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Ebay find of the day: RAV4 EV

Posted May 19th 2008 at 5:14PM by Marc Geller

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Toyota


As ABG readers know, car makers large and small are considering electric cars once again. With gasoline hovering around $4 a gallon, greenhouse gas emissions soon to be regulated and national security jeopardized by petroleum, the need for electric cars has never been so obvious. But if you want a full-function, highway-capable 100+ mile range EV now, the options are few and far between. And pricey. The choice today is order a Tesla and wait a year, or wait for a used RAV4 EV to hit the market. It doesn't happen often, but now a Toyota-built, all-electric RAV4 EV is for sale on eBay, here.

One of fewer than 400 RAV4 EVs in private hands, this one is in San Francisco. It has under 50,000 miles on the batteries. While automakers today look to lithium batteries to power their next-generation electric cars, the NiMH batteries in these ZEV mandate era vehicles are proving to be strong, stable, and long-lasting, exceeding Toyota's expectations. A number of these cars have driven over 100,000 miles on the original batteries, and they still deliver a 100-mile range. You might be tempted to ask why we don't have NiMH cars on the market while lighter, longer range lithium is developed. To remain sane, let's just say the car makers learned the lesson of the laptop. We all regret the heavy NiMH laptops of the 90s, with their short battery life and long recharge time.

[Source: eBay]

Tags: rav4-ev, toyota-electric-car

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