VIDEO:  Route Planner (charger).  This video provides a real-world example of using the ABRP (A Better Route Planner) phone app to find and be directed to a DC fast-charger.  It's just a short drive with my Toyota bZ4X, but it does a good job of showing the estimate & guidance process in action.  I have been and filmed drives to Supercharger & CircleK locations.  This time it is an ElectrifyAmerica.  Being able to capture both dashboard & phone screens to share makes this especially handy, a great means of showing how empowered an owner can be even with just a basic knowledge of DC fast-charging stations.  Seeing how the map automatically zooms in & out as driving speed changes is something you can only share with video.  That type of guidance makes new locations must less intimating to find.  So, it all came together quite nicely.  Taking the drive after getting a fresh snow made for nicer scenery too, much better than the blah of a mostly dry winter.  And of course, I add some commentary text to help with the information being shared.  Check it out...  Toyota bZ4X - Route Planner (charger)

Heater Detail.  I had a feeling we would get detail the first full week following the holidays.  Sure enough.  Not only did we get detail, we also found out deliveries would start this month.  That means Toyota had indeed started production of the 2024 already.  This was in the press-release for Norway, translated to English: "To reduce the time for rapid charging in cold temperatures, Toyota has made technical changes to the battery heating system.  In the new bZ4X, Toyota has installed a new heat exchanger (water to water) and a new adjustment valve for the heating circuit.  The new technology increases the temperature of the battery during charging, and thus makes fast charging more efficient.  Toyota expects that these changes will significantly reduce the time to fast charging from 10%-80% in cold outdoor temperatures."  That means the claim of no change wasn't true.  A bigger, more powerful heater is a nice step forward... and one much sooner than anyone expected.  In fact, such a rapid response from Toyota will really mess up the "behind" narrative.  Toyota isn't supposed to be able to catch up so quickly.  Odds are pretty good the engineering had a high priority on keeping cost in check too.  That's a problem every automaker struggles with and a reason Toyota started lean.  I suspect this means the threshold of 95°F (35°F) will be raised too.  That's something even the smaller heater I have in my bZ4X will be able to accommodate.  A bump to 104°F (40°F) would be a likely target.  It will take longer (only the wire-coil type with a single pass), but hotter equates to faster regardless of how.  We'll find out in the next few weeks.  Some type of update is coming for the 2023 models.

Promote What?  Lack of vision and being unwilling to show any patience, you get comments like this: "The goal is to promote plugging in.  One thing Toyota doesn't do."  Since when is promoting an outcome the best means of achieving it?  Telling the frog he's going to be boiled alive doesn't work.  Subtle change, a little at a time, does... quite effectively too.  Toyota is quietly ending production of engine-only vehicles.  Those traditional choices are simply no longer offered.  You get hybrid instead.  That has been extraordinarily effective change.  And once you own a hybrid, the uncertainly of relying upon a battery-pack fades away.  Thoughts of purchasing a vehicle with a larger capacity and a plug isn't so scary.  In fact, it is a rather easy transition.  That's how Toyota is addressing change.  Rather than a massive gamble like "all in" automakers, there's a fall-forward approach.  Promotion isn't necessary.  It just a constant move forward.  Risk is mitigated.  The fact that enthusiasts thrive on hype and fail to see subtle is an endless problem to deal with.  I stated the situation as such:  Those who worked hard to create that narrative will be thrilled reading such an assessment.  It requires short-term thinking and turning a blind-eye to the rest of the fleet.  Step back to consider the bigger picture.  Notice the absence of actual change outside of the "EV market"?  Toyota's use of hybrids is setting the stage for plug-in vehicles.  100% new Camry are hybrids.  Like it or not, that forces dealers to accommodate customers now and accept what's to come.  Notice the struggle other legacy automakers are having?  The hope is you will not, that your attention on Toyota will serve as a useful distraction.

Pointless Petition, audience.  When you have the same person arguing in multiple venues at the same time, it is especially informative.  In this case, he doesn't like Toyota and saw last year's results as an opportunity to mislead.  When an offering is new, it is easy to cherry-pick data and present it as an authority on the topic... stating whatever observation they had an acceptable representation of what everyone will experience under all circumstances.  Ugh.  Generalizations thrive in the early years for that very reason.  They eventually get drown out by real-world experiences owners share.  Currently, there are very few.  The situation is worsened by lack of understanding.... like the topic of the petition.  Without stating a clear goal, it's pretty much inevitable some will be disappointed with outcome.  That's why I always turn the discussion to who.  If you cannot even identify the people involved, how are you going to find out what they seek?  I posted:  Know your audience.  This is textbook response we see playing out.  Fanboys refuse to accept the reality of diminishing returns and show little to no patience.  As for your cherry-picking, don't be so naive to think niche publications much value for ordinary consumers.  They cater to enthusiasts.  It is owner endorsements that matter.  That's been Toyota secret to success from the very beginning with Prius.  Those stories shared are what make a difference, not what keyboard warriors post.  I just an errand over lunch. It was a mix of city & highway at 30°F.  The average for those 19.6 miles was 2.6 mi/kWh, starting with a cold battery.  That's a range of 169 miles using the heater.  I took a road trip in August, almost entirely highway.  With the A/C running, average for the 271 miles was 3.5 mi/kWh.  That's a range of 228 miles... from an AWD vehicle with an 8-inch ground clearance.  As for drawing a conclusion based on initial sales, grow up.  Loss of the tax-credit and with a series of updates planned, it makes no sense pushing the current offering... especially when 2 more are in the works. Learn from the limited rollout, then ramp up.  The first half of 2024, Europe will be getting a "3X" vehicle.  About a year from now, North America will be getting a "5X" vehicle. At the same time, preparation for production in Tennessee & Kentucky is underway.  Meanwhile, "4X" will be getting updates.  Since mainstream buyers always wait "for the bugs to get worked out", posts here are basically just chest-pounding... rhetoric from enthusiasts that falls on deaf ears, since they are not the targeted audience.

Pointless Petition, simplicity.  This is how you confirm they arguer has no idea what they are actually arguing about: "Simplicity of design lol.  An internal combustion engine, plus a CVT transmission...on top of what an EV has.  Is simple?"  There are a lot of incorrect assumptions packed into just a brief statement, most not worth the time addressing.  He went on to say: "Why didn't they build that "EV experience" into making an EV with competitive range and charging?  Since they learned so much?"  Many more assumptions were made.  I did reply to that, since he was finally moving on from the hybrid distraction:  My purpose was to get you to finally stop wasting time arguing semantics and focus on what's actually important.  You finally recognized audience. Recognizing who the competition actually is presents a challenge most enthusiasts absolutely refuse to face... shoppers on the showroom floor.  That is what makes your claims just talking points.  Those consumers don't care.  They won't obsess with range & speed like those here.  They won't care what the niche publications say either.  They'll seek out real-world information from owners and reflect upon that when actually looking at the vehicle.  That's why Toyota did leverage their EV experience, focusing on reliability instead. Prius Prime delivered an EV drive system way back in 2016.  That all-electric propulsion system has worked flawlessly ever since.  Efforts to divert attention away from spinning "electrified" nonsense won't change that success... what their own loyal customers find most important.

Pointless Petition, hybrid.  As we have seen by countless antagonists, they do everything in their power to prevent the topic from moving beyond hybrids.  They portray plug-in hybrids as just a scam, never plugged in and unable to deliver all-electric drive.  They fight to keep the topic binary.  That unwillingness to see the real-world is always their weakness.  They don't care, they just keep saying: "Making my point - hybrids are not the same as electric vehicles."  Fortunately, ordinary consumers aren't that gullible.  They see the gas savings.  They see the plug.  They ask questions.  I happily answer them.  I also provide detail even when not requested:  Attempts to evade acknowledgement of the actual hardware difference are quite clear.  The combination of MG1 (used primarily as the generator) and MG2 (used for traction & braking) can deliver EV driving up to 84 mph (135 km/h).  When a large battery-pack and plug is added, along with a clutch, you have a vehicle able to travel with only electricity... the definition of an electric vehicle.  That simplicity of design is obviously a source of fear for enthusiasts who portray Toyota as an antithesis.  Reality is, that EV driving has provided the automaker with lots of valuable experience.  Notice how the first 7 years of being on the market have been trouble free?  Proving reliability prior to ramp is key. Look at how GM is struggling with their transition from LG's platform for Bolt to their own Ultium for Blazer.

Pointless Petition, energy.  This argument was inevitable: "Hybrids aren't electric.  They get 0% of their energy from electricity.  100% of the energy for the system comes from burning gas.  If you don't believe me drain the gas tank and see how far you can go."  It comes from those who believe in absolutes, rather than significant reduction.  They absolutely refuse to look at the bigger picture.  That's why we had endless "EV market" chest-pounding instead of actual change.  They saw purity being promoted within their niche and projected that elsewhere, as if the market was diverse, everyone was well informed and didn't fear change, and that choices were abundant & affordable  Ugh.  Actually considering how much less gas is being used by hybrids and how much electricity is being used plug-in hybrids doesn't ever happen.  It's why the petition won't make any progress.  How do you advance a topic without detail?  I fired back at the latest nonsense with:  Without gas or plugging in, a Prius Prime can go as much as 4 miles per day. Toyota delivered an impressively efficient hybrid system that doesn't need any design change to operate like an EV. Adding a battery capacity for more range, a clutch for more power, and solar for more energy is an endorsement to what they have already delivered... which translates to a well thought out transition plan.

Pointless Petition, momentum.  Over the course of just 2 hours, I saw the signature-count goal being moved from 25 to 50 to 100 to 200.  I suspect that data will be used as milestones later, but the visual is clearly deceptive since there are none defined yet.  Arbitrarily moving goal-posts is deceptive.  It does actually help my purpose though, to stir the pot.  Because so few actually understand the factors involved, I can utilize this as an opportunity to convey some technical detail.  In other words, this is a teaching moment I can really take advantage of.  Much of what I shared in the past fell on deaf ears... enthusiasts were too obsessed with speed & power and hopeful consumers had no idea what I was talking about.  Now, some of the references have relevance to real-world observations.  Since those observations don't meet expectations, curiosity emerges.  That's a clear sign of progress.  I'll take it!  I'm more than happy to provide some education material.

Pointless Petition, buyback.  Someone else sounded off, suggesting you bring your vehicle to the dealer to have mileage & time recorded to begin the buyback process for lemon law.  It doesn't work that way.  Most states have some type of requirement of repair attempts failing to fix whatever was broken.  Since nothing is actually broken and no fix attempted, those actions on the owner's part wouldn't accomplish anything.  He went on to say: "Software updates can only do so much and it's not going to make this car charge like was promised."  Seeing a conclusion draw without any supporting material whatsoever, I was angered.  That is exactly how narratives come about.  Someone insists upon something and others join in to protest... even though they really don't know what they are protesting.  They just see disappointment and stand behind the person without having any clear reason why.  Annoying with an expectation of not getting anything useful in return, I attempted to get something useful from that person by asking:  You have data to support that claim?  Mine shows the opposite, where use of the battery-heater clearly improves charging speed.  Enabling pre-condition would prepare the battery for faster charging prior to arrival at the DCFC.

Pointless Petition, consumption.  I got this in reply to my callout about efficiency: "I've been saying this for years."  Someone demonstrated critical thinking.  That was so exciting to see.  Delighted to respond with the hope of stirring constructive detail, I posted:  I have been working to actually quantify its consumption.  Based on my limited opportunity, the system appears to pull 6 kW more from the charging-station than what is actually going into the battery.  Assuming that electricity is for the heater (and that losses are minimal since the power is already DC), the roughly 30 minutes it takes to reach the current threshold of 95°F (35°C) would consume about 3 kWh of electricity... which is roughly 4.5% of usable SOC.  Are people willing to tradeoff that range reduction?

Pointless Petition, efficiency.  I went out of my way to call out this specific statement in the petition: "The current situation not only hampers the usability of these vehicles but also contradicts the promise of efficient electric mobility that both Subaru and Toyota have championed."  My hope is the muddled mess of wording & purpose will stir a better petition to be created.  As a software engineer myself, I would find such a vague request pretty much impossible to fulfill.  No matter what I would do to provide improvement, the recipients would never be happy.  That's what stating goals is all about.  In fact, that is exactly what Volt failed.  Since enthusiasts could not agree upon what dictated success, there was no clear requirement to fulfill.  They simply wanted better.  See the problem?  It will never be enough.  They always want more.  That's why I focus on the generalization instead.  If being efficient is the focus, they have a problem.  I pointed out why:  Faster DC charging requires heat.  That heat comes from consumption of electricity.  To be efficient, avoiding unnecessary consumption is key.  Use of electricity specifically for the sake of faster charging is by no means necessary.  It certainly is nice to have and beneficial for the overall ownership experience with regard to time saved, but it is not a contradiction with regard to efficiency.

Instead of a petition which lacks substance, make actual suggestions.  A great example of that is requesting the ability to pre-condition.  Enabling us to turn on the battery-heater for 30 minutes to prepare for DC fast-charging prior to arrival without having to specific a DCFC location would be incredibly empowering.