Newbie Charging.  It's rather fascinating when new owners don't feel intimidated, those who want to try everything.  They get excited, then disenchanted from not having researched well.  That's why I'm scrambling to create videos.  They'll have the background simply by watching.  Then when they try, perhaps a few tips will be remembered to make their experience better.  Here's an example of that progress: "I am charging at Rivian and only getting 58 kw.  Is that the normal speed for cold weather charging?  I am at a place that is currently 30°F.  Or should I have preconditioned the car even though I drove 140 miles prior to charging?"  Successful charging is awesome.  Recognizing something could be better, then speculating on why, is very encouraging.  Newbies are getting smarter.  That's a very good sign.  Anywho, I tried to help the best I could.  Having more info to share would be nice.  That simply isn't possible yet.  In the meantime:  Unfortunately, no one can give a good answer for that yet.  What's needed is the ability to check battery temperature.  2026 bZ uses the new version of ODB (SAE J1979-3) which isn't support by those who interface with Bluetooth adapters yet.  Once that support becomes available, we'll be able to see how much those miles of driving beforehand actually influence battery temperature.  Running blind at the moment, I've preconditioned for 30 minutes prior to DC fast-charging in sub-freezing.  That allowed me to max out the charger (pulled 300 amps) which worked out to 114 kW despite the cold.

2026 RAV4.  Production has begun.  RAV4 is now 100% hybrid.  The traditional version is now just a memory.  It was only a matter of time.  Introduction of the next generation made perfect sense for the phaseout to be complete.  That same scenario is expected for Corolla in less than 2 years.  When new tooling takes place, we'll see nothing but hybrids.  For Corolla, there's an additional gain.  Currently, the hybrid comes from Japan.  The next-gen is expected to be produced in Mississippi.  Transition for RAV4 wasn't quite the same.  Now all of them are made in Canada.  When tariffs are finally reduced or eliminated, it should be a huge win for that production... especially if batteries are coming from North Carolina.  But one thing at a time.  Toyota is making it more competitive by this current move to all hybrid.  Cool.  Phaseout across the fleet is proceeding nicely.

Video: Toyota bZ - Extreme Cold Commute (-15°F).  Minnesota presented a great opportunity to capture video of an extreme cold commute with my 2026 Toyota bZ.  People ask how the EV handles such low temperatures on a regular basis.  So, this is what I had been looking forward to for a very long time.  I wondered if the circumstances would work out with the timing of delivery and actually getting an artic blast on a day when I had enough time to setup equipment.  My schedule does not always cooperate.  In this case, I got really lucky.  The video itself is a miracle too.  Not having time to verify camera needs for the new layout could have resulted in a problem.  The dashboard is different and such cold conditions aren't friendly to experimenting.  Results of guessing was in my favor.  Phew!  Hopefully you'll find this drive informative.  I ended up really enjoying the experience.  It was a pleasant commute, despite the extreme.  See for yourself...  Toyota bZ - Extreme Cold Commute (-15°F)

Etiquette.  I'm playing offense now.  There are some things that are ok to be said.  In fact, some are long overdue.  Today was such an occasion when the topic of parking etiquette came up for charging:  Tesla really dropped the ball on their transition.  2 years have gone by since the open-up offering and we're still waiting for longer cords.  Remember how Tesla was regarded as the industry leader, a business-model to envy?  Seeing an up comer like Ionna emerge afterward do far better of a support job is telling.  Not only are their NACS cords longer, they are hung on an overhead arm that swivels.  It's awesome for those of us having to deal with snow & ice.  Tesla is now scrambling to catch up.  There is a glimmer of promise, finally.  Here in the Minneapolis/StPaul area, there are 7 new Supercharger locations proposed.  If they are all V4 with long cords, stories about parking upset should fade away.

How Much?  Good question: "Does 30 min preconditiong significantly impact the arrival SOC?  This is a concern when SOC is really low."  Of course, I wouldn't bother with preconditioning at that point.  It doesn't make sense taking any type of risk when the only payback is saving a few minutes.  It's like speeding.  Real-world outcome may not be anything gained.  If you are concerned, don't.  If you do have the luxury of such an indulgence, then that knowledge could be nice to take advantage of.  Unfortunately, finding that answer will take some time.  We have no means of measuring effectiveness or even draw yet.  So, I just replied with the basics for now:  I have no basis to make that assessment, since outside temperature has an impact on both efficiency itself and the effort to warm the battery.  A wild guess is a few percent will be dedicated... 2-3% perhaps.  With really low SOC, not consuming electricity for the sake of faster charging is a no-brainer.

Resale Value.  It's becoming a very big discussion topic now that 3-year leases are expiring and the 2026 is starting to show up in dealer inventories.  This particular comment wasn't anything I had predicted or prepared for: "I leased a 2025 model yr in August of 25 and it's worth less than 1/2 of the initial msrp 7 months later with 11k miles on it."  I suspected he wasn't paying attention to the market.  With the collapse of Tesla as an industry leader and so much emphasis being placed on the lack of DC fast-charging, it should have been obvious that what comes next would require dust to settle.  After all, the current administration was attacking EVs, doing everything possible to undermine their success.  Perhaps that was it, he wanted to endorse the future with his wallet.  Voting with a purchase sends a strong message.  Unfortunately, that message is related to the technology trust... which will contribute to lower prices later.  He didn't realize how close "later" would be, apparently.  Oh well.  All you can to is provide support for what he purchase, making sure he'd get the most out of it.  My reply to his post at the moment was brief though:  Between the $7500 credit loss, 2026 being a next-gen, and the tariff nonsense, that big drop in short-term resale value was quite easy to predict.  It's about how value is held long-term, which is where Toyota reliability will come into play.

Class Leading.  Since when it being the best required?  Countless enthusiasts believe that Toyota should be leagues ahead of everyone else in terms of delivering the most of something... range, power, efficiency, etc.  There's no sense of balance or an understanding that mainstream shoppers see that as a priority.  So when it comes to charging, they believe the largest number is the best purchase choice.  Ugh.  That's how comments like this come about: "It's level-3 fast charging speeds (see above for road trips) is adequate but not class leading."  That chart listed speed, not time.  Many are coming to the realization that time reveals a weakness.  Taking less time doesn't amount to anything unless your stops are treated like a pit stop... only the essentials and as fast as humanly possible.  Taking a few minutes to relax isn't considered important.  Again,  ugh.  They'll learn the hard way.  Just like with Volt long ago, the best didn't equate to sales.  That impressive range & acceleration did not appeal to ordinary consumers.  They wanted a more comfortable vehicle that covered the basics.  That's it.  This is why the idea of Equinox PHEV was such a threat.  It diluted their dream, erasing any type of special recognition.  Ultimately, that was their undoing.  I replied to that repeating blindness now applicable to fast-charging with:  I would consider "class leading" as overkill at this point, since diminishing return is becoming evident.  In real-world circumstances, you only shave off about 10 minutes.  The emerging standard marketing of 10% to 80% in 30 minutes is a reasonable expectation.  The 2026 delivers that in sub-freezing conditions.

More Math.  Many EV owners are not aware of DC stations being able to max out.  They see the rating displayed and assume it is possible for their vehicle and that choosing a station faster is inappropriate.  That is quite incorrect.  While DC fast-charging the other day, an ID.4 stopped at the station.  I walked over to say "Hi!" and find out what he was able to pull for speed.  With an EV rated for 170 kW, if preconditioned he should be able to draw notably higher than what I was seeing on that 180 kW stations.  Turns out, that wasn't the case.  His draw was topping out at 123 kW.  That meant a quick look at the label on the station, then some calculations.  That made this comment posted today very exciting: "I checked out ABRP but for some reason the settings assume 350kW charging at stops along the way, which the bZ does not charge at, and it will not adjust when I enter 100-150kW!"  That was exactly what I had tried to confirm.  This was my response:  150 kW won't actually give you 150 kW.  Speed is based on amps.  I was at a 300-amp DC charger with my 2026 bZ the other day and tried doing so math.  It was rated for 180 kW.  The vehicle has 104 cells and nominal voltage is 3.76 for each.  That gives the pack 391 volts total.  So, a 300-amp draw times 391 volts comes to 117 kW.  I watched charging peak and hold for awhile at 111 kW.  In short, to get faster charging I would need to use a charger rated higher than 180 kW.

You can watch the video here...  EV Cold Temperature Fast-Charging

Not As Simple.  DC fast-charging speed is a complex topic.  There's no way around it, you have to take several factors into consideration before even a reasonable expectation can be set.  Most owners are not aware of what influences speed.  Making matters even more confusing, we have the generations getting mixed up.  Remember when I was asked if 2026 represented a next-gen upgrade?  This topic alone makes that delineation all too clear.  It is.  Anywho, I tried to provide something useful as a reply with detail but only minimal explanation.  It's far to easy to get lost in the numbers.  But at least anyone trying will be aware of what is involved when it comes to DC charging speed:  From a 200-amp DC charger, a brief 75 kW is all that's possible.  Do the math... 355 volts (total battery nominal, 3.7 per cell, 96 count) * 200 amps (charger) = 71.4 kW.  I saw 72 kW with my 2023 bZ4X.  Others have reported higher, but that requires a better charger and a hot battery.  I was at a 300-amp DC charger with my 2026 bZ today.  It has more cells (104) and nominal is higher (3.76) so you have 391 volts to work from, as well as preconditioning.  Drawing 300 amps tops out at 117 kW.  I watched charging hold 111 kW for awhile.  I have seen it hit 114 kW before.  Long story short, speed is not as simple as one would hope.

Gen-2 (2026) delivers a feature that does warm the battery specifically for faster DC.  That time reduction comes at a cost of range though, since it consumes power while you drive.  But it does indeed improve charging speed.

Teaching Moments.  There are a lot of them.  The most common by far is when people get kW and kWh confused.  I suspect it really isn't a mix-up.  More likely, they had no idea there were different abbreviations at play.  Electricity is thought of as just a replacement for gas; however, no one ever talks about the speed of gas.  How fast you fill up the tank would be a pointless topic, so not measurement unit for its speed.  That's not case for filling a battery though.  Measurement is a popular discussion topic.  Today, it was a new thread with this title: "Miles Per KW Postings"  I was confused about intent.  Once upon a time, charging speed was referred to by miles-per-hour.  That doesn't make sense anymore when DC charging is typically 20 to 30 minutes and AC is overnight.  I figured it was just a terminology issue, an opportunity for a teaching moment.  So, I shared:  You'll want to fix the discussion title.  kW = speed (kilowatt, what we when charging).  kWh = energy (kilowatt-hour, what we measure with regard to quantity).

Affordable.  The topic of affordable was never taken serious.  It was always presented by enthusiasts as a relative measure, one EV being lower priced than another.  Competing directly with traditional vehicles was avoided and dismissed when confronted.  That's why entry-level offerings were completely ignored by Elon, since delivery of something simple would undermine Tesla's profit model.  That's also why there was so much rhetoric involving Toyota, an automaker who was striving for balance rather than favoring speed, power or range.  This is the twist we have to deal with now that Toyota is showing success with their approach: "Good to hear Toyota is at least attempting to be EV competitive.  Yet still seems more like a 10-year-old compliance vehicle with its Swiss army knife drive trains (EV, hybrid, PHEV, Fuel Cell) that optimizes none."  Notice the attempt to keep focus only on EV choices, pretending other vehicles on the showroom floor don't matter.  This is what has to say about that nonsense:  Narratives claiming 10 years behind and compliance don't have an audience anymore.  That was just early-adopter rhetoric.  Showroom shoppers (ordinary consumers) will see the 2026 bZ and C-HR have addressed mainstream concerns.  Their usual new technology wait to "work the bugs out" is complete.  Expectations are simple... 300 mile range... 30 minute fast-charge... Apple & Android integration... NACS port.

To Stop Charging.  I came across a short video from a salesperson at a dealership who explained step-by-step how to charge your vehicle at home.  To my dismay, he said to unplug the EVSE (your portable charger that comes with the vehicle) from the wall before unplugging the vehicle.  What!  That would be rather dangerous.  My guess is that every time in the past he charged, the process was already complete upon unplugging.  At the dealership, that would have likely been an overnight procedure.  So, it worked for him just fine.  In progress though, when electricity is still being drawn from the wall, that's going to cause a fault and possibly sparks.  That was for AC charging.  Think about how confusing the same advice would be for DC charging.  Why would the process be different for the same plug & port?  He clearly didn't think that through.  I posted a comment.  It was responded to with a like.  With the hopes of not embarrassing him for such terrible advice, this is what I shared with that salesperson:  To stop charging, you press the button on the plug handle.  That will tell the system to stop drawing electricity.

Gateway Drug.  Now that EV related news is filled with EREV and PHEV mentions, there are revived old discussions getting attention.  Former Volt owners are the most common.  GM's abandonment of the technology and having nothing but conquest sales resulted in no loyalty, but a sense of nostalgia has emerged.  Many speak of that being their first and only plug-in hybrid.  The next purchase was an electric-only.  That's great, but it failed to address the same problem as back then... how to support multiple vehicles needing to charge.  With the advent of entry-level BEV becoming available, there's a belief EREV/PHEV demand will plummet.  No one can explain why though.  It's the same blindness as in the past.  They hope better engineering is the solution.  Huh?  You still have to recharge.  Moving vehicles and following schedules is not a viable plan; yet, many believe that will work fine.  Since when are family members ever in sync and follow a predictable pattern?  Ugh.  Oh well, I'll keep reminding them of those realities and pointing out how plug-in hybrids will still play a role in the future:  PHEV ownership enables household purchases of BEV with smaller battery-packs.  There's no point of carrying long-range capacity when the BEV will rarely, if ever, be used for travel.  Over time, DC locations becoming common will cover that anyway.  The more overlooked problem is households only having a single level-2 available.  PHEV charging can easily be served by level-1 only.  10 hours of pulling 12 amps from 120 volts @ 3.5 mi/kWh delivers 50 miles of range.  That "gateway drug" perspective is why the high-end PHEV model of RAV4 will include DC charging.  You get even more electric-only flexibility in a market that clearly doesn't support BEV well yet.