2002 Toyota RAV4 EV

SUV

JT3GS10V020002400

Clear

Electric

Rare first generation factory Toyota RAV4 EV electric compact SUV. Originally, the RAV4 EVs were a commercial lease-only vehicle, beginning in 1997, but 328 were eventually sold to private parties in 2002 & 2003. Pure electric vehicle with a 50kw motor and single-speed fixed ratio transmission that took the RAV4 up to (a governed) 78mph. The 26kwh Nickle-Metal-Hydride battery pack was good for an original range of 125 miles. I purchased this vehicle in 2016 and it ran great, giving me an average range of 75 miles before it hit the yellow (you better think about charging me) segment on the range gauge. My best range was 84 miles, when I did lots of downhill driving, when the regenerative braking kicked in and started putting energy back in to the battery pack. It wasn't fast, like today's EVs, but was a great "around town" vehicle, with 104,174 miles on the odometer. I had a few charging issues with the Magne Charge SPI charger, but it fully charged for 800 miles, then it just wouldn't charge anymore, with a red error light appearing 30 seconds after plugging the charger in to the charge port. I didn't have a diagnostic tester, so was unable to doing any trouble-shooting and I was a long ways away from a Toyota dealer that had EV technicians. So I went online to check out what might be the problem. In general, it seemed that there were three things that might be the culprit: the 12v auxiliary battery, an input capacitor that controlled the charging port, or the external SPI charger. I replaced all three, to no avail. I personally think that the battery pack got dirty inside over the years, and the wet climate I was in ended up corroding the connectors between the battery modules. Another thing I found online was that people would have their packs dropped, cleaned, and resealed, and that did the trick. Since I didn't have any drop in range (indicating a failing pack), I figure it's in need of cleaning but, obviously, I can't be 100% sure. The body of the car is in good shape, with only a golf ball sized dent on the pillar to the left of the rear door and a few scratches and chips in the paint. The decals on the car are faded and chipping at the edges. The previous owner replaced the original heated windshield and it wasn't sealed properly, leading to a leak into the interior of the car. When the car stopped working, I tarped it up for a few months, and when I untarped it, the interior had some mold & corrosion issues. I killed the mold and cleaned the interior, but the seats do still have some stains that didn't come out. The interior doesn't look bad and there aren't any funky smells. At the least, this non-heated, non-original windshield needs to be resealed, but it does have a large (repaired) chip in the middle. The Bridgestone Ecopia low rolling resistance tires, for electric vehicle use, have 700 miles on them (full spare wheel located under back cargo area, behind rear bumper). The brakes worked fine. The car drove smoothly, the AC worked, the am/fm/CD player worked - I never really noticed anything not working. The car has a clean CA title and current registration (through April 2019). The car comes with a working 240v Magne Charge SPI charger, with a long extension cable that can plug in to a dryer outlet. Included is a NEMA 14-50-to-J1772 adapter outlet that I purchased, which allows you to use public charging, provided you place the Magne Charger in the car for the modern machine to plug in to. So, here's a chance to rescue one of these rare early model EVs that roamed the streets along with the iconic GM EV1 electric cars. Or maybe there's a non-running RAV4 EV out there that can benefit from a similar model, to create one happy running vehicle. It's an exciting time, for aside from the few Toyota dealerships that work on this car, there are EV mechanic's shops popping up all over. Maybe they even have the know-how to do an upgrade to current battery chemistry and modern charge plug. That would be pretty exciting. I've run across, online, quite a few Ford Ranger factory electric pickup trucks that had lead acid or, like this RAV, NiMH battery packs, that have been upgraded to lithium ion packs and their range has doubled. Like I said, an exciting time! This RAV4 EV is sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty/guarantee expressed or implied. Buyer has the sole responsibility of shipping/transportation. The car does not run (all out of power from sitting for over a year). Included is a 2002 owner's manual, postcard brochure, seat belt extender, a replacment fan for the rear of the charge port (if it's ever needed), and a couple of used spare Ecopia tires in good condition (if you want 'em). It also has a Toyota bicycle rack hitch and a cover to keep items in cargo area hidden from view. There's also an add-on center console arm rest/storage compartment. Thanks for checking out my auction! I hope there's someone out there who can give this little RAV4 EV a new home and a happy new life!