Toyota RAV4 EV Revealed

Toyota has introduced the all-new ToyotaRAV4 EV at the annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles.

In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation and Tesla Motors agreed to develop an all-electric version of the RAV4 by 2012. Combining the EV technology knowledge of Tesla and the engineering, manufacturing and production expertise of Toyota, they were able to realize that in less than half the time of the in typical industry 5-year development cycle.

Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division, said “The all-new RAV4 EV marries the efficiency of an EV with the versatility of a small SUV – in fact, it is the only all-electric SUV on the market.”

This Toyota RAV4 EV has an expected driving range rating of around 100 miles and charging time of approximately six hours on a 240V/40A charger. The driving performance, dynamics and cargo capacity are equal to or better than the gas powered RAV4 V6. Maximum output from the electric powertrain is 154 HP (115kW) @ 2,800 rpm. 

Toyota’s approved electric vehicle equipment provider, Leviton, offers varying charging options. The shortest charge time of approximately six hours is achieved with a custom 240V (Level 2), 40A, 9.6 kW output charging station. The RAV4 EV comes equipped with a 120V (Level 1) emergency charging cable for when Level 2 charging is unavailable. The battery warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles.

The RAV4 EV will go on sale only in the select California markets of Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County and San Diego in late summer 2012. Toyota expects to sale in around 2,600 units in the next three years, compared to the 15,000 gas-powered RAV4s it sold last month alone.

The most expensive gas-powered Toyota Rav4 is base priced at less than $29,000, while the EV will go for $49,800 each, but will come with features like heated seats and an eight inch touch-sensitive computer screen. That price is also before the $7,500 federal tax credit for purchasing a plug-in vehicle and the $2,500 state tax credit.


(Toyota RAV4 EV photo courtesy of Toyota UK)