EVLN(One of a kind Electric SUV)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
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--- {EVangel}
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Sep/03/ln/ln23a.html
Posted on: Tuesday, September 3, 2002
Electric SUV one of a kind
By Mike Leidemann Transportation Writer
John Weiser rides around in one of those $45,000 SUVs that
some people love to hate, but nobody can accuse him of
driving a gas-guzzler. His Toyota Rav IV is 100 percent
electric, the only vehicle of its kind on O'ahu in private
hands.
"It's like magic," Weiser said. "People are
John Weiser owns the only electric SUV in private hands on
O'ahu: a Toyota Rav IV with a super-quiet electric motor
under the hood. It cost him quite a lot of money and trouble
to acquire it, however.
Gregory Yamamoto � The Honolulu Advertiser
stopping me all the time and asking where they can get
something like it."
For now the answer is: They can't. Toyota is selling the
quiet, sleek-looking vehicles only in California, and says
it doesn't have plans to market them anywhere else.
For Weiser, who runs an air tour business and owns the
Affordable Casket Outlet and Moanalua Mortuary, that spelled
a personal challenge more than an obstacle.
"I just got intrigued when I first heard about it on the
Internet, and decided I was going to get one," he said.
It took four months and more than a few twists and turns
through the bureaucratic maze, but he finally brought the
car of his dreams home to Hawai'i last month.
Now he's wondering why more people shouldn't have the same
pleasure of driving a car that reaches 78 mph, goes 100
miles on one charge and never needs an oil change.
"You've got to really want one, but I'm betting that there
are at least several hundred people here who would buy one
if they had the chance," Weiser said.
California was the first state to receive the all-electric
full-size SUVs, because the state has imposed strict new
emission standards on auto manufacturers and offers a $9,000
cash-back government payout to residents who buy an electric
vehicle. It's a stick-and-carrot approach that makes the
vehicles marketable there.
In Hawai'i, as in much of the nation, such vehicles have
been slow to catch on with the driving public. Several
government agencies, including the military, have been
testing all-electric vehicles � including some SUVs � but
it's unclear when they will start showing up in auto
showrooms, if ever.
The Hawai'i Automobile Dealers Association reports that only
three all- electric cars were sold here in the last two
years, and they were less than full-size vehicles. Sales of
the new gas-electric hybrids offered by Toyota and Honda
have been nearly as slow; since they were introduced in
2000, the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius have accounted for
only 163 new car sales in the state.
"They're a great car, very clean with great gas mileage, but
they aren't for everyone," said Wes Kimura, vice president
of Servco Pacific, which markets the Prius in Hawai'i.
"They're getting a lot of attention and draw a lot interest
whenever we show them, but people are still cautious,
waiting before they buy."
Weiser, though, could sell anybody on the benefits of his
car.
"It just makes perfect sense for getting around an island
like this," he said. The car's 100-mile range is just right
for running around town all day, the silent ride is a
perfect escape from urban noise, and the battery-powered
everything, including air conditioning, is friendly to
Hawai'i's fragile environment, he figures.
Even so, Weiser really had to work to bring the car here.
First he placed a phone order with a dealer in California,
then waited months for one of the Rav IVs to become
available. Before he could take delivery, he had to have a
specially designed battery charger installed in a cousin's
West Coast home, only to have it removed and reinstalled by
an electrician on O'ahu.
Since only California residents are allowed to receive the
cash-back payments from the state, and Weiser had to ship
the car home, he ended up paying $45,000. (A standard
gas-powered Toyota Rav IV retails in Hawai'i for about
$28,000).
Weiser figures he'll make most of the difference back in
about five years through savings on maintenance and gas.
Each plug-in battery charge costs between $2 and $4 � which
he estimates is half of what gas for a regular vehicle would
cost.
Weiser said he uses the car almost every day for business
and just tooling around Honolulu. One thing he doesn't use
it for is commuting: He lives on Moloka'i and flies home
each night in his own private plane.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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