Toyota RAV4 EV priced at $49,800
05-09-12, 08:49 AM
#31
Failure is part of the marketplace. I don't know of one company that has had successes only.
If the Rav4 EV is a failure, so be it. However, with current trends in technology and government regulation, Toyota cannot deny the need to initiate.
It isn't inspiration. It's evolution.
Complacency is a horrible plan. Toyota's got an evolutionary plan...
05-09-12, 08:57 AM
#33
Lexus Fanatic
raw Lithium is steadily climbing in price, and it's becoming more costly to excavate and meet the demands. I wonder how much Lithium is actually in the Battery packs of these hybrid or full electric vehicles?
"Though traded internationally, lithium it is not traded on the public market and is sold directly to end use markets for a negotiated price per tonne or pound of (Li, K)Cl or carbonate compounds. This makes price data difficult to confirm but some recent deals have reached $6,500USD/tonne for lithium carbonate, driven by high demand from end use buyers and relatively low global production."
"Though traded internationally, lithium it is not traded on the public market and is sold directly to end use markets for a negotiated price per tonne or pound of (Li, K)Cl or carbonate compounds. This makes price data difficult to confirm but some recent deals have reached $6,500USD/tonne for lithium carbonate, driven by high demand from end use buyers and relatively low global production."
05-09-12, 11:20 AM
#34
Do you get money back with V6 somehow?
I am curious.
05-09-12, 12:26 PM
#35
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
This car only has a range of 100 miles at best! I don't care what kind of baubles they've added, it's all lpstick on this heavy battery powered expensive pig 
05-09-12, 01:01 PM
#36
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It's such a wasted opportunity for Toyota to debut the next-gen RAV4 IMO. $50k is too much for a body style that is soon to be obsolete. At least the Leaf looks distinctly different from anything out there, the Versa included. The RAV4 EV on the other hand looks just like a kitted RAV4 that's been on the market since 2005.
Last edited by ydooby; 05-09-12 at 01:04 PM.
05-09-12, 03:19 PM
#39
Moderator: LFA, Clubhouse
It's a tax credit, not a tax deduction, so it is worth the full 10k if you would otherwise owe that much.
However, I do not know if it is refundable. If it is, they would send you a refund check if you owe less than that in tax. If it isn't, you can only take your tax to zero, and you lose out on the rest of the value.
Also, I'm not sure if it can reduce your AMT, if you are subject to it. If it can't, then it can only take your tax to the AMT, and you lose out on the rest of the value.
However, I do not know if it is refundable. If it is, they would send you a refund check if you owe less than that in tax. If it isn't, you can only take your tax to zero, and you lose out on the rest of the value.
Also, I'm not sure if it can reduce your AMT, if you are subject to it. If it can't, then it can only take your tax to the AMT, and you lose out on the rest of the value.
05-11-14, 12:18 PM
#40
Tesla to Stop Supplying Toyota With Batteries for RAV4 EV
Tesla has announced its deal to supply Toyota with battery packs for the RAV4 EV will conclude this year.
Toyota owns 2.4 percent stake in Tesla, and said in May 2012 that it would purchase components for 2,600 RAV4 EVs over the course of three years. The Japanese automaker is expected to end the current RAV4 EV model this year, so Tesla expects the production activities under the program to end this year.
The supply deal has generated $15.1 million of revenue for the American electric automaker in the quarter that ended March 31. Conclusion of the program comes as Tesla gears up to expand global sales of its Model S and is getting ready to produce its Model X crossover, which will begin deliveries in 2015.
Toyota has not revealed what its plans are for the future of the RAV4 EV model.
Toyota owns 2.4 percent stake in Tesla, and said in May 2012 that it would purchase components for 2,600 RAV4 EVs over the course of three years. The Japanese automaker is expected to end the current RAV4 EV model this year, so Tesla expects the production activities under the program to end this year.
The supply deal has generated $15.1 million of revenue for the American electric automaker in the quarter that ended March 31. Conclusion of the program comes as Tesla gears up to expand global sales of its Model S and is getting ready to produce its Model X crossover, which will begin deliveries in 2015.
Toyota has not revealed what its plans are for the future of the RAV4 EV model.
05-14-14, 06:33 AM
#41
Lexus Champion
Toyota abandons Tesla’s EV tech, will push hydrogen fuel cell vehicles instead
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1...hicles-instead
In the wake of the auto industry collapse in 2010, Toyota made a move that many industry watchers applauded. It partnered with electric vehicle maker Tesla to incorporate its battery technology into future Toyota cars and SUVs. Tesla was seeing success in a very niche market with its Tesla Roadster, so it seemed like a safe bet for the Japanese company to bring it to the mainstream. Four years and one spectacularly failed vehicle later, Toyota is throwing in the towel on pure electric vehicles in favor of hydrogen fuel cells.
Tesla is the brainchild of Elon Musk, now equally famous for his private space firm SpaceX. With the Roadster, this was the first auto manufacturer to make an electric vehicle that didn’t drive like a golf cart, but it was also hugely expensive. Toyota wanted to get its hands on that electric powertrain technology for use in its vehicles, and it started with an all-electric RAV4 SUV. Unfortunately, Toyota could hardly even give these things away.
Tesla has confirmed in regulatory filings that the supply deal is coming to an end, but Toyota is keeping its 3% stake in Tesla for the time being. Toyota’s new vision for zero-emission cars goes back to a technology that was all the rage a few years ago — hydrogen fuel cells.
Much of the attention Tesla gets probably has as much to do with being a slick Silicon Valley startup as it does with making interesting electric cars. None of that Tesla mystique has rubbed off on Toyota’s EVs. Even so, it’s a bold decision to move away from a workable but boring solution like batteries to the sexier hydrogen fuel cell option. Toyota might be trading a problem of marketing for a much harder to solve technological one.
The makers of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids (which Toyota is still the top manufacturer of) have worked to make their products more attractive by investing in EV recharging stations throughout the US. Tesla is particularly fond of pointing out how far you can drive one of its cars if you carefully plan your trip to take advantage of existing Supercharger stations. Even if you don’t have a nearby EV charger and the only power around is a regular 110v socket, you can still charge your EV — it just might take 8 hours. They don’t exactly build houses with hot and cold running hydrogen.
Toyota is reportedly working on hydrogen refueling stations that would support its fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), but it’s unclear where all that hydrogen is going to come from. Despite being the most common element in the universe, pure hydrogen is not particularly easy to come by on Earth. The most common method of producing hydrogen involves stripping it off hydrocarbons like methane and gasoline through a process called steam reforming. That doesn't do much to reduce our dependance on fossil fuels, but other methods like bioreactors and water electrolysis are far from efficient enough for industrial scale production.
Tesla is preparing to launch its own all-electric crossover SUV next year, called the Tesla Model X. Toyota is expected to unveil a new 4-door sedan in the US next year that relies entirely on hydrogen fuel cells for power. It’s going to be an interesting matchup.
In the wake of the auto industry collapse in 2010, Toyota made a move that many industry watchers applauded. It partnered with electric vehicle maker Tesla to incorporate its battery technology into future Toyota cars and SUVs. Tesla was seeing success in a very niche market with its Tesla Roadster, so it seemed like a safe bet for the Japanese company to bring it to the mainstream. Four years and one spectacularly failed vehicle later, Toyota is throwing in the towel on pure electric vehicles in favor of hydrogen fuel cells.
Tesla is the brainchild of Elon Musk, now equally famous for his private space firm SpaceX. With the Roadster, this was the first auto manufacturer to make an electric vehicle that didn’t drive like a golf cart, but it was also hugely expensive. Toyota wanted to get its hands on that electric powertrain technology for use in its vehicles, and it started with an all-electric RAV4 SUV. Unfortunately, Toyota could hardly even give these things away.
Tesla has confirmed in regulatory filings that the supply deal is coming to an end, but Toyota is keeping its 3% stake in Tesla for the time being. Toyota’s new vision for zero-emission cars goes back to a technology that was all the rage a few years ago — hydrogen fuel cells.
Much of the attention Tesla gets probably has as much to do with being a slick Silicon Valley startup as it does with making interesting electric cars. None of that Tesla mystique has rubbed off on Toyota’s EVs. Even so, it’s a bold decision to move away from a workable but boring solution like batteries to the sexier hydrogen fuel cell option. Toyota might be trading a problem of marketing for a much harder to solve technological one.
The makers of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids (which Toyota is still the top manufacturer of) have worked to make their products more attractive by investing in EV recharging stations throughout the US. Tesla is particularly fond of pointing out how far you can drive one of its cars if you carefully plan your trip to take advantage of existing Supercharger stations. Even if you don’t have a nearby EV charger and the only power around is a regular 110v socket, you can still charge your EV — it just might take 8 hours. They don’t exactly build houses with hot and cold running hydrogen.
Toyota is reportedly working on hydrogen refueling stations that would support its fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), but it’s unclear where all that hydrogen is going to come from. Despite being the most common element in the universe, pure hydrogen is not particularly easy to come by on Earth. The most common method of producing hydrogen involves stripping it off hydrocarbons like methane and gasoline through a process called steam reforming. That doesn't do much to reduce our dependance on fossil fuels, but other methods like bioreactors and water electrolysis are far from efficient enough for industrial scale production.
Tesla is preparing to launch its own all-electric crossover SUV next year, called the Tesla Model X. Toyota is expected to unveil a new 4-door sedan in the US next year that relies entirely on hydrogen fuel cells for power. It’s going to be an interesting matchup.
05-14-14, 06:59 AM
#42
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Four years and one spectacularly failed vehicle later
05-14-14, 07:36 AM
#43
it is bullcrap article... Tesla was to build small amount of Rav4 EVs for Toyota (2800 or something like that) - once they build them, thats it... it was done to comply with some California emissions laws and only sold there.
05-14-14, 08:16 AM
#44
Toyota had the ***** to get it done.
Name another electric SUV in the market. Yup. None.
Too bad that the battery supply is no longer available. It would have been great to see Tesla's technology trickle to ToMoCo products (I was really hoping for an electric GS based on the Model S), but Tesla has a plan on their own, and so does Toyota.
This surely is just the beginning. I would love to see what Tesla has to offer in the future, and what new technologies Toyota will come up with as well.
Name another electric SUV in the market. Yup. None.
Too bad that the battery supply is no longer available. It would have been great to see Tesla's technology trickle to ToMoCo products (I was really hoping for an electric GS based on the Model S), but Tesla has a plan on their own, and so does Toyota.
This surely is just the beginning. I would love to see what Tesla has to offer in the future, and what new technologies Toyota will come up with as well.
