Lexus RZ chronicals-by my wife

[J Alynn]

I’m not sure if this is a typo or something else is going on… A time of 8-10 hours of charging even on L1 should be charging much more than 13 miles of range, especially since she’s getting 4.2 miles/kWh. She should be getting 4.2 miles/kWh * 10 hours * 1.2 kW = ~50 miles.

Thanks. It was a typo. I’ll. Correct I inverted the number

 

[Scoutsie]

So last night we traded our Honda Pilot for a 39 month lease on a Lexus RZ 450e which was $2500 off and almost free as the lease goes. Anyway-knowing the Scout was supposed to be our first EV, my wife decided she likes my Accord hybrid and wanted to try EV life and since she likes the Lexus brand she decided to go for it. We are gonna give it a few more days then my wife has agreed to a once a week guest appearance to post updates on her experience.
Full range should be around 265 miles. For the first 92 miles she has driven we are showing 3.9 miles/KW.
I’ll attach a few pics. She will post about start/stop, pedal experiences and more. Thought maybe an outsider’s view of learning EV would be interesting for everyone. Enjoy and if you are new to EVs and have questions I’ll ask her to give thought to it as she adapts to her new means of electronic mobility.

Thanks for posting this! My mom and I just peeped the (lesser, hybrid, obviously Satanic) RX during a Costco run and my mom admired its grill. I told her that one of “the fellas” on the Scout forum just got a Lexus EV and that I’d pass on notes because she wants to ditch her own Prius sooner rather than later, possibly to lease a car for the next couple of years because repairs and gas aren’t getting any cheaper.

 

[J Alynn]

Thanks for posting this! My mom and I just peeped the (lesser, hybrid, obviously Satanic) RX during a Costco run and my mom admired its grill. I told her that one of “the fellas” on the Scout forum just got a Lexus EV and that I’d pass on notes because she wants to ditch her own Prius sooner rather than later, possibly to lease a car for the next couple of years because repairs and gas aren’t getting any cheaper.

My wife loves the RX but the plug in version is crazy expensive. The lease on the RX was amazing and made it worth the try. My hunch is in 38-1/2 months when the lease ends she will look at the RX or even the smaller NX

 

[RodorW]

First of all it’s great to hear that she seems to be enjoying the car.

When thinking about not having a brake pedal and I also wonder how one makes the vehicle fully stop when there’s only one pedal without giving passengers whiplash!

just to point out there’s still a brake pedal in every EV I know of. As for stopping without using it, it’s just stronger Regen that ends in a “hold”, and as you lift off the accelerator is your replacement for pressing on the brake pedal, that’s why it’s called one pedal (Pressing Down is acceleration, lifting off is braking). You still have a dedicated brake pedal for when it’s really needed to stop fast in an emergency or miscalculation of distance.

 

[maynard]

Nice write up!

It reminded me of when we got our S60 my wife didn’t want to use the’B’ shift selection (one pedal mode) because she thought it would disable the brake pedal.

After she realized it did not - she loves that mode…

 

[Scout_Lookout]

"I still have a lot to learn but my first EV is less of a learning curve than I thought it would be."

This is the key line that pretty much sums up EV adoption. Most people think its some major change of vehicle ownership when in reality it really isn't. The only real difference is you got to plug your car in overnight instead of standing at smelly gas pump lol

 

[speedrye]

Thanks for posting this! My mom and I just peeped the (lesser, hybrid, obviously Satanic) RX during a Costco run and my mom admired its grill. I told her that one of “the fellas” on the Scout forum just got a Lexus EV and that I’d pass on notes because she wants to ditch her own Prius sooner rather than later, possibly to lease a car for the next couple of years because repairs and gas aren’t getting any cheaper.

Just rented a Camry hybrid (same basic engine as the RX) for the past several days to run to a job site, and holy crap was I disappointed. I've read plenty of reviews of Toyota/Lexus models in recent years complaining about the engine groaning or moaning and being rough in general and they weren't kidding. I'd driven the old Prius V a decent bit, and while slow, it was smooth and very good on gas. During my time with the Camry, it averaged 38mpg, a full 8mpg below its ratings, and that's with me driving it in Eco mode like a grandma with cataracts. I typically get above-EPA ratings in anything I drive and was really surprised. Still, 38mpg is decent in a mid-size sedan, but that engine noise/vibration was bad. I expect that kind of vibration in my daily driver with a 6.2L V8 under the hood, but not a new hybrid. I definitely can't recommend any Toyota/Lexus product with that 2.5L under the hood unless you get to drive it a decent bit and find it acceptable to you.

 

[J Alynn]

First of all it’s great to hear that she seems to be enjoying the car.

just to point out there’s still a brake pedal in every EV I know of. As for stopping without using it, it’s just stronger Regen that ends in a “hold”, and as you lift off the accelerator is your replacement for pressing on the brake pedal, that’s why it’s called one pedal (Pressing Down is acceleration, lifting off is braking). You still have a dedicated brake pedal for when it’s really needed to stop fast in an emergency or miscalculation of distance.

Exactly and that is why she likes it. She still uses brake pedal for the last 10-25 feet but she is working on using the regen (set fairly high for now) to feather the pedal and come to a stop. She never drove stick (I tried in my ‘04 Acura TL but oh-the sounds)-like nails on a chalk board. Anyway, I was unsuccessful in teaching her so she is learning this and doing very well. We seem to have found the max regen without me flying forward when she lets up but her feathering is really coming along well as she learns the car. She’s trying to get to as much one pedal as she can just because she is learning and likes the challenge

 

[J Alynn]

"I still have a lot to learn but my first EV is less of a learning curve than I thought it would be."

This is the key line that pretty much sums up EV adoption. Most people think its some major change of vehicle ownership when in reality it really isn't. The only real difference is you got to plug your car in overnight instead of standing at smelly gas pump lol

This is exactly 100% true. And really is a huge convenience. We haven’t needed to charge on the road yet but really that seems to be the biggest thing is that extra bit of time when road tripping and at this rate I’ll take it. Wife went to Costco yesterday -got there at 5 minutes to 9 and she said every pump there was already 6 cars deep waiting to fill up with $4.39/gallon gas. You can’t tell me at this point it’s that much faster

 

[cyure]

Exactly and that is why she likes it. She still uses brake pedal for the last 10-25 feet but she is working on using the regen (set fairly high for now) to feather the pedal and come to a stop. She never drove stick (I tried in my ‘04 Acura TL but oh-the sounds)-like nails on a chalk board. Anyway, I was unsuccessful in teaching her so she is learning this and doing very well. We seem to have found the max regen without me flying forward when she lets up but her feathering is really coming along well as she learns the car. She’s trying to get to as much one pedal as she can just because she is learning and likes the challenge

Your comments are the first time I’ve heard anyone compare it to driving a stick shift. That’s what I learned on and drove for years. Now I feel even better about it. I was worried I was going to make everyone car sick.

I appreciate everyone posting about all the EV info over and over. One new little nugget resonates and you never know what that will be for someone.

 

[Scout_Lookout]

Your comments are the first time I’ve heard anyone compare it to driving a stick shift. That’s what I learned on and drove for years. Now I feel even better about it. I was worried I was going to make everyone car sick.

I appreciate everyone posting about all the EV info over and over. One new little nugget resonates and you never know what that will be for someone.

One pedal driving is something I will never go without again. There is so much more precise speed control of the vehicle, a more simplistic form of driving that once you get use to it, it can IMO offer a much smoother ride than a traditional ICE powered vehicle.

 

[robothero]

I love this thread. I'm an enthusiast in the community but a normie when it comes to technical knowledge and general EV experience, so its great to hear experience/reviews from the general consumer instead of the people who debate charge curves and kWh efficiency based on temperature.

For the record, I enjoy that content too, but those folks are already drinking the koolaid, that's not who we're trying to convert

 

[J Alynn]

I love this thread. I'm an enthusiast in the community but a normie when it comes to technical knowledge and general EV experience, so its great to hear experience/reviews from the general consumer instead of the people who debate charge curves and kWh efficiency based on temperature.

For the record, I enjoy that content too, but those folks are already drinking the koolaid, that's not who we're trying to convert

Glad to hear. That is a big part of why I started it and convinced (bugged) my wife to give her “completely new to us” insight. Hope it continues to help. I will also try to weave in info that is a hair more technical but remember I’m a designer-not a tech/science guy and I’ve said before-if it’s two hampsters on a wheel under the “hood” loosing their minds-that’s cool too. I just know that 3-1/2 years ago I was adamantly against EV, then got brainwashed and now we are living it so might as well tell you all what we think like many others have as well

 

[cyure]

Glad to hear. That is a big part of why I started it and convinced (bugged) my wife to give her “completely new to us” insight. Hope it continues to help. I will also try to weave in info that is a hair more technical but remember I’m a designer-not a tech/science guy and I’ve said before-if it’s two hampsters on a wheel under the “hood” loosing their minds-that’s cool too. I just know that 3-1/2 years ago I was adamantly against EV, then got brainwashed and now we are living it so might as well tell you all what we think like many others have as well

And that’s really good to know. That you were opposed and now own one.

 

[speedrye]

Glad to hear. That is a big part of why I started it and convinced (bugged) my wife to give her “completely new to us” insight. Hope it continues to help. I will also try to weave in info that is a hair more technical but remember I’m a designer-not a tech/science guy and I’ve said before-if it’s two hampsters on a wheel under the “hood” loosing their minds-that’s cool too. I just know that 3-1/2 years ago I was adamantly against EV, then got brainwashed and now we are living it so might as well tell you all what we think like many others have as well

I'm definitely paying attention to this thread. I was originally considering a plug-in hybrid as the next runabout car, but after that Camry rental, and all the complaints my mother has about her Insight, I'll likely just pick up a 1-2 year old EV6 or such.

 

[Scout_Lookout]

The truth is EV ownership is easier than ever. When I worked at Tesla a couple of years ago, the supercharger team told us you were never more than 80 miles to the next supercharger. As good as that is, that distance has undoubtedly been reduced since then. Add with that all of the other charging companies like EA, IONNA, Charge Point to name a few, and there are plenty of options available making taking off on a road trip in an EV without giving it a second thought.

But honestly Lvl 2 charging at home is where its at. I can drive around all weekend, running errands, going to the ball fields, Costco runs, etc. But there are few things in EV vehicle ownership more satisfying than walking into your dark garage on Monday morning and seeing that beautiful solid green light from the charger knowing that you're sitting at 100% ready to go. IYKYK

 

[oldgeeksguide]

First of all it’s great to hear that she seems to be enjoying the car.

just to point out there’s still a brake pedal in every EV I know of. As for stopping without using it, it’s just stronger Regen that ends in a “hold”, and as you lift off the accelerator is your replacement for pressing on the brake pedal, that’s why it’s called one pedal (Pressing Down is acceleration, lifting off is braking). You still have a dedicated brake pedal for when it’s really needed to stop fast in an emergency or miscalculation of distance.

And, to be clear, In the RZ, the brake pedal is only friction, no regen (at least that’s the way it was in early RZ models), so you want to use OPD to maximize regen for efficiency. DM if you want my usual rant

 

[Scout_Lookout]

Got charge anxiety?

Proof you've fully adopted EV ownership. Now I got to make a quick 14 mile round trip. I know my truck, it'll be fine. I'll charge when I get home.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Range anxiety? What’s that?


Got home late one night with the Mustang. Didn’t want to make the one final stop that would have ensured I got home with 10% remaining. I did slow down for the last few miles before my gravel road so I was only going 57 in a 55.

Stopping at a charge station while towing a uhaul up the mountain. Got to the charger with 6% state of charge, 15 miles remaining. Not a problem.

 

[cyure]

Range anxiety? What’s that?


Got home late one night with the Mustang. Didn’t want to make the one final stop that would have ensured I got home with 10% remaining. I did slow down for the last few miles before my gravel road so I was only going 57 in a 55.
View attachment 15536


Stopping at a charge station while towing a uhaul up the mountain. Got to the charger with 6% state of charge, 15 miles remaining. Not a problem.
View attachment 15535

It’s gonna take me awhile to get that brave.