July 7, 2007 by Rob.

It’s 7/7/07 and the RAVolt drove 21 miles on a single charge.  That’s about the same as my pre-EV mileage.  I’m starting to think of running errands as “carbon free” when I drive the RAVolt.  Every gallon of unburned gas is 20 pounds less C02 into the air.
At 21 miles, there was still life in the pack, but it was starting to pull down below 80% depth of discharge (DOD) during acceleration.  My 80% mark is 110 volts or 75% of the full charge of 144 volts.

EV Usage Note: Running out of electrons is not sudden like running out of gas.  The EV driving rule is to stay above 80% DOD and under 400 amps.  Keeping in that envelope determines how hard I can drive the RAVolt.  As the batteries get drained it takes less amps to sag down to 80% DOD.  This means that I can’t climb hills as quickly and the RAVolt becomes a rolling road block.  The positive side is that I can still limp along even when I’m at the end of the pack’s range.

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July 7, 2007 by Rob.

Yes, it’s true. The RAVolt’s rear tires cant inward slightly. It’s probably from the load in the back, but I’m not sure. To quote Sgt Schultz: I did nuthing! Except, of course, add 600# of cargo. I did not even take off the back wheels during the conversion.

I’m checking around to see if this is normal for a RAV under load or something that I should be alarmed about. For now, I’m assuming the former but considering the $60 air springs.

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