2023 Toyota bZ4X Preview

Along the same lines, the larger journalist body will probably bash any EV that doesn't have over 300 HP (223.71 kW) to help the 0-60 mph time.

 

"More is better" is their motto.

I remember being in the Audi A6 TDI with a certain unnamed journalist
who had a rare moment without "Dad" in the car and got into some hooliganism.

 

From the instrument cluster pictures, it appears that Subaru's X-MODE® is available. Makes sense...

 

The main difference is in the fuel efficiency/emission tests. The WLTP test now used in Europe is much better than the old NEDC in terms of reflecting what a person could see on the road, but is still optimistic compared to EPA in the US.

Divide WLTP by 1.12 will give an estimate for EPA values.

 

i have so much to learn …

 

My 2016 Sonata lost 20% of its PHEV range in 5 years / 60k miles. Not sure if typical but I assume it's not far off from the average. Therefore I'd only consider an EV with at least 300 mile range. It seems we will see a decent amount of upcoming EV models that promise bit more than that. So I'd would wait bit longer.

Unfortunately though my Sonata developed issues with the battery (engine just shuts of without warning) and it needed replacement under warranty and Hyundai couldn't supply that within 4 months so they did a buy back. I looked at Toyota & Lexus NX phev for their great efficiency but the markups were insane (or no markup but long wait list). I also noticed that the phev kwh/mi efficiency for most other brands is really poor compared to EVs. Ultimately since I wanted to avoid markups and couldn't find any decent efficient normally priced hybrid/PHEV, just bought for now a regular non-hybrid model.
Sure miss a hybrid and will keep an eye out for upcoming models and I think in a few years EV's should improve on the charging limitations and range. But for me just a bit too early as I want to avoid having to own 2 cars.

 

Wayne,
Did you get to drive it?

 

No Pepsi bottles ?

 

I don't think Wayne was in the bZ4X for that long...

 

Those are amazing numbers (19 kWh/100 mi). But that's probably Wayne's touch and not anywhere near EPA so not sure how that compares to something like the Mach-E.

Few upcoming German EV's seem to get great range over 300 mile. E.g. EQE, i4 and next year the A6. But sure very expensive. Would be great to see EV range tests for those non-SUV's for comparison.

PS Great to see Wayne on TV last week giving mpg tips. And the reporter drove the E-Tron GT of course.

 

That amount of loss isn't typical outside of an old Leaf. Most Tesla's have seen less than 10% in that time frame. Toyota's battery warranty is 10% or less over 10 years.

 

Interesting, maybe there was an issue from the start. At beginning it indicated 27 mi range and it lowered the (realistic) estimate 1-2 mile every year (down to 23 mi after 5 years). I didn't see that with the Accord PHEV but I only had it for 2 years and the capacity was smaller. Unless specific to Hyundai utilizing more % of the battery? Honda reserved bit more. Too bad Honda offers no PHEV anymore and they are behind now in EV's.

Hyundai dealership experiences were bad for me and claim was that car retained no sensor diag data to figure out the battery issue. Neither was there a failsafe option with a limp mode and that made the car dangerous as it shut off on the highway few times without warning. The buyback amount was excellent but switching back to Honda/Toyota hoping for better reliability and service quality.

 

PHEV battery degradation: I have not seen much on the topic. Luke, you're the first I've seen mentioning the degradation. (greencarcongress says...) The 2016 Sonata PHEV has a 9.8 kWh Li-ion polymer battery pack. Most others are straight Li-ion. Our 2017 Prius Prime supposedly has an 8.8 kWh battery rated at 25 miles EV. It usually reports 26 miles or so EV range in the winter and it has climbed to 28 now with warmer weather. It goes even higher, to maybe 30-32 in the summer. With measured charging, I'd say the usable battery is well under 7 kWh (maybe 5.5-6.5 kWh). [The possibility exists that Hyundai is just being more honest in its software reporting of EV range... who knows.]

We never use the full pack so I wouldn't expect much degradation other than calendar life degradation. Maybe Wayne can say what he's seeing for EV range after his many miles in a short span of ownership from new, but then he probably doesn't stress the battery either.

I'd guess PHEV range degradation is a non-issue for most as the car manufacturers would have allowed for decreased battery capacity, and would have hidden it within the usable battery percentage.

That lack of a failsafe seems strange... Something broke perhaps so outside of design parameters.