March 5, 2025 - March 11, 2025
Last Updated: Weds. 6/25/2025
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BOOK
MAP INDEX
| 3-11-2025 | First Impressions. When the
embargo was lifted, we got a bunch of videos and press releases all at once.
There was a new EV model of C-HR and a mid-cycle update for bZ4X. It
was what enthusiasts had expected from Toyota years ago. That's why
they were always pushing a double-standard. Unlike everyone else, they
figured Toyota would just magically overcome industry barriers. An
expectation of "Tesla killer" was a given. That's how out of
touch they were with the market... hence my mantra, know your audience.
Anywho, this was the first standout comment I encountered: "...the
US/Canada needs a larger battery than 73kWh, something more like 85kWh to
hit the important 300mi EPA mark..." And it concluded with: "Considering
that some competitors like Ford, VW and Nissan don't seem to be iterating as
hard, Toyota could still come back in this race." In other words,
there was still a refusal to acknowledge the reality that everyone else has
fallen back, including Tesla. It's anyone's game now. I provided
a reality-check as my first impression: Range based on kWh alone is old-school, a crude measure used by those disregarding efficiency as important. mi/kWh must finally be recognized. My 2023 AWD bZ4X has demonstrated better efficiency than other SUVs, especially when you take into account the 8-inch ground-clearance. 2.4 mi/kWh was possible even on days well below freezing. In ideal conditions during summer, it hits 5.0 mi/kWh. In other words, the minor bump in battery-capacity combined with the next-gen eAxle, along with the tiny aerodynamic enhancement, will bump the 252-mile range of the most efficient model close to that "important 300mi EPA mark". Put it this way, Toyota was never part of the party. Enthusiasts enjoying tailgate celebrations prior to the actual game were of no interest. All along, it was about finding the right balance for their own showroom shoppers. That's where the change needs to take place and what other legacy automakers are still struggling with. Know your audience. |
| 3-10-2025 | Toyota Learns. They do.
Problem is, most people aren't aware of that history. Or worse, they
are feed news from an alternate reality... rhetoric spinning what actually
happened. Anywho, it was this today that stirred my participation: "I hope Toyota learns from the Chinese on this and
brings their insight to other markets. The Chinese have the West beat on BEV
right now." I jumped into that discussion with: Irony of that statement is quite telling. GM got their pride handed to them by Toyota 3 times, each from chants of "vastly superior" going horribly wrong. It's was amazing to watch history repeat like that. Two-Mode was to out-Prius Prius. Instead, it was an over-engineered nightmare, only making it to the prototype stage with a plug. The next attempt to deliver was a huge success for enthusiasts, Volt. But that was also over-engineered, making it impossible to become profitable and simply too inefficient in both EV and HV modes. Gen-2 Volt did deliver notable improvements, but its designed was still to hampered by over-engineering... misplaced priorities. Meanwhile, Toyota's PHEV tech... mocked relentlessly over the years... continues to advance. What we are seeing from China is getting those priorities right, focusing on need instead of want... which is exactly what Toyota did with their hybrid design to enable profitable PHEV offerings... while at the same time being able to leverage that EV propulsion experience. Soon, we will see that all come together. The new RAV4 will usher in another step forward with their PHEV and the upcoming mid-cycle upgrade to bZ4X as well. Both will take advantage of what Toyota learned from their experience with Chinese partners. |
| 3-06-2025 | Experiences & Advice. Owners try to share advice as much as they can... especially when they have a terrible experience of their own and want to prevent anyone else from ever going through that. In this circumstance, it was a new owner who had not actually tried DC fast-charging before embarking on a road-trip. Repeated attempts at multiple locations left him sick to his stomach, worried he would get stuck somewhere. That's exactly what happened too. It wasn't a problem with any of the charging stations though. It was his own vehicle. There was a dislodged contact, so insertion of the plug wasn't perfect. Unfamiliar with the process, that problem wasn't noticed. Had he brought along a portable charger, the situation may have played out differently. The same goes for having experience to compare with. He didn't have either and likely got overwhelmed by repeated failures. I gave him a like for the detailed post and added some advice as a comment: As always, a big thank you to any owner willing to share details of their unfortunate real-world experience. In this case, looking for broken hardware is a great take away. After enough times public charging, you will run into damaged hardware. Carrying your own portable unit while on a trip is a good means of confirming your own vehicle is still working, that it isn't an issue someone else created. And of course, same advice for any new owner of any EV, practice DC fast-charging before going on a road trip. Each station's hardware & software vary so much, it's easy to run in to trouble. Sometimes, the issue is as simple as the procedure order. Other times, you end up struggling with a temperamental connection. Heck, you can even run into difficulty with payment processing. Whatever the case, don't risk your trip to the unknown. Practice first. If nothing else, that provides you with some experience using a finder/route app. |
| 3-06-2025 | Huge Miss? Looking back at a post from a few days ago, I'm still annoyed. The claim was bZ4X was a "huge miss". That opinion isn't what stirs the emotion though; it's the attempt to rewrite history. Just like with Prius PHV, the goal claimed after rollout by those trying to undermine Toyota's success was totally fabricated by them. They stated that Toyota had failed with their design, unable to deliver a vehicle capable of long-distance and high-speed EV driving. That wasn't at all Toyota's goal. It was to augment the hybrid system to provide a significant MPG boost. That's it. Never was their an intent to deliver electric-only range, like Volt. It was another example of Toyota exploring what the market would be interested in by actually getting consumer feedback... which is very, very different from the assumptions GM made... which turned out to be a terrible market mismatch. Anywho, I finally posted a reply to the "huge miss" claim: Toyota clearly stated prior to release that price would be high and volume low. Just like with gen-1 of Prius, this rollout was to learn what would truly be compelling for a vehicle to compete with the true competition... in this case, non-plug vehicles on the same showroom floor. The goal is to change status quo at their own dealers, not to play ball with other automakers. After all, those others have had a number of misses too. Watch what happens with the next major upgrade. Hope is for their next-gen eAxle (notable efficiency gain) along with next-gen batteries (offering shoppers a chemistry/packaging choice). |
| 3-06-2025 | PHEV, again. Discussion about plug-in hybrids becoming a dominant theme emerged a week ago, as a result of tariffs about to dramatically increase prices and the fact that Tesla sales are plummeting worldwide. A variety of news sources picked up on that. One of the PHEV threads got merged into my series of posts due to a BEV purists trolling the topic. He made a few claims he couldn't support. I called him out on that. He simply didn't care. In the end, I got a nice capture of that exchange. Documented here is handy. History repeats. Heck, even his closing repeated. I read what his reply was, then blocked him. That meant there was no way for him to reply anymore. I stopped his trolling with the exchange preserved for everyone to see, except him. I made a copy of all of it before clicking the block button. This is what he had to say in the end: "Again, I've listed many things that every gas engine has that a hybrid will still have and you haven't disputed any of it." My several dispute posts were ignored. He didn't like what I had to say and figured anyone reading it wouldn't take the time to confirm that. It was such an obvious act of desperation. Any BEV purist confronted with information highlighting how a well-designed PHEV will enable electric-only commutes sends them into a state of panic. They have no means of fighting that. They know the PHEV offers a very appealing sense of security... not only a solution to range-anxiety, but also a means of enabling the purchase of cheap EVs. See, the problem is that most BEV purists come from the mindset that a massive battery-pack is a necessity. They absolutely detest any recommendation suggesting smaller is better. This is why bZ4X gets attacked so much in this market, but has become a strong market where DC fast-chargers are common. No need for a large capacity pack. It's a hit to their ego. Know your audience. |
| 3-06-2025 | PHEV, benefit. Ready to bring
this exchange to a close and with the intent to block him afterward, I wrote
up a summary. It's always intriguing to get feedback like this.
It's like talking to my uncle, who absolutes hates anything Democrat.
He said Kamala's speeches were gibberish, unintelligible. Knowing he
is a die-hard Republican, who's poorly informed and never pursued any type
of education beyond basic schooling 50 years ago, it makes sense that his
perspective is based on simplicity. He understood what Trump promised,
even though the means to achieve that were gibberish, unintelligible.
Understanding long-term goals with a vast array of expenses is beyond his
grasp. Think about building production plant. You need
electricity, water, roads and rail established before site construction can
begin. How many years does that take? How many contracts need to
be signed? How many people need to be employed? This is why
leveraging PHEV for the transition to BEV is so vital. The enthusiasts
chanting for the "all in" automakers were delusional? Ending
ICE production abruptly would be a great expense. Who's going to pay
for that. What would be the benefit? Needless to say, I knew his
audience was just me. He picked a fight for the sake of winning a
keyboard battle. What a waste. Oh well, my takeaway was
fulfilling. I had not witnessed such close-mindedness for a very long
time. This is how I wrapped that exchange up: Nope, you knew right from the very beginning when I described how a well-designed PHEV differed from a basic no-plug hybrid. There are no gears. There is no starter. There is not alternator. There is no serpentine belt... We've been through all that several times and you absolutely refused to acknowledge that information. Then you went on to claim "goldmine" but absolutely refused to provide any numbers whatsoever. I was quite curious how deep of a hole a BEV purist would dig himself into. They say enthusiasts can be their own worst enemy. Being able to witness that play out was very informative. I'm a BEV advocate & owner, but am not so close-minded that I won't recognize the benefit of having an ICE that is only minimally used... especially when it is specifically built for that purpose. Your take away from this should be KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Someone coming from an ICE to a plug-in hybrid that only uses gas every now and then will see the savings and understand the benefit. |
| 3-06-2025 | PHEV, reduced. Wrapping up that discussion had become my focus. He was unable to accept the reality of a gas-engine used in a PHEV would last an excessively long time. It's such a basic concept too. If you don't use it as often, it won't need maintenance as often. Of course, there's the added benefit of the gas-engine being protected by the electric-motor system. That equates to a stress-free life, which obviously means even less expense to maintain. That was too much. It derailed his claimed and revealed his effort to spread FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) about plug-in hybrids, rather than promote the benefits of not having an ICE at all. He fears PHEV will play a strong market role over the next few years, especially here in the United States where we have a president working hard to sabotage BEV production & sales. Anywho, my wrap-up was: That part of REDUCED maintenance are you not understanding? It needs LESS; therefore, revenue for the dealer is LESS. Again, you are conflating hybrid types. They are not all the same. REDUCED complexity is a huge step forward. |
| 3-06-2025 | PHEV, goldmine. I'm so glad I
took the time to document this exchange. He claimed the reason dealers
were still pushing ICE sales was due to the "goldmine" of revenue
they provide for their service departments. No proof that was ever
provided. All he knows is that BEV don't use oil, so there is routine
oil maintenance... hence, no cost. That's an absolute. They
usually don't work out to be as much of a savings as implied. It's
just in his mind that a pile of cash is no longer required. It's the
same problem with have with BEV owners just blowing off electricity expense.
They portray that consumption as trivial. Really? Try telling
that to someone paying a premium for it, like those who use DC fast-charging
often. They pay $0.64/kWh sometimes along with a connection-fee.
At home, I pay $0.08/kWh from time-of-use discounted charging. If I
switched to off-peak only, it would drop to $0.04/kWh. Notice how much
of a cost difference that is? Sometimes, electricity is more expensive
than gas. This is why a PHEV on frequent long road trips is a
favorable choice... which is why he's avoiding that fact. I fired back
at his "goldmine"
claim anyway, trying to stir any type of quantitative acknowledgement. |
| 3-06-2025 | PHEV, spin. Being especially alert when you suddenly get agreement: "Yes correct. And here YOU are on here saying how Hybrids are so great and saying that they are so "well made" that basic maintenance like oil changes aren't necessary." Like most trolls, he's limiting scope to such an extreme there really isn't anything proven either way. In this case, he's struggling to keep focus narrowed down to just oil & filter changes. Nothing else related to a gas-engine counts in his argument, despite the reality that everything under the hood is what impacts ownership cost. You can't just exclude what you don't like. He certainly tried though. And of course, changing well-designed to well-made was a dead giveaway. That's not even a matter of semantics. Those terms mean entirely different things. Ugh. I fired back with this, knowing I'm still not going to get anything related to cost in the reply: As I stated a few days ago, the difference between a no-plug hybrid and a well-designed PHEV can be significant. Some of the parts listed don't even exist in the PHEV and others are used far less. That invalidated the maintenance schedule claimed, which implied an inflated expense. That's why the actual cost numbers were repeatedly asked for. |
| 3-05-2025 | PHEV, lies. It gets interesting when the troublemaker replies with this: "No idea what you're talking about." I replied saying his own post at the top of this reply thread says otherwise. Response to that was flat out denial: "No it doesn't. Obviously you didn't understand it." That was a blatant lie. I was all too happy to get a print-screen of that post, then include it with that same text typed out. You said: "Plug in hybrid is literally the worst of both worlds. Which is why they are being pushed so hard now by the establishment." His claim was this entire exchange was about regular hybrids, that a no time was plug-in ever mentioned. He was a troll, simply firing everything in his arsenal to get me to stop challenging his claims. I didn't though. With decades of experience dealing with his zero-sum nonsense and personal attacks, his effort was futile. That made following up to this with a print-screen of the topic itself, along with the text, quite rewarding. Making the plug-in reference quite clear, I posted: That was clearly a direct reply to this topic: "Making A Plug-In Hybrid Is A Lot Harder Than You Think" |
| 3-05-2025 | PHEV, never. He twisted what I said into something entirely different. I haven't seen that kind of spin in ages. It didn't even make sense. He referred to the top of the long thread, then denied ever saying what was at the top. Then this. That's when you know looking forward is the only way to get anything constructive out of the exchange. Pick a point, then keep pushing it. I did that in this way: You equated the minor revenue from maintenance expenses to being a goldmine. I used the analogy of that being like what people think comes from sales of gas at a gas station. You missed the point of repair/replace being the revenue stream, not basic maintenance. |
| 3-05-2025 | PHEV, substance. I asked for something quantitative, a numeric to support the "goldmine" claim. After several requests for substance of that nature, this is what I got: "The "substance" is already right there for you to read. I've explained it several tines already." It was utter nonsense. He still had absolutely no clue what the difference was between basic maintenance and the lucrative tasks involving repair & replace. In other words, he likely had never been taught anything related to accounting. That's understandable, but you'd think he would at least give what he was posting a moment of critical thought. Turns out, it wasn't ever going to happen. Some are too close-minded, their conclusion already draw no matter how much the situation changes. My guess is he's been making assumptions based on his introduced to hybrids long ago. That's why each reference to "well-designed PHEV" and the topic specifically about plug-in hybrids was ignored. He was a troll spreading FUD. To that nonsense, I posted: The same person who thinks gas stations make a "goldmine" selling gas would make such a claim. They only get a tiny amount per transaction, which is they also sell convenience items inside. Basic maintenance is the same for dealers. Substance would show me dealer income is more than just a tiny amount. What is that amount? Reality is, keeping the lights on at dealers depends upon the complex repair & replace jobs... the type well-designed PHEV have not been shown to need. This is why there has been so much pushback against vehicles with a plug. |
