Electric and Hybrid Car Thread

[JDMDreams]

Let the rice begin

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HxzwJBAs8/

[6793026]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

That was my reaction as well.

When we were planning our wedding, one of my wife's friends suggested we rent a luxury car for the wedding day. We asked what she had in mind? Friend said Tesla.

I swear to God. I have never held in a laugh harder than that moment in my entire life.

Does she also think Coach is a top tier brand. Man i woudl cry if she wants to be picked up in a Rolls Royce.

I work from home but when I do drive once a week, i have to go to Markham and back to Airport and misc - which one day is 150-200km a day. Despite it only being a Thursday only.

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

Let the rice begin

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HxzwJBAs8/

i should get onethat's TOY YODA

[bcrdukes]

For that route, that's a lot of driving for a day but not unheard of in Toronto.

[RabidRat]

That wouldn't even be that bad if not for the ungodly level of traffic congestion no matter what time of day or day of week.

I don't understand why the 401 can be backed up at 8pm on a Sunday. Go home, everybody!!

[Mikoyan]

I just got a $200 bill for highway toll charges from my Toronto trip last year.

[bcrdukes]

407?

[Mikoyan]

Probably. We were in Richmond Hill a lot, staying in Mississauga.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by RabidRat

That wouldn't even be that bad if not for the ungodly level of traffic congestion no matter what time of day or day of week.

I don't understand why the 401 can be backed up at 8pm on a Sunday. Go home, everybody!!

TO is supposed to have a vibrant night life~ That's why people are still going to places at all hours of the day and the week LOL~

Gosh I don't miss the 400-series highway traffic one bit LOL~

[RabidRat]

Yesterday I asked my wife if she would consider moving to Vancouver. And she didn't laugh in my face!!

[JDMDreams]

Besides having a job there what's so good about t.o.? It's too big, takes forever to get around, no street parking, houses are either smaller or super old. Weather is worse.

[whitev70r]

Vancouver is even better if you're homeless so it is > in all categories.

[bcrdukes]

Yeah, it’s terrible here.

[6793026]

There are a few things. It's a real city. It has real community and all sort of ethnicity.

You want carribean, there are parties, cultural celebration each weekend and at key 4-6 cities with 500k people.

You want little italy, greek, vietnamese, chinatown.. you got it all here. Not like a 2 block 10 stores of pho and they call 'reviving viet town' in Van.

GTA - u work first and then i'll be ur friend.
VAN - you be my friend first before I work.

HUgo boss suits versus Arcteryx, lulu and hte Bluntstones.

WHistlers versus... blue mountain (it's not even taller than SFU).

Van has all outdoors and a chill place to live but you better have the income that comes from thin air.

as to cars.. well 400k later and 2 rebuilts are still common here. In Van, errr what? you're driving more than 10+yr old car with 50k.. gosh, u're a dead beat....

[bcrdukes]

^
6793026 is a liar. Vancouver is the best, especially if you're homeless.

[whitev70r]

I've never found different ethnicity in Vancouver lacking ... why do you need 10 blocks of pho when you can't even try every pho restaurant in 2 blocks? You can only listen to that nasal Viet talk for so long before it becomes so annoying that you gotta jet out of there.

[yray]

I'd say vancouver is more asiancentric, toronto is more multicultural.

[JDMDreams]

Yea but you don't really want that kinda multicultural and new refugees

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by yray

toronto is more multicultural.

You don't have to be so polite, yray. It's okay to just say Indian.

[JDMDreams]

We have shootings at home

[Traum]

So apparently, Langley Toyota is offering some sort of massive discount so that their top trim bZ Limited AWD can be bought for $49k + taxes and stuff. This includes the federal $5k EV rebate. It has a proper round steering wheel as well as driver memory seats, both features that I look for in the family vehicle.

Unfortunately, as I dig a little more into it, it turns out that the bZ (which also pretty guarantees the Solterra is affected as well) has a 12V battery drain issue that can cause the car to not start.

This is what Gemini AI mentioned, and I have done some quick verifications to make sure it isn't hallucinating:

Spoiler!

The Toyota bZ4X (and its sibling, the Subaru Solterra) has been widely reported to have a recurring 12-volt auxiliary battery drain issue that can leave the vehicle "bricked" and unable to start, even if the main high-voltage traction battery is fully charged.

Common Causes of Drain

Toyota App Connectivity: A primary culprit is the vehicle's interaction with the Toyota app. The car may fail to enter "sleep mode" because it continues to communicate with the app, causing a constant parasitic draw.

Key Fob Proximity: Storing the key fob too close to the vehicle can prevent it from powering down properly, as the car stays "awake" sensing the transponder.

In-Car Habits: Using "Accessory" mode for extended periods instead of "READY" mode—which uses the main traction battery to maintain the 12V system—can quickly deplete the small auxiliary battery.

System Design: Unlike some other EVs, the bZ4X reportedly does not always reliably recharge the 12V battery from the high-voltage pack when parked, which some experts call a "conceptual failure" in its engineering.

Recommended Solutions & Fixes

Unpair the App: Users and some dealers recommend not just deleting the app, but completely removing the vehicle from your Toyota profile to stop the parasitic communication.

Upgrade to AGM Battery: Some owners have found success replacing the factory lead-acid battery with a higher-capacity AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery, such as the LN2/H5 size used in the Lexus RZ.

Key Fob "Sleep Mode": You can manually put your key fob into sleep mode by holding the Lock button and pressing Unlock twice. This prevents it from waking the car up.

Use a Battery Tender: If leaving the car for more than 3–4 days, use a 12V trickle charger to maintain the charge.

Carry a Jump Starter: Many owners now keep a portable Li-Ion jump starter in the car for emergencies.

Note: There is currently a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. addressing these recurring 12V battery failures.

So for our dear Badhobz, this might be something you want to keep an eye on and potentially take measures to prevent it from happening.

[EvoFire]

All the Toyotas have that problem, it's dumb and you need to charge the 12V as well. I can't believe how that did not come up in testing.

Actually I have a guess how. They probably charged the 12V everyday because they were running so much extra equipment during road testing and it slipped through the cracks.

[roastpuff]

That says that is for the bZ4x (i.e. older model), does this still affect the new bZ/Solterra?

[JDMDreams]

So why is Toyota trying to clear this out? Cuz they can't sell in US? I thought this was the half assed one that they don't really want to make anymore.

Wouldn't this ruin their Rav 4 dealer games?

[Traum]

The 2026 bZ / Solterra has only just been updated, right? So there probably isn't a big enough sample size yet for these problems to bubble to the surface.

The thing with the 12V drainage issue seems to be -- the car needs to be not driven for a few days before the 12V battery will be fully drained. So if someone is driving the EV at least once every 2 - 3 days, the problem may well remain covered up.

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

So why is Toyota trying to clear this out? Cuz they can't sell in US? I thought this was the half assed one that they don't really want to make anymore.

Wouldn't this ruin their Rav 4 dealer games?

I have only checked a few local Toyota dealerships (their website only, really), and Langley Toyota seems to be the only one offering the sub-$49k price on the XLE / Limited AWD trim. And Langley Toyota also happens to have quite a few bZ (20+) in stock. So it could potentially be just that dealership instead of a marque-wide promo.

[Badhobz]

But if you price it out the limited trim Bz per month will still be more than the Subaru because of the 1.99% interest rate. I mean it’s the same car just with the non opening sunroof on the limited / tech trim.

Would still suggest you guys get the mid trim solterra like mine as it has 99% of all the features while still being 4k cheaper than the limited trim BZ and 0.99 rate.

As for the 12V battery. My buddy’s the new service manger at Subaru after he quit his job at Porsche. He told me usually 3 years it’ll need replacing. Longer if you use a tender. But 3 years and then replace with a Costco 12v battery, who cares. Total non issue for me.