Unbelievable How Bad.  I like pressuring follow-up posts like this: "I'll get you the figures later today.  It's unbelievable how bad Toyota did with the bz4x."  That wasn't the slightest bit constructive.  It was acknowledgement though.  It was also a reveal that RAV4 Prime owner wasn't actually attentive to detail; he was just passing along sentiment of others.  I was somewhat surprised he didn't have any type of efficiency information whatsoever to convey.  At least with PHEV owners, you usually get a range in miles.  But from this one, nothing at all.  I think this will be a wake-up call for him.  My push for real-world data may stir awareness to what really matters.  We'll see.  In the meantime, this is what he got to work with from me:  Claims of "bad" are now outdated and some no longer apply.  Note how actual numbers tell the real story. For example, this quote from Nybiltester just yesterday:  "Charging from 10% to 80% still takes around 32-33 minutes on a 150kW charger, but now it only takes 10 minutes to charge from 80% to 90% and 17 minutes to charge from 90% to 100%."

No Facts.  When facts are claimed, but never actually provided: "The facts are the bz4x is crippled in the cold, has an abysmal recharge rate, horrible real world range, and is overpriced.  The technology in the bz4x is also years behind."  This is exactly way I create those drive videos.  With detail on that scale, it is much easier to deal with the endless flurry of undermining attempts.  Otherwise, we end up with narratives being passed along even when relevance doesn't even apply.  Think about what "cold" means to different people.  Think about range & price having wide variances.  Think about what time means to someone not even in the market for a new vehicle purchase.  It's all meaningless without any solid reference... no actual facts.  This was my punch back:  Notice how vague those comments are, using adjectives instead of numbers?  Making the decision for someone with "crippled" and "abysmal" and "horrible" is in no way objective.  Claiming "years behind" makes that absence of objectivity even worse, especially when it is pointed out that some software updates have already addressed early rollout feedback.  Share real-world data instead.  Replies to that can be very insightful.

Defensiveness.  I still haven't heard from the individual on the RAV4 Prime group I had singled out, asking for detail with the statement: "Bz4x is a much worse car.  If you decide to go electric, go with someone else.  Toyota isn't serious with this effort."  He specifically sighted efficiency.  That was my clue to ask for some real-world data.  Silence was what I got in return.  Being well aware that seeing numbers often derails efforts to stigmatize, it made sense to push on that point.  After all, with so many claiming "inefficient" when they actually mean range is unacceptably short, it was a logical choice.  That request didn't fall on deaf ears either.  I got the attention of someone else who made the remark of: "Oh, that's why you're so defensive.  That makes sense."  Having such extensive experience in that regard, the approach was a safe bet.  Now, I especially wonder if that antagonist will share something of substance.  So, I replied with:  That's playing offense.  When someone draws a conclusion for you without presenting data to actually make the determination with, it's reasonable to call that out.  Plugging in for 11 years now, starting with claims of inefficiency is a good place to start.  Think how far ahead Toyota was compared to Tesla in terms of offering a heat-pump...

Objectivity.  Some don't have it.  In fact, on the group dedicated to RAV4 Prime, a number of people lashed out at bZ4X when a member had mentioned checking one out at the dealer.  Rather than even bother to point out pros & cons, replies were filled with insults & misinformation.  They piled on like that daily blog for Volt always did with Prius.  They had found an antithesis and wanted to make that clear.  It was an attitude of needing an enemy.  Simply thriving on their own merit wasn't enough.  I didn't want that sentiment to be endorsed.  Some seek validation, giving them a gesture of encouragement.  I wanted to jump out in front of that, taking an offense position but trying to be polite.  I hope this works:  Absence of objectivity from this group can be really a let down at times.  Getting to compare them side by side, it's pretty obvious some here are poorly informed.  They both have strengths & weaknesses.  You won't regret taking a closer look some other time.

The cold, hard reality that a PHEV can deliver enough EV miles to cover average daily use with nothing but a level-1 charger is the fact BEV purists are really struggling with now.  Transitioning the masses to plugging in cannot be achieved by just forcing everyone to suddenly switch to BEV purchases.  Resources are not there to support that.

Attack!  Not wanting to face reality, some just continue on with their attacks: "Why conveniently charge at home for low price when you can go to a public charger and pay nearly the same high price of gasoline?  That helps explain why Toyota is flailing....they don't get it."  It's a familiar tactic.  When shooting the messenger fails, turn on the automaker.  That's such a tell of the antagonist not having anything to argue with.  Facts reveal their weakness.  From my contacts dealing with industry barriers, I have learned just how much of a mess building up infrastructure actually is.  You can arrange for contractors to install chargers and make connections.  Heck, you can even get agreement on details of usage & payment.  But the wait for equipment is painful.  Supply problems are very real.  Toyota knows this.  It's a bitter reality to accept when you know raw material and needed hardware simply aren't available.  Even the best of intent cannot overcome the unfortunate situation of having to wait for others.  It's what early-adopters don't ever want to hear.  So, they make it about someone else instead.  Ugh.  I fired back with:  Dodge the issue by making it about Toyota.  Talking about out of touch.  No one with any critical thought is going to see the talking-point of charging convenience for those in apartments & condos for many years to come.  It simply isn't realistic.  There are far to many hurdles for landlords to overcome to make the "charge at home" an option for their tenants quickly.  Heck, even townhome owners routinely tell us about obstacles their association has for level-2 installs.  We'll get there, but EV sales still face that very real challenge in the meantime... whether you ever acknowledge it or continue to shoot the messenger.

Back on the topic of DCFC availability, it should be clear to anyone taking a moment to look around that there are not enough chargers available for even just basic travel yet.  Increased EV sales would only make that bad situation even worse.  DCFC sites simply cannot be built fast enough.  So even if all apartment & condo owners can charge "at home" there is still a problem holding back interest in BEV purchases.

Does Not Manufacture.  There are newbies posting nonsense like this now: "Toyota does not manufacture electric vehicles.  Each year Toyota drag their feet toward electrification, the more the door closes on their chance to compete in future markets."  They seem to be joining the online community and discovering joy from attacking a supposed enemy.  Ugh.  Since those unfamiliar names are likely clueless and may not ever post much, I keep rebuttals to them short but terse:  Toyota has been manufacturing an EV model of C-HR for years and followed up by UX300e, which is getting a mid-cycle refresh this year.  Toyota now manufactures bZ4X, Solterra and RZ450e. 00Claiming otherwise either reveals a remarkably clueless statement or a blatant effort to mislead.

In other words, the writing on the wall doesn't say what you think it does.

Market Disruptions.  I failed to see the irony: "Toyota came to America's shores in the late 1970s with unusually small fuel-efficient cars, inexpensive and well built.  It is ironic that the pendulum has swung full circle on Toyota, and they are the ones that are about to be disrupted out of existence."  That attitude comes from hope, a deep down desire to see the conqueror ultimately fall.  This is what Toyota had brought up a decade ago, the quandary of how to sell an entry-level vehicle that performs the same way as a something which would normally cost much more?  Think about it.  Instant torque from an electric-motor is available regardless of size.  You don't need a massive physical device to deliver impressive acceleration.  In fact, the smaller chassis & weight of an entry-level vehicle would contribute to impressive performance.  That reality undercuts the approach automakers have taken to sell vehicles for decades.  To get better performance, you had to pay more.  That's not true for BEV.  It's a cold, hard reality Tesla has been trying to avoid... a fact which none of the fanboys want to acknowledge.  Why buy a Model 3 when Model 2 delivers the same results?  Heck, isn't that a contributing reason as to why VW doesn't offer ID.3 in the United States?  Think about it.  ID.4 delivers greater profit.  With all that in mind, I asked:  Who will be doing that now?  We certainly don't see Tesla aggressively pursuing small cars that are inexpensive and well built.  BYD would like to, but being government-sponsored makes breaking out of their domestic market very challenging.

Average?  Gotta love those posts lacking any substance: "bZ4X had a below average result in the latest big test in Norway."  That was it, in its entirety.  Nothing was presented with regard to what average is or what bZ4X delivered.  Vague is the clue their motivation is emotional rather than logical.  Absence of anything quantitative is the giveaway, especially when request for data fall on deaf ears.  The devil is in the detail.  At best, they exaggerate.  Most of the time, the example is cherry-picked.  Sometimes, they really don't have a clue and simply are passing along on a narrative.  I asked:  What representation did that "big test" have on ordinary everyday driving by actual owners?  Heck, I just had a drive today that was anything but ordinary.  I got called by my sister.  She couldn't pick up mom from the hospital, so I needed to pause work to provide a drive home for her.  We stopped to pickup food along the way.  That spontaneous trip, with the A/C running the entire time, was 45.9 miles.  Overall efficiency observed was 4.0 mi/kWh.  What do you think "average" is, not even taking into account bZ4X being a SUV with AWD and a 8.1 inch ground-clearance?

Dead End.  Another blast from the past: "This is a parallel path to Blackberry, a dead end.  Hybrid and PHEV's are not the future."  No one has been saying that.  Since before Volt rollout, I can remember a transition plan.  Toyota sets the stage for the next offering with their rollouts.  Hybrids bring traditional offerings to an end... which is exactly what we have being witnessing.  That presented the opportunity to introduce models with a plug.... which is exactly what we have been witnessing.  That stirs interest in elimination of a gas-engine all together... which is exactly what we have being witnessing.  It makes sense.  It's not a dead end.  It's a reasonable approach for unreasonable consumers.  The problem is no one else comes close to having any type of plan for transition.  Other automakers are producing BEV and just hoping for the best.  Doesn't that some familiar?  Remember how GM did exactly that with Volt?  Remember how the market eventually became saturated with such a niche, catering directly to enthusiasts.  That's how "know your audience" came about.  Engineering alone is not a solution.  Problem solving to address complex consumer behavior is well beyond what early-adopters recognize as important.  Most simply dismiss evidence to the contrary, completely unwilling to acknowledge any relevance.  Having dealt with that so much in the past, it was very easy to address this time:  Misrepresenting Hybrids and PHEV is quite a tell.  Who is claiming they are the future?  Toyota is using them as a bridge, a literal transition vehicle to get from ICE to BEV.  It's a phaseout process.  So far, Toyota is now up to 26% of the fleet no longer ICE.  In Europe, the only way to get a Prius now is PHEV.  We see that bZ4X is the RAV4 equivalent and the upcoming bZ5X will be the BEV version of Highlander.  There is no dead end.