2013 Toyota RAV4 EV

The 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV is the product of a unique collaboration with Tesla Motors spurred by Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. Twenty-two months after the project announcement, Toyota and Tesla engineers have succeeded in bringing an outstanding product to market in record time.

This information about 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. has revealed its highly anticipated all-new Toyota RAV4 EV at the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. This all-electric SUV is rated driving range is estimated about 100 miles and a charging time of about six hours on the charger 240V/40A. Toyota RAV4 EV driving performance, dynamics and cargo capacity equal to or exceeds the gas powered RAV4 V6. Arriving fully-equipped with an MSRP of $ 49,800 Toyota RAV4 EV does not compromise on performance, comfort or flexibility.

The 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV combines a Tesla designed and produced battery and electric power train with Toyota’s most popular SUV model. The collaborative team set its sights on refining the customer experience. From advanced charging options to interior comfort to interactive displays, the vehicle has been designed for customer ease of use and maximum vehicle range. 

The front wheel drive Toyota RAV4 EV allows drivers to select from two distinctly different drive modes, Sport and Normal. In Sport mode, the vehicle reaches 0-60 mph in just 7.0 seconds and has a maximum speed of 100 mph. Normal mode achieves 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 85 mph. Maximum output from the electric powertrain is 154 HP (115kW) @ 2,800 rpm.

Toyota RAV4 EV offers an exceptionally smooth, quiet ride and comfortable handling due in part to its low coefficient of drag and low center of gravity. In fact, at 0.30 Cd, RAV4 EV achieves the lowest coefficient of drag of any SUV in the world. Compared with the gas powered RAV4, Toyota re-styled the front bumper, upper and lower grill, side mirrors, rear spoiler, and under body design to maximize air flow around the vehicle. The RAV4 EV’s battery pack is mounted low and to the center of the vehicle, contributing to a more sedan-like ride.

On the exterior, Toyota RAV4 EV features upscale LED low beam projector headlights with halogen projector high beams. A manual leveling system allows customers to redirect the headlights when the vehicle changes significantly in pitch due to a heavy load. Five vertical LEDs make up the daytime running lights, which dim to parking lights. The rear combination lights are LEDs accented by a unique light smoke outer lens. Other exterior variations from the gasoline powered RAV4 include new exterior emblems on the front, rear and the front door panel utilizing the signature Toyota “environmental blue.”

The vehicle will be available later this year in three exterior colors: Blizzard White Pearl, Shoreline Blue Pearl and Classic Silver Metallic. The interior features a unique “Neutron” fabric, woven with a subtle sheen and blue accent, on the seat inserts and door trim.

2013 Toyota RAV4

Toyota now has the production version of the jointly developed with Tesla Motors RAV4 EV presented.

The new electric vehicle based on the conventionally powered RAV4 is equipped with an electric drivetrain by Tesla. The range is about 160 kilometers.

Despite the 41.8 kWh battery, the large vehicle weight is 1829 kg with only 213 pounds on the series RAV4 with a V6 gasoline engine. The Toyota RAV4 EV is introduced in the late summer of 2012 in the California market, the price starts at U.S. $ 49 800.

Toyota expects that it will sell in the next three years, 2,600 units. Production is the electric version of the RAV4 at Toyota plant in Woodstock / Canada, sold in Europe is planned.

The Easy Way Out: Toyota Announces $49,800 RAV4 EV

File this next story under Half-Baked.

Yesterday, Toyota finally announced the crucial details for its RAV4 EV joint project with Tesla Motors first announced almost two years ago. And what does Toyota have to show for two years, and $100 million (at least) of investment? A $49,800 all-electric SUV with 100 miles of range. Toyota expects to sell just 2,600 of these in the next three years.

I wonder why?
There is no doubt in my mind that Toyota is better than this. Toyota is THE leader hybrid car technology and sales. Over a decade after the Prius debuted, there is still no other gasoline car that comes even close to that kind of fuel efficiency. With the Prius C and Prius V, Toyota has widened the fuel economy gap to a canyon. I may not like Toyota, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to cars.
So what gives with the RAV4 EV? It seems so…quaint. 100 miles of range, for $50,000? It seems far-fetched that Tesla and Toyota couldn’t do better, especially given the fact that for the same price (after tax credits), you can get a Tesla Model X with 230 miles of range. Sounds to me like Toyota just needed Tesla to do the heavy lifting, and Tesla was more than happy to produce an inferior product to its own offering.
In other words, this is not a serious attempt at selling an electric RAV4. This is, as many are already calling it, a “compliance car”, designed and built to meet California’s zero-emissions vehicle regulations. The RAV4 will go on sale in select markets, all of them in California, later on in the summer.
After the $7,500 tax credit, the price will come down to $42,300, which is still a bitter pill to swallow (just ask GM). For that kind of scrilla, why not just get a fully-loaded version of Toyota’s own Prius V?
It saddens me to see Toyota cheapen itself with such a half-baked effort. Obviously, real-world performance matters, and a consistent 100 miles of range would be enough mileage for 95% of real-world trips. Also, 0-60 mph in “Sport” mode takes just 7.0 seconds. Even in “Normal”, the sprint from 0-60 is an average 8.6 seconds. From a 240V charging station, the RAV4 EV will take about six hours to fully charge. The drag co-efficient of .30 gives it the lowest drag of any SUV in the world…and lower than many cars too. So in fairness to Toyota, it sounds like they really have created an electric vehicle with performance more on par with its gas counterpart. That is worth something…but is it worth the cost in range?
The really disappointing thing to me is that Toyota’s freshman effort at an all-electric RAV4 offered similar performance, at least in terms of mileage. People tend to focus on critical numbers like range. 100 miles in an SUV means a lot more reliance on remote charging stations for family trips
Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe Toyota just wasn’t ambitious enough. What say you readers?



Source: Gas2.0

2012 Toyota RAV4 EV Electric SUV - Expect Less Than 1,000 per Year

Today, Toyota revealed the production version of its eagerly awaited 2012 RAV4 EV all-electric crossover, with a powertrain designed and provided by startup electric carmaker Tesla Motors. Surprising many at the event, Toyota revealed its production plans: It expects to build and sell roughly 2,600 RAV4 EVs over the next three years, and it will launch in only four California regions. That’s only a fraction of the 10,000 or so Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid models that the company will likely sell during 2012. It would appear to indicate that the RAV4 EV is essentially more a “compliance car”—designed to meet California Zero-Emission Vehicle rules—than a product Toyota plans to market and sell aggressively across the country. “We look forward to seeing how the market responds” to the RAV4 EV, said Bob Carter, Toyota’s group VP and general manager. He predicted that the RAV4 EV would attract “sophisticated early technology adopters, much like the first-generation Prius.” The 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV has a range estimated at 100 miles—the EPA range rating is more likely to be 70 to 75 miles—and it carries a list price of $49,800 before incentives. Toyota says the performance and handling of the electric RAV4 matches that of the most powerful gasoline RAV4 model, fitted with a V-6 engine. In Normal mode, it takes 8.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, and top speed is limited to 85 mph. In Sport mode, however, the 0-to-60-mph time is cut to 7.0 seconds, and top speed rises to 100 mph. With the battery pack mounted centrally and low in the floorpan, the RAV4 EV should be fun to drive—something that certainly can’t said of every crossover utility. The blue dash display turns red when the driver selects Sport mode. Following a 2010 meeting between new Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, the RAV4 EV was announced in July 2010. Toyota showed an early prototype at the Los Angeles Auto Show that November, and first drives of refined prototypes came in April 2011. Tesla provides the lithium-ion battery pack, power electronics, and the electric motor that powers the front wheels, with a rated peak power of 115 kilowatts (154 hp). The battery warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles. Many modifications unique to the electric model have been made to the base vehicle. Toyota claims that the RAV4 EV is the world’s most aerodynamic SUV, quoting a drag coefficient of 0.30. Compared to gasoline versions, the new model has a modified front bumper, grille and surround, as well as changes to the side mirrors and rear spoiler, and underbody shields and changes to smooth airflow under the vehicle. The RAV4 EV comes as a high-end model in the RAV4 range. Both front seats--including the six-way adjustable driver’s seat—incorporate heaters. A central 8-inch capacitive touchscreen display shows EV operating data as well as telematics and infotainment. Low beams and daytime running lights are LED, with projector high beams. Toyota will offer three colors: Blizzard Pearl White, Shoreline Blue Pearl, and Classic Silver Metallic. Seat inserts and door trim are made of a blue-tinted “Neutron” fabric. Cargo space is 73 cubic feet, the same as the standard RAV4. The RAV4 EV comes with a standard 120-Volt charging cable, although Toyota is working with Leviton to provide 240-Volt home charging stations for owners. One option is a 40-amp, 9.6-kilowatt station that will provide a charging time of roughly 6 hours. The vehicle’s onboard Tesla charger can operate up to 10 kilowatts. The charging port is a standard J-1772 socket. The electric RAV4 will initially be offered for sale late this summer in four California regional markets: San Diego, Los Angeles/Orange County, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area. It will go into production at Toyota’s RAV4 plant in Woodstock, Ontario, within weeks. The unveiling took place on the exposition floor of the 26 th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium, held this week in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Source: Green Car Reports

Toyota to debut new RAV4 EV at EVS 26

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., will debut the new RAV4 EV (earlier post) at the 26^th International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS26) in Los Angeles on 7 May.

TMS unveiled a second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV demonstrator vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2010. Toyota built 35 of these Phase Zero vehicles—essentially converted RAV4s—for a demonstration and evaluation program through 2011. Tesla Motors is supplying the battery and other related components.

The vehicle going on sale this year is a fully re-engineered RAV4 EV (Phase One vehicle), which will be sold to the general public as well as to fleet users.

Toyota raises prices on 2012 Prius by between $480 and $1,045

The slightly tweaked 2012 Toyota Prius is getting one more refinement: a price increase (as it does almost every year, see here, here and here). The Prius Liftback (which is the new name for what us old-timers used call the regular Prius) now starts at $24,000 for the Prius Two version while the Prius Five starts at $29,805 (plus a delivery, processing and handling fee of $760). Depending on which model you're talking about, the increase is somewhere between two and 4.3 percent. That equals a price hike of just $480 for the Two, $1,045 for the Three, $915 for the Four and $1,015 for the Five. The Prius One, which is only avaialbe to fleets, will go up by $895. The 2012 Prius will reach U.S. dealers in January.

What do you get for your extra coin? An optional Entune system in the dash, refreshed headlamps and tail lamps. Oh, and a distinctive front fascia and bumper. All told, there will be four trim lines and seven available configurations. Full details on what's new in which particular 2012 Prius are here.

The Toyota RAV4 SUV is also going up by $100. Details on MSRP changes for both models can be found after the jump.



Source: Autoblog Green