Understanding & Assumptions.  This was interesting to stumble across on the big Prius forum: "I had just checked out the bz forum and wanted to post about one complainer that was trying to push a fast charging limit in the car so that he could drive the car at least 800 miles without..."  It pulls us again into the "know your audience" discussion.  How long will it really take for automakers to adjust and for consumers to adapt?  We have an infrastructure struggling to deliver.  New installs are painfully slow and existing installs are poorly maintained.  Confusing matters is the absence of a standard in North America still.  Ugh.  I replied to that stumble with:

There are always those who like to push limits.  I tend to ignore their noise, since it does nothing to benefit ordinary consumers.  We have all seen posts where owners celebrate squeezing out every last mile from a tank or battery to somehow prove something to somebody.  It doesn't make any difference in the end.  What we care about is quality & reliability.  With regard to throttling, that's just software.  Limitation of that type really doesn't have a huge impact personally.

Our 750 mile travel days are few and far between, like visiting my sister-in-law and the kids.  As we get older, preference is to enjoy that journey by stopping somewhere in between.  Even with the long drive across South Dakota at 80 mph, arriving at the final destination ends up late in the evening.  What's the point?  We'd rather have a nice dinner in Rapid City, then drive the final 2 hours of the trip the next morning.  Same goes for driving home.  We spend some time with the family before departure, then stop very late in the evening in Mitchell.  That leaves us with 4 hours of driving the next day, allowing for some down time upon arrival at home.  Trying to squeeze more hours of driving into a single day simply doesn't make any sense.

There will always be those who think more is better, who will question your rationale for choosing balance instead.  We will see obsession with maximizing what really isn't important continue.  It's pretty obvious.  Look at how "efficiency" is equated to how far the vehicle can travel rather than consumption of electricity.  That type of mindlessness is a red flag, a warning that critical thinking won't be part of the discussion.

In other words, we need to keep doing what we have been doing.  Take advantage of teaching moments to raise awareness of what people are not understanding or making incorrect assumptions about.

Bike Trail Charging.  It was a beautiful Summer day, a Friday which I had the afternoon off from work.  That was my opportunity to go biking.  I loaded up the bZ4X and headed out for the trail.  It was a 32-mile drive, nice roads through the country into a river valley.  There were level-2 chargers with parking spots nicely set aside to encourage electric-vehicle usage of the trail.  Sweet!  This was in the middle of the 20-mile trail.  At one of the ends, there is a DC fast-charger and a level-2.  I was delighted to be able to plug in.  The battery just happened to be at a level where it would just finish up with a full recharge shortly before completing my ride.  As I was leaving, which was an almost empty parking lot at that point, a RAV4 hybrid pulled in.  Stopping as I drove by, the owner my eye-contact and noticed my window was opened.  I could see the curiosity.  He asked what I was driving, since he had originally shopped for a RAV4 Prime but wasn't able to find one.  When I pointed out it was an electric-only vehicle from Toyota, he and his wife started firing off a series of questions.  That what the highlight of the trip.  It was an opportunity to exchange quite a bit of information in a very nice setting.  I look forward to other chance encounters like that.  Answering countless questions when plugging & unplugging at the grocery-store is nice, but this was much better.

Look Like EVs.  The design chief for the Volkswagen said their next-gen offerings will be taking a step back, resembling traditional vehicles more.  This is the quote from a recent interview being discussion on a variety of online venues today: "There was a trend for short hoods and long windshields; everyone believed this should be the design for electric cars, but it is not."  That is interesting... and a bit topsy-turvy, now that Prius is clearly more aerodynamic than Model 3.  Anywho, I was intrigued where the discussion would go and jumped into it with:  Toyota addressed this over 20 years ago.  Nothing has changed.  Some like standout looks... hence Prius... others like stealth technology... hence Camry hybrid, Corolla hybrid, RAV4 hybrid.  There's a benefit to having choices within the product-line.  An interesting twist to that is bZ4X.  Without the large wheel-flare in front and absence of a large grill, it could easily blend into a crowd, especially with RAV4.  Take a close look at bZ3, Toyota's BEV sedan in China.  It would be very easy to mistake that for a next-gen Corolla.  The upcoming bZ5X will likely resemble Highlander.  That's why the 2 concepts shown last winter were completely unique, not similar to anything with a traditional look.  Good business (long-term with continuous profit) includes diversity.

Charging To 100%.   I collected charging data prior to getting the software update... which should be very soon here, since the impression from those getting it in Europe have been overwhelmingly positive.  The thing is that the values Toyota displays on their dashboard don't reflect true SOC (State Of Charge) percent for the battery-pack.  It is nearly impossible to get clarity from owners of other BEV from other automakers on how their vehicle represents certain values, like 100%.  When charged to "full", most assume that really is full... even though we have been informed about "usable" capacity for ages.  It is one of those realities I like to call people out on.  If they truly don't know, they why are they arguing any particular stance so intensely?  Turns out, enthusiasts make lots of assumptions.  That's why I seek out supporters, those early-adopters who look at the data in a dispassionate manner.  Let's look at the facts together to figure out what the true story actually is.  Far too often, a narrative will become accepted as truth without evidence to actually support it.  I capture the data to share.  In this case, it was very easy to point out that concern about "100%" is a non-issue if you own a Toyota.   Here's how I conveyed that sentiment:  That's not an issue for bZ4X, since 100% on the app is actually 95.3% when you check via ODB-II.  The system doesn't allow stress by preventing you from ever charging to full.

It's important to understand the difference, since when kWh is high kW will be low.  In other words, if you start you charge above 60% for battery remaining, it is a reasonable expectation for speed to be much slower than it would be if you start at 20%.

Charger Reconnaissance.  I went for an evening drive, checking out DC fast-chargers along the outer loop of the Twin Cities, in Minnesota.  When I travel north later this year, there won't be much for DCFC and reliability is far from a guarantee.  That means being familiar with and having tried a variety along the way.  While at my destination, there are a few somewhat convenient level-2 locations I may need to visit to ensure travel goes without incident.  Thankfully, there are some NEVI locations already approved for 2023-2026 funding at the halfway point.  So, travel will lose its "adventure" feeling in the not-too-distant future.  The 3 locations I stopped at this trip were all self-funded locations.  2 were really nice city municipal locations, which I would gladly stop at again.  The other was a rather dumpy old attempt at an outlet mall along the highway, something I'm happy to see federal money stir improvement.

Someone Once Said.  There are those who are vague.  Then there are those like this: "Someone once said to me that the problem with hybrid is you have two systems to maintain."  That absence of critical thought was understandable when hybrids were new.  Over 2 decades later, there is simply no excuse.  Even with the most rudimentary ponder... if a hybrid has two systems, a plug-in hybrid has three, right?  This complete absence of any type of technical recognition has been around for ages.  Look at what I had to deal with back in the 90's.  When we had software updates to install, we found users didn't recognize the difference between the operating-system and the applications they were using.  With EVs, it is a magnitude worse.  Not only do you have that software confusion, spread across a variety of hardware platforms, there is also the variety of charging options.  That is exactly why Toyota has taken their approach, following a path unlike others.  Know your audience.  Their users learn from practical real-world usage.  Not ever understanding what takes place within that technology isn't important.  The point is to be able to use it with little to no teaching.  It should be as basic as other ubiquitous devices, their success based upon a skill set not requiring detail... hence, knowing audience.  That vague never goes away.  The who, when and what will always be a challenge to overcome.  Key is to make that inevitable barrier small enough to not be intimidating.  You don't need to understand.  You just have to trust... hence, Toyota's reputation.  I didn't want to get into any of that with my reply.  I did want to convey some basics though, detail to at least end that particular discussion:  That someone was poorly informed.  A well designed PHEV eliminates components by sharing features.  For example, there isn't a starter.  The smaller electric (the hybrid generator) motor gets used instead.  The transmission is eliminated too.  The power-split device for the hybrid system is used instead.  There's no belts or steering-fluid either, since everything is electric.  As for the gas-engine itself, it lives a very low-stress life.

Very Curious.  It's nice to see discussions wavering, where the narrative doesn't retain attention: "I'm very curious to find out what the difference makes with Toyota's radiant warming."  With enthusiasts having dominated posts for so long, it's easy to forget that such a strong hold won't last.  They thrive when real-world data is limited and incentives favor niche offerings.  That cycle is a familiar one.  You wait for the hype to fade and for reality to finally sink it.  Ordinary consumers simply don't care about talking-points.  They get drawn to things that may actually make a difference.  The new heater from Toyota is one such innovation stirring interest.  I was really glad to get the opportunity to try it, in the brief moments of Winter's final grasp.  Taking delivery that far into Spring already, that was a lucky break.  Now, it's all about enjoying Summer.  In the meantime, I can share some of those initial observations, providing some insight for the curious:  Limited models have an infrared-heater option, a more efficient addition that other automakers don't offer.  I have found it cranks out enough warmth to not even need the heat-pump in cold non-winter evenings.  My opportunity to try it in the winter was brief, not much to quantity with.  Though, it is quite obvious it will reduce demand on the heat-pump in sub-freezing drives.  Positioning is ideal too, aimed directly at your legs & feet... the area of your body heated-seats miss.

Real-World Efficiency.  Mid-Summer, as far from the extreme cold as you can get.  Charging at work to full (100% dashboard is 95.3% SOC, prior to the software update) results in a lot more electricity added.  I like to take advantage of that opportunity. Based on ChargePoint's data, last week's fill was 43.09 kWh.  Toyota's calculation minus losses came to 41.292 kWh.  That's a difference of 4.17%.  Knowing that, I can figure out my recent true efficiency without having to wait for Toyota's slow-to-update history log.  5 days of very random driving with A/C on most of the time came to 127.9 miles (48% dashboard remaining, 99 miles estimated).  My level-2 EVSE at home indicated 36.17 kWh to recharge back to full.  That comes to 34.66 kWh consumed while driving... which means an overall efficiency of 3.69 mi/kWh.  No complaints about that.  True, it's a far cry from my Prius Prime in EV mode.  But getting AWD, so much more power, ground-clearance higher than most BEV, and a ton of storage space, it's a nice balance.

EV World.  His reply was: "The price made me do it.  Tesla model Y is the best selling car in the world.  My wife drove 20 yrs of 4 Camrys and 2 Siennas but Toyota is not the leader in EV world."  I understand the perspective... and still strongly disagree.  This was the fundamental basis for how "know your audience" came about.  The mantra emerged out of necessity, a means of driving clear the message that claims online don't apply to the outside world.  Ordinary consumers make up the "mainstream" market, which is fundamentally different from what early-adopters seek & praise.  They have no interest for a ubiquitous offering.  That wrecks their perspective, ends what is seen as "EV world" offerings.  In other words, they are not ready for the technology to be looked upon as normal.  After all, most of us now look at cell-phones with data-service as so common there is nothing special about them anymore.  They are just called "phone" now.  Heck, even their cameras have become so typical the quality & convenience is an expectation of everyone having it.  What is there to be enthusiastic about?  Needless to say, getting that message across can be nearly impossible.  Though, I keep trying:  That's the problem.  Like many enthusiasts, they limit their perspective to just the current market... as you labeled it, the "EV world".  That hasn't ever been Toyota's approach.  They stay out of the niche enthusiasts embrace.  It is how Prius PHV evolved into Prius Prime, which spawned RAV4 and the upcoming Crown, CH-R and Harrier/Venza variants.  They simply don't get involved in that early-adopter stage.  It's not like we all haven't seen this already.  Remember how GM got desperate to vanquish Toyota, resorting to dramatic price-cuts with Volt?  How is this any different with the long-term, large-audience outlook?

Get A Tesla.  That is the resounding answer for everything.  This long rant in an attack piece on Toyota was endorsed by a Tesla owner starting with: "Go buy Tesla model Y.  That's my answer.  I was looking at BZ base model..."  Then finally concluded by saying: "...lots of options +$10000 markup the car became $64000.  Bye.  Toyota.  It is their first EV.  Stay away for few years."  I was intrigued by the reasoning.  With VW refining their design & software and BYD competing in a rather ruthless fashion, why was Toyota still be singled out?  That type of evasion to avoid addressing obvious fronts is a clue that you are dealing with a narrative.  I wanted to find out more about the blatant disregard for consideration of the bigger picture.  Sometimes, it is as simple as only considering an immediate purchase for a specific individual.  That's a conquest sale... the type of short-term gain that can have serious long-term consequences.  By definition, that's what makes the person sighting those reasons as an enthusiast rather than a supporter.  I wanted feedback, something constructive to stir a useful exchange.  So, I provided:  That answer leaves much to be desired. How do you know what the OP wanted? The ground-clearance and AWD of Model Y is not in the same category as bZ4X. This isn't Toyota's first EV either. Notice how well refined the operating-system is already? That's because they have been producing a CH-R in China for quite awhile now, carrying over the knowledge gained to UX300e... which is now a few years old and getting a mid-cycle update. So what if range and charge-rate aren't what Tesla shoppers seek? Not everyone takes long-distance trips on a regular basis. As for dealers asking for a markup, just shop at a different dealer.

What's The Problem?  It is always interesting to see an assessment of failure without any type of success defined.  What was the goal in the first place?  People assume sales is the ultimate measure of success.  Simply getting the technology into the hands of ordinary consumers and demonstrating it is robust & reliable isn't enough.  That's considered an outcome of doom & gloom.  Ugh.  So, when addressing bigger narratives, they like to focus on their own perception of what goals supposedly were... a failure from their measure, not what automaker wanted to achieve.  Again, ugh.  For example, this is what I got from the same old nonsense reply: "Toyota as already shown the hydrogen plan that so far as been a disaster.  Yes we need alternatives but continuing to burn fossil fuels is not one of them.  Give me your take on what direction transport should be going?"  I replied back with:  That is a what-about, or as we called it in the past troll-bait.  Don't succumb to that narrative.  It's pretty easy to see the effort to avoid discussion about PHEV and BEV offered by Toyota.  They get dismissed with claims related to range & speed inadequacy, even though the data contradicts their statements.  Toyota's plug-in designs dramatically reduce emission & consumption, helping bring an end to fossil-fuel dependency by appealing to the masses with little disruption to consumer or business need.  The assertion of "behind" simply does not match up with the reality of what the market would actually benefit from.  It's not like you won't be getting a wide variety of PHEV and BEV to choose from.  We will see profitable sales in high-volume of vehicles with plugs.  What's the problem?