The charger won't be complimentary, however.
Buyers who purchase a 2023 Lexus RZ will benefit from a new partnership between Lexus and home charger manufacturers and installers, ChargePoint and Qmerit.
Participating Lexus dealerships will sell a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger directly to the customer or through ChargePoint online. This unit comes with a 23-foot charging cable for different parking configurations and can add up to 25 miles per hour to an EV such as the RZ 450e. That's plenty for an overnight charge.
“With the Lexus RZ 450e arriving at dealerships soon, we want to ensure our guests have a seamless charging experience both at home and on the road,” said Dejuan Ross, Lexus group vice president, and general manager. “Our arrangement with ChargePoint and Qmerit was created to provide RZ guests with tools and services to help them to understand, identify and solve their charging needs so they can feel confident in their Lexus Electrified journey.”
While the charger itself comes from ChargePoint, Qmerit will handle the end-to-end services such as installation. Qmerit will provide an initial free quote and then find a certified electrician to perform the installation. For public charging, RZ drivers can use the Lexus app to find and pay for ChargePoint Level 2 and DC fast chargers.
Integrating charging into the dealership experience should make the purchasing process easier. Still, it's worth noting that Lexus does not go as far as some rivals to incentivize customers.
Cadillac, for example, offers two years of complimentary charging at EVGo or $1,500 towards a home charger install from Qmerit.
In our honest opinion, this is a pretty stingy move not including a home charger in for free. Lexus is a premium brand, and home charging is one of the ultimate luxury accessories in the EV world.
Lexus hasn't announced pricing for the RZ yet, but it will likely cost at least $55,000. To not offer some complimentary charging or charger install on such an expensive car when Chevrolet is doing so on a sub-$30,000 Bolt seems like a missed opportunity.
Keyword: Lexus Dealers Will Sell Home Chargers For The Upcoming RZ