Everett Toyota dealer says the future is electric

EVERETT — Toyota dealer Buzz Rodland’s ride these days is a used RAV4 that costs $225,000.

It didn’t cost him that much — he used some pull and perseverance to snag his model. But that’s what Toyota spent to produce the electric car to meet California requirements for a zero-emissions vehicle.

There was a fleet of the vehicles leased in California and used by commuters who would recharge the batteries at a host of charging stations. Toyota is changing its program in California, and Rodland, who was a member of the company’s national dealership council for four years, convinced officials after a lot of nagging to send him one of the all-electrics.

“My sales pitch was I would evaluate it in cold weather,” he said.

Rodland, who drives a variety of Toyotas as well as an old MG sports car, likes what he’s seeing.

“I’ve become a real fan,” he said. “I know my customers would buy this car. I think the technology is really worth pursuing.”

Rodland said his electric RAV4 takes about five hours to recharge, can go about 120 miles on a charge and has a top speed of about 85 mph. About the only maintenance involved is tire pressure, wipers and fluid and brakes, he said.

He said he’s “totally convinced” that the electric car is the future for automobiles.

What needs to happen, he said, is for companies to produce a more efficient, lighter battery.

The battery in his RAV4 is a nickel-cadmium rechargable that works well. But each battery cost Toyota $25,000, he said, adding, “It just doesn’t pencil.” Now the new technology points to lithium ion batteries, which are widely used in portable electronics.

“They have twice the capacity and half the weight,” Rodland said.

He said batteries made with that technology tend to run hot, so that will be an issue.

Rodland expects that Toyota will have a plug-in electric car to sell in 2010. “They’re testing those now and they’re very close,” Rodland said.

And he said most other manufacturers are also working hard on the technology, which he called fascinating. He hopes to get a second all-electric vehicle, which he’ll use to ferry customers between his two shops on Evergreen Way so they can see for themselves. In the meantime, he’ll keep driving the battery-powered RAV4 himself.

Rodland said interest in better fuel economy is growing and that sales for Toyota’s hybrid vehicles are strong.

Rodland Toyota is promoting an increase in renewable energy programs by paying to support wind energy development to offset emissions at its dealership. The program is being run by NetGreen of Seattle, which says Rodland’s dealership is the first in the Puget Sound area to become “carbon neutral.” The dealership also is buying wind power credits for customers who buy a hybrid Prius to offset their carbon emissions for a year.

“Green power needs to be subsidized because it’s expensive,” Rodland said. “People want to help.”

Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459; benbow@heraldnet.com.