I am planning to get a RAV 4 Prime but I want to make sure that I don't make a bad decision.
My question is: how bad is it to use the gas engine once a month for a few miles?
I live in North Dakota (-30F) and usually I keep the car in a heated garage overnight. I don't drive more than 10mi/day, and park it outside for 8 to 10 hours. Maybe every 2 months I drive to big cities like Minneapolis or Winnipeg on the highway.
If I use the RAV 4 Prime for 2 cold months only in EV mode, the Gas engine will breakdown because of not using it?
You may have to go to a specific RAV4 Prime Forum to find out first hand experience, since it is such a unique vehicle. I don’t think anyone here has a RAV4 Prime or a plug in hybrid.
I don’t really know the definitive answer, but I will talk it out.
My usual recommendation is to at least take a regular car up to highway speeds once every two weeks for about 30 minutes. This is to burn off any condensation.
1) The RAV4 Prime is known to get a creamy like substance in the engine. Especially with constant super short trips. The reason is that the engine doesn’t get used long enough to get hit enough to fully burn off the condensation in the oil.
2) I don’t know if this creamy substance is detrimental or not to the car, because in theory, you can just take the car on the highway for 30 or so minutes to burn off the creamy substance. But I really don’t know, it’s just a guess.
3) Again, in theory, if the engine NEVER comes on during EV mode on short trips, you may not get this creamy substance problem.
To reiterate, My usual recommendation is to at least take a regular car up to highway speeds once every two weeks for about 30 minutes. This is to burn off any condensation.
You may be able to do this once a month, but I am not so sure.
Please let us know if you find out anything. I’m curious too!
