Reading the tea leaves for the 6th Gen 4Runner

What does one do when you run out of EV juice? Do you call a tow truck and they bring a spare battery pack? Are spare charging packs the new jumper cables? Can you jump gas powered engine from an EV or vice versa?

 

https://youtu.be/m-9U9XIhL8c

 

You have to plug in hybrids? I know plug-ins exist, but I thought things like the Prius could avoid that and charge itself on the highway. Then again, I may be thinking old-school.

 

I do all my own maintenance on my 4th gen and have no idea how to work on a hybrid engine. Is there a steep learning curve?

Are the parts on a hybrid engine and drive train more expensive to replace?

 

From the sounds of it, the 6th gen (coming out early 2024) will have a hybrid option where you are able to select whether the vehicle runs on electric or gas power.......permitting you have enough of either. The other motor option sounds like it will be a turbo charged 4 cyl.

 

Maybe Toyota is right. They have led the hybrid market for decades, after all. They’re not where they are by accident. If you could replace every liquid fuel vehicle with EV, there’s no way you could power them today. There’s simply not enough electricity. So why would Toyota jump to the forefront of an industry migration that physically can’t happen yet? Sure, they can plan, and I imagine they’re way ahead of things behind closed doors. But as a business, you have to take advantage of the market you have, not the one you think is coming.

 

Build all the charging stations you want, but if the news is accurate, California already can’t keep the lights on, just wait till every one is also charging their rides. That’s the infrastructure that needs help. Oh, and I’m not sure about all chargers, but I found a local public one head, and there is no way I would pay what they wanted, operating in gasoline was cheaper than charging.

The prime is a plug in hybrid, we got 1850 miles on our last fill up. And that fill up was because we we traveling 6 hours. And the hybrids have replaced some maintenance items with things that last longer, just the brakes are one, no starter, and some other that I don’t recall.

there is some special way to jump to or from an electric, but it’s not the “battery pack? You jump a small battery. And the run out of juice is exactly why I won’t buy a full electric for our family vehicle yet.

The hybrid systems do help recharge the battery pack. We have a rav4 prime, that has 40 plus mile EV range, and then hybrid system for when needed.

 

Let me clarify: LONG TERM. I didn't say now, today, presently, I said long term. I don't believe EV is prime time technology, but it will get there sooner or later. If I had to get a vehicle today that could plug into a wall, I would get a hybrid. But in the distant future that is at least 15+ years away, the short comings of EV will likely be solved and the infrastructure will be there. This is USA focused, I am not saying Timbuktu in the middle of some African country will have superchargers.

None of this progress will happen without doing nothing, the grid will need to be upgraded, charging stations added, etc.

 

Don’t forget where all the needed energy will come from.

 

As solar technology gets better (and cheaper) and more people start putting them on their homes, EV's will become more attractive. Obviously you have to live in an area where solar makes sense for your house.

We just bought a house and it already had solar installed. My wife commutes an hour fifteen each way and we probably spend roughly $400 for her gas every month. It's definitely made us consider buying an EV now because we could almost drive it for free after it's paid off.

 

I worry about the trash of all these used dead solar panels.
The sun has so much energy, I think if we could harness just one days worth of energy, the earth could operate for a year. Once we really tap into this potential we will be on to something.

 

I don't know about America but in Europe, regulators developed a set of standards for recycling solar panels, requiring manufacturers to take back their panels at the end of their lives at no charge to the owners, and send them to a recycling facility. But this is pretty far off topic.

Back to the 6th gen. What kind of towing capacity with a turbo 4 banger? I would assume the minimum 5000lb capacity.

4th gen had V6 and V8 options
5th gen only has i4 and V8 options
6th gen will probably have i4 and hybrid option.

Wonder if you told someone this in 2003 they would believe you. Lol

 

Damn, 1,850 miles on the tank. That's impressive. 40 Miles on electric only is plenty for most peoples daily commute.

My parents have a hydrogen powered Honda Civic. They say it's like a normal car except finding a hydrogen filling station (local power company station) is the limiting factor. Like, they can only fill it up at this one place in the entire area.

 

Ya, daily we put about 25 to 30 miles, plug in at night and got another 40 plus the next day.

 

That’s awesome about the recycling, not sure what the deal is over here in the States.

 

Ideally all the energy would come from renewable sources, but even if it isn't then we still pollute less. A powerplant is more efficient at getting energy from non-renewable sources than the engine in your car is.

Electric vehicles have only really taken off in the last 20 years, that is still model t territory in equivalent combustion engine development, and we already have something that is compelling enough to go against modern combustion engines that have been refined for over a century.

I still prefer my gas engines. But I wont be dead before new vehicles switch over to electricity, I might as well be optimistic about the technology.

 

And how many more of these polluting less power plants will folks let them build? And I thought we were running out of these fossil fuels?

I am not against the electric vehicles, but I also don’t think it’s all roses either. Electric vehicles have their place already, but we need to not put the cart before the horse.

 

"No charge to the owners" is, of course, not exactly true. I'm sure the cost of recycling is built in at time of purchase.

 

Of course. Consumers always pay for everything. It's how corps stay profitable.

"Oh that's going to cost us later? Ok, we'll just add more cost at installation and give it the ole 'admin fee' moniker."

 

Probably. They're prone to doing that.

And just how much of that $4b do you think will actually go to installing charging stations? Not a penny. No, it goes to companies and friends. "Environmental Studies" of the impact on nature the charging stations might have, each and every station must be checked for it's impact on wildlife and the rest of the environment, environmental impacts of the cable runs to supply tham, ways to supply them with electricity, whether "green" or not, the list will be endless. None of it will go to charging stations in any way.
Just look at the money "dedicated" to the fast rail system in California. Not a thing's been done on that. Not a station, not a single nail, nothing. It's all just sort of evaporated into Newsome and his buddies pockets.

Ok, Ok, shutting up now...
Pat☺

 

Way off topic here, but you're exaggerating quite a bit. Plenty of concrete, rebar, bridges, and retaining walls built already. Enough about gov spending though. This is about 6th gen runner. Not politics.

To keep it 6th gen related, when I get the 6th gen 4Runner, I want to drive it up onto the rail platform.

 

?????

 

obviously it's a typo

 

That's some typo ...

 

There was a news broadcast the last few days about an Israeli company working with the state of Michigan and city of Detroit to put metal lines under concrete in the roads that would theoretically charge your car while driving. They are laying down lots of miles of this stuff as they redo the roads this year.

It should be a great test pilot with Michigan winters/salt and roads in an area where nobody can afford an EV and nobody wants to go due to crime. We’ll see how long before it gets ripped up and sold as scrap metal.