Someone who will pay $14kUSD more for a similarly equipped RZ than for a Solterra Touring, and accept 10% less range.
DC Fast Charging with a limit of twice a day? Is this true?
I dont mind the longer charging time, but I was told by my salesman that you can only use the DC fast charging for a max of twice a day only. Is it possible to drive longer distances a day with this vehicle? My bz4x is here (FWD), just waiting for the rebate to be processed. The BZ4X came first, but I am still on the waiting list from the other manufacturers.
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I can verify that yes, if you DC fast charge too frequently, which seems to be more than the equivalent of 2 cycles from low battery to 80% within 24 hours, any further fast charging will be throttled. That translates to about 110-120 KWh on the US AWD battery. At EPA estimated highway efficiency, that's around 500 miles, if starting from 100% (less range if it's cold, of course). After that, expect charging rates of 13 kW or slower, or 35-40 miles of range per hour of charging, until probably 24 hours after that first DC fast charge (best guess is a rolling time-out, but Toyota won't tell my local service departments any of these details). My family found this out the hard way.
I too can confirm it is limited to TWO DC fast charges in a day. I drove mine home from California in cool to then cold weather. The first day by the time i got to a 3rd charge (which i was really only doing to get a little more to my destination) man was it throttled. I think it was maxing out around 16 kW, but went lower as you charged. (kinda like it does when you hit 80% on a normal day and try to charge past that point).
My understanding is that a software update is coming, that will increase the amount of times you can charge in a day to some weird number like 3.8 times. This same update is supposed to change a lot of things when it comes to charging and what we see on the screen inside the car. Although, nobody over at Toyota USA could confirm this update was coming. So, its all rumors to us here in the US for now.
Did you know about the 2 fast charges per limit before you ran into it, or was it a surprise for you as well?I too can confirm it is limited to TWO DC fast charges in a day. I drove mine home from California in cool to then cold weather. The first day by the time i got to a 3rd charge (which i was really only doing to get a little more to my destination) man was it throttled. I think it was maxing out around 16 kW, but went lower as you charged. (kinda like it does when you hit 80% on a normal day and try to charge past that point).
My understanding is that a software update is coming, that will increase the amount of times you can charge in a day to some weird number like 3.8 times. This same update is supposed to change a lot of things when it comes to charging and what we see on the screen inside the car. Although, nobody over at Toyota USA could confirm this update was coming. So, its all rumors to us here in the US for now.
I had read up on things and double checked it in my manual before i had even purchased my car, ... So, i was aware of it, but was hoping it wasn't going to be bad,... well, the surprise for me, was that YES, indeed it was BAD... I simply wanted to get to my hotel destination and the charge was SOOOO slow!Did you know about the 2 fast charges per limit before you ran into it, or was it a surprise for you as well?
We took our AWD on a 1300 km trip and it took 4 days! Spent Xmas night having cold sushi and freezing our asses off at a charger. That trip in a real car takes us a day and a half. The AWD is just a crappily performing car - Toyota should be embarrassed. If it is cool outside, wear lots and lots of clothes if you want to get anywhere.Did you end up stranded...?
I'm quite nervous to take my family any distance in this vehicle for that very reason. I presume in your situation, you likely ended up just getting a hotel [with a Level 2 charger] for the night(?) I wonder if Toyota's towing service would tow the car under warranty if one ended up stranded in such a situation; stuck at a DC charging station for what would be up to 4 hours, driving another ~120 miles, then stuck again for another 4 hours, etc.
On a 250 mile stretch, then, one would effectively be averaging roughly 20 miles per hour; therefore even factoring in the wait time for the tow truck, I imagine that being towed would still be the quicker option.
on our 1300 km trip we got more hotel experience than we have ever had in our lives. More time at the hotels than on the road it seems. We average about 75 km/hr when charging is figured in and after the first day, over a $150/day in hotels and meals...not a cheap car to drive!...and in Canada they charge by the minute to charge!!Our ICE car blew an oil hose on our way to family for Christmas, halfway through an 800+ mile road trip. A dear friend rescued the kids and me, taking us to their house in Maryland for Christmas, while my husband got a uhaul box truck and car hauler to get his car and our two dogs home. After Christmas, my husband got the dogs boarded and took our month old Bz4X from Maine to Maryland, so he could spend a couple days with our friends before we all headed home. In an ICE car, that's a 9-10 hour drive. The Bz4X is a slow charger, so we assumed 14-16, based on a better route planner and budgeting for slower speeds in cold. He started out relatively low because we hadn't gotten our home level 2 charger yet, and hit the limit halfway through the trip. We had no idea what was wrong, but it looked like the charging drop off we normally see at 80% when fast charging, only it hit when he had 46%, dropping to charging rates of 13kW or less. Thinking maybe it was the charger, he kept plowing through, but that trip took him 23 hours. Toyota warned everyone that this car charges slower in the cold, so we were prepared for that, but temps were in the 40-50s Fahrenheit, so that wasn't the issue. We have been able to reproduce it, and it does seem to be about the amount of power to charge from 0 to 80% twice, or 110-120 KWh, and it does seem to at least partially reset after 24 hours. That means if you start out at 100%, you may be OK for up to a 400 mile drive, but I would recommend doing the math for anything further, or risk finishing your tip at a rate of 35-40 miles of driving per hour of charging. Or get a hotel and try again in the morning.
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