Tesla and Toyota Working Together!

In case you have never heard of Tesla, they are a California based company that is famous for producing incredibly expensive electric roadsters.  While these vehicles are more performance oriented than most of the line up at San Jose Honda, the Japanese based auto brand has higher sales profits because of name association and familiarity that Tesla has not established for themselves yet.  The latest news in the green auto world is the plan for Toyota and Tesla to team up and make an electric version of their RAV4; you can probably find a used one over at Birmingham Honda.  We are already seeing the mainstream release of electric vehicles from brands like Chevrolet and New York Nissan, but the RAV4 will be the first viable electric SUV in mass production.

The current RAV4 offers drivers some of the best gas mileage in the small SUV class, but the electric version will be expected to travel up to 100 miles of real-world driving in between charges.  Tesla and Toyota are engaging in a trade of sorts to help make an electric RAV4 a reality.  The goal for mass production is 2012, and that will also be the same time that the Toyota RAV4 receives a makeover and enters its next generation design.  First off, though, Tesla has to produce a fleet of prototypes so that Toyota can make suggestions for improvement to their concept design. 

Toyota has taken a $50 million equity stake in Tesla and Tesla will in turn gain control of the NUMMI plant that Toyota had built in Fremont, California.  The plant currently is not being used, so Tesla will have no problem beginning production there.  We first saw an attempt at an electric RAV4 back in 1997, but it only lasted until 2003 with very limited sales and production.  At the 2010 L.A. Auto Show, Toyota brought a version of their electric RAV4 but the stylistic design changes were minimal.  Hopefully the design that Toyota and Tesla can agree upon features some modern improvements to the outdated interior of the current RAV4. 

2012 rav4, toyota tesla, rev4 electric