Toyota RAV4 SUV
Toyota and Tesla Motors today announced having formalized the agreement to bring out an electric version of Toyota RAV4 SUV. The announcement was originally made in May of this year.
RAV4 SUV is well-known among car lovers as a trendy, sporty and adventurous car with a powerful engine and a great design.
The younger generation loves it while the older crowd finds it interesting and not intimidating. This beautiful car from Toyota that lends fresh meaning to the mini-SUV concept will now come out with an electric powertrain by Tesla Motors.
Tesla has already completed work on the first prototype combining the Toyota RAV4 model with Tesla electric powertrain. It is expected to deliver a fleet of prototypes for evaluation by Toyota during this year. The goal is to release the car in the United States by 2012.
Interestingly, the RAV4 SUV EV; an all-electric car, was sold between 1997 and 2003 by Toyota. The car is said to have governed top speed of 78 mph (126 km/h) with a range of 100-120 miles (160 to 190 km). The 95 amp-hour battery was found to be highly durable. This vehicle was also one of the few that came with a single speed automatic transmission at that time. Toyota is said to have actually sold or leased 328 RAV4 EVs in 2003, which is when it was terminated in spite of there being a huge demand and several customers waiting to buy the car.
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With the interest in electric cars on the rise, Toyota hopes to bring back the popular electric car by entering into an agreement with Tesla. Tesla aims at producing the most affordable electric cars and is the only automaker in the United States that builds highway-capable electric cars.
Tags: RAV4 SUV EV, Toyota, Toyota RAV4 SUV
