2019 Rav4 Hybrid AWD

If the rear wheels are only electric motor driven then you will only have limited use of the AWD. This is probably the LAST car I would drive offroad. Buy a real 4WD or AWD like a Subaru if you want full time AWD.

I don't need AWD all the time. I gave the example of off-road to illustrate the scenario, when the rear battery will be used mostly. The actual question is to know if there are chances of this auxillary battery to get drained completly ? And if yes, then how this battery can be charged, considering its stuck in snow and you need the power in rear wheels ?

The battery will last you just long enough that you can't get back out the way you went in!!!

@F_O_R, I have not convinced your response. Could you please elaborate? Let say if I am on heavy snow or mud for the next 50 KM, can RAV4 hybrid runs all 4 wheel drive? In other words, can the generator continuously supply power to the rear motor if need?

When the battery gets low the engine kicks in and charges the battery. Therefor you will never run out of electric motors for long. To see how the hybrid system is working with the engine and electric motors take a hybrid for a test drive and put the cockpit display on the battery system. It will show when it's charging and discharging. Remember the AWD only kicks in when accelerating from a stop, when you punch it or when wheel slippage is detected. Otherwise it prefers to stay in FWD for fuel economy when AWD isn't needed. While this may not be as effective as a Honda or Subaru AWD system it's not much worse then people tend to believe and its about 80-90% as effective as those. To summarize you don't need to worry about the battery "running out of juice" as the engine & regen brakes are constantly charging it.

Hybrids have very limited ability to charge the battery or operate electrically. I seriously doubt an AWD hybrid could power the rear wheels for more than a few miles tops before you lose the rear wheels. This is not a Volt! Ask your Toyota dealer for technical data.

F_O_R - I've owned a 2019 Rav4 hybrids for 2 months and extensively monitored the AWD and charging system. More importantly I've taken the Rav4 offroading for a few lengthy trips and never had the battery die. The battery charge almost always stays around the 1/2 charge regardless of where, how and what driving mode the vehicle is driven. I would guess Toyota does this to maximize the longevity of the battery. I'm not an engineer but i can provide real world driving experience with this car. As for the vehicle having "limited ability to operate electrically", my Rav4 runs in electric only mode about 1/3 of the time when driving. Another 1/3 of the time the electric battery is helping power the front and/or rears wheels. What matters to me and most buyers I'd guess is fuel economy and performance. I've been very impressed so far with the versatility of this car including light offroading. For hardcore offroaders yes get a more advanced AWD system. For the other 98% of consumers this AWD hybrid system is good for winter driving and light offroading. To see what the 2019 Rav4 hybrid AWD pushed to the max watch https://www.rav4world.com/threads/difficu lty-with-getting-fuel-tank-full.298909/page- 46

Just to add that the AWD in the RAV4 Hybrid also kicks in automatically during all turning maneuvers, to help improve traction and steering, whether the surface is dry or in snow and ice. So basically the AWD is designed to engage whenever AWD is most beneficial, not just during wheel slippage.

This is not an electric car. It is a hybrid. The battery is never full and the battery is never empty. The battery is like a spring stretched half way. It has room to move up and room to move down. Like a spring is a shock absorber the battery is a load leveler. The battery kicks in to smooth out peak demand and recharges when power demand is low. And while no one keeps their car at peak demand for hours straight if you could, yes, the gas engine would continuously turn the generator and continuously feed power to the rear wheels. You will NEVER run out power to the rear wheels unless you run out of gasoline.