Toyota RAV4 EV priced at $49,800
05-14-14, 12:10 PM
#46
05-14-14, 05:57 PM
#49
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
05-14-14, 07:03 PM
#50
Short term, these deals as well as outright selling of EPA credits are helping Tesla a lot... few years from now, both of those will dry up (EPA changes rules in 2018 that will get Tesla half the credits it gets now - they are using loophole that gives them more credits for their batteries being swappable even if you cant actually swap them).
05-16-14, 07:10 AM
#51
Toyota RAV4 EV to be discontinued, deal with Tesla Motors not being renewed
Costs 49,800 USD
Toyota has disclosed plans to terminate production of the RAV4 EV at the end of the year.
Powered by Tesla Motors, the electric RAV4 never took off as the company sold only 1,594 units since the car was introduced about two years ago. Right from the start Toyota planned only two model years for the car as a way to meet California's zero-emission mandate. The deal with Tesla will expire at the end of the year and will not be renewed so production will end once the 2,600th car will be assembled.
The Toyota RAV4 EV costs almost 50,000 USD and comes powered by a 156 PS electric motor offering a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) run in a decent 7 seconds before topping out at 161 mph (100 mph). More important, the electric crossover has an EPA-estimated range of 103 miles (166 km/h) before the 42 kW battery pack runs out of juice.
Toyota has disclosed plans to terminate production of the RAV4 EV at the end of the year.
Powered by Tesla Motors, the electric RAV4 never took off as the company sold only 1,594 units since the car was introduced about two years ago. Right from the start Toyota planned only two model years for the car as a way to meet California's zero-emission mandate. The deal with Tesla will expire at the end of the year and will not be renewed so production will end once the 2,600th car will be assembled.
The Toyota RAV4 EV costs almost 50,000 USD and comes powered by a 156 PS electric motor offering a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) run in a decent 7 seconds before topping out at 161 mph (100 mph). More important, the electric crossover has an EPA-estimated range of 103 miles (166 km/h) before the 42 kW battery pack runs out of juice.
05-16-14, 02:01 PM
#58
05-16-14, 02:02 PM
#59
The Toyota RAV4 EV Was Always A Placeholder
Yet the Toyota RAV4 EV was always meant to be a placeholder, and looking back it’s clear Toyota has no intention of committing to pure electric vehicles.
The $100 million battery deal was seen as a major win for Tesla, but others wondered aloud why Toyota was farming out electric vehicle technology when it should be developing its own. The answer is simple; Toyota would rather allocate most of its talent and resources towards its upcoming hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, set to go on sale in California starting next year. Toyota has never hidden their intentions, with key executives constantly telling media types that they believe hydrogen is the way forward, and they’re only building electric vehicles because they have to.
California’s Air Resource Board mandates that any automaker selling vehicles en masse must offer a zero emissions model if they want to continue sales in the Golden State, and the Toyota FCV wasn’t ready in time to meet that mandate. So, Toyota turned to Tesla for a quick fix in the form of the RAV4 EV, but the company actively discouraged sales outside of California. So even though the RAV4 EV was an all-around capable electric SUV with an EPA-rated 103 miles of range per charge, and customers were willing to jump through a number of hoops just to get their hands on one, this little experiment will come to an end with a whimper, not a bang.
Yet the Toyota RAV4 EV was always meant to be a placeholder, and looking back it’s clear Toyota has no intention of committing to pure electric vehicles.
The $100 million battery deal was seen as a major win for Tesla, but others wondered aloud why Toyota was farming out electric vehicle technology when it should be developing its own. The answer is simple; Toyota would rather allocate most of its talent and resources towards its upcoming hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, set to go on sale in California starting next year. Toyota has never hidden their intentions, with key executives constantly telling media types that they believe hydrogen is the way forward, and they’re only building electric vehicles because they have to.
California’s Air Resource Board mandates that any automaker selling vehicles en masse must offer a zero emissions model if they want to continue sales in the Golden State, and the Toyota FCV wasn’t ready in time to meet that mandate. So, Toyota turned to Tesla for a quick fix in the form of the RAV4 EV, but the company actively discouraged sales outside of California. So even though the RAV4 EV was an all-around capable electric SUV with an EPA-rated 103 miles of range per charge, and customers were willing to jump through a number of hoops just to get their hands on one, this little experiment will come to an end with a whimper, not a bang.