
L3 charging is DC. The charger is in the DC charging unit, not in your car.

When plugged into a DC fast charger, the onboard charger is bypassed and the batteries are charged directly. But the car needs to be wired to do that.

 

Ha! I was about to answer and you basically took the words right out of my mouth!

Well said.

Edit: By the way, the reason the charge port area on the Prius Prime is so huge is that it's available with CHAdeMO in Japan.

 

Oh, by the way, my understanding of Tesla Superchargers is that they are different. The charger isn't in the charging station either, as that's just a cute looking cable hanger. The charger is in a "cabinet" hidden away behind a fence somewhere. Is that correct?

 

Thanks for the L2 specs. Too bad about the absence of a fast DC charger like my 2014 BMW i3-REx has.

Bob Wilson

 

The majority of the car buying public isn't going to care about the technical details, They just want to know if the plug in can DC fast charge, or "Level 3", and which charging format it uses. The quotes is because there is technically no longer a Level 3 according to SAE; it is AC Level 1 and 2, DC Level 1 and 2.

Many refer to the EVSE as the charger, and it goes by without need to just correct them in a post.

And while @austingreen in correctly used charger in his post, he was correct in that the car plays a role in the charge rate it takes for a DC charger, and it goes beyond the battery's state of charge and temperature. The new, larger, water cooled pack in the Ioniq Electric takes a lower rate than previous model.

 

A few more details, plus Official Specs provided:


2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime: Primed and Ready for Electrified Traction - Toyota USA Newsroom

Quick Summary
MPG: 40/36/38. City/Highway/Combined
AER (EPA): 42 miles. CNET review stated they got 45 true EV miles.
Weight: 4300lbs (XSE)
Ground clearance: 8.3 in (XSE)
Recharging: 12 hrs (120V/12A), 4.5 hrs (240/16A) - 3.3 kW charger
2.5 hrs (240V/32A) - 6.6 kW charger
Towing: 2,500 lbs
Oil: 4.8 qts (0-16W)

Reading a couple of reviews, they got 9.2 seconds 0 to 60 mph on all battery but 5.7 seconds when the engine came on. Most reported the engine made it faster and quicker and they got in the low 40’s for MPG.

Made a mistake: CNET quoted the 0 to 60 times from Toyota literature. Alex on Autos claimed he got 5.7 seconds in EV but in his sidebar he reported 8.8 seconds in EV only and 5.63 seconds when the engine came on. He also got about 36 miles EV range and he lives in the mountains.

Edited to correct a couple of review notes.

iPad ? Pro

 

Only 5,000 to be sold in US this year. I don't think I will be able to find one. Will wait for the production to pick up and have plenty of inventory and hopefully with good incentive offers.

 

The source I read was talking model years, making it sound like 5000 for 2020 and 2021. The US model year system does lead to confusion on other topics though.

If it is 5000 for 2020, that isn't a big deal for a 2021MY. The first Prius Prime was a 2017MY, with sales starting in 2016. It sold 2422 in 2016, and 20,936 in 2017. The 20,000 Rav4p's Toyota allotted for 2021 will likely mean shortages, but that isn't the end of the world some commenters seem to feel.

Assuming the 5000 and 20k numbers Toyota released are for 2020 and 2021, and not 2020/21 and 2022.

 

Here's the link to the full stats:

https://www.toyota.com/rav4prime/features/mpg/4544/4550

 

Perhaps we can see photos of the first North American purchasers?

Bob Wilson