Toyota expects the 2012 RAV4 EV to do well in the U.S. market, especially in California. 07/21/2011
Toyota plans to introduce two electric vehicles (EVs) to the U.S. market in 2012, the RAV4 EV and the Scion iQ. It is the only car company to offer more than one new EV.
The Japanese automaker teamed up with Tesla to build the electric RAV4 for the 2012 model year, which explains their recent $50 million investment in the experimental auto company, according to Popular Mechanics (PM). The new car will run on a Tesla battery pack that weighs close to 660-pounds and generates roughly 50 kilowatts of power per charge. USA Today reports that the battery will likely be similar to the one used in the Tesla Roadster - consisting of thousands of laptop batteries bundled together.
The RAV4 EV promises to be capable of achieving 80 to 120 miles per charge. Even more impressively, the PM test drive found that the new car can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under nine seconds and can reach speeds of 100 mph - not bad for an electric car.
"Recent reports have incorrectly stated that the 2012 RAV4 EV will only be marketed to fleet and car-sharing programs," a Toyota representative stated. "The 2012 RAV4 EV will definitely be sold to the general public."
The Scion iQ, on the otherhand, will not be commercially sold - at least at first - which is unfortunate because it has been selling well, as the Toyota iQ, in Europe since early 2009. The iQ is the smallest four-passenger car in the world, and it gets an impressive 57 miles per gallon.