2010 LA Auto Show, second gen Toyota Rav4 EV

The second generation Toyota RAV4 EV is the result of the Toyota and Tesla Motors collaboration. Based on the popular RAV4 compact SUV and powered by a Tesla electric powertrain, the RAV4 EV project adopts a new development model that incorporates Tesla’s streamline, fast and flexible approach with Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing leadership.

A total of 35 RAV4 EV’s will be built for a demonstration and evaluation program running through 2011. These demonstration vehicles utilize the current RAV4 vehicle built in Canada and integrate the Tesla battery and additional components built in Palo Alto, California. A fully-engineered vehicle is targeted to launch in 2012. The fully-engineered vehicle will target a range of 100 miles in a wide range of climates and conditions.

PERFORMANCE/SPECS
Exterior:
Unique front and rear styling
LED Foglamps
18" Alloy wheels
Special pearl white paint with aqua base – "mutually exclusive"

Interior:
Smart key system with push button start
Combination synthetic leather and fabric seating surfaces
Touch screen DVD Navigation system
Cargo volume equal to 2010 RAV4

Mechanical:
Powerful electric motor with Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack
Zero emission vehicle (ZEV)
Class-leading driving range, acceleration, and top speed
Real world driving range of approximately 100 miles

Source;
http://toyotarav4ev.com/browser.html

Toyota RAV4 EV teased ahead of LA debut

I'm curious about this merger, Tesla has done alot of good things....
Toyota has released the first teaser images of the RAV4 EV, ahead of its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Details are limited, but the vehicle was jointly developed with Tesla as part of their $50 million dollar agreement to collaborate on electric vehicle technology. In the past, Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, stated the RAV4 will have "...range and acceleration exceeding that of other announced electric vehicles of this class."

The electric SUV is slated for a 2012 launch and full details will be released on November 17th.

Source:
http://www.worldcarfans.com/110111129490/toyota-rav4-ev-teased-ahead-of-la-debut

Tesla and Toyota to develop RAV4 EV, hope to launch in 2012

Toyota and Tesla have officially announced that the electric prototypes being developed by the California startup are based on the RAV4 crossover, and the two companies hope to have a production version ready by 2012. When we sat down with Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda last week, he revealed that an initial prototype was being built with a Tesla electric powertrain. Since then, Tesla CTO JB Straubel revealed that his engineering team was preparing two vehicles based on an existing Toyota platform for delivery by the end of July.

If the project comes to fruition, it will be great news for fans of the original RAV4 EV which debuted in the late 1990s. Several hundred of those vehicles are still on the road today and regularly turn up for sale on eBay Motors at premium prices.

The new RAV4s will use Tesla's liquid cooled lithium ion battery configuration that contains thousands of commodity laptop cells. The first prototype is already running and a larger fleet will be prepared this year for durability testing by Toyota.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/16/tesla-and-toyota-to-develop-rav4-ev-hope-to-launch-in-2012/