Toyota has revealed the production-ready Toyota RAV4 EV at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles, USA. The Japanese company claims that it equals or exceeds the performance, dynamics and cargo capacity of its conventionally powered counterpart.
Built in conjunction with electric sports car specialist, Tesla, the RAV4 EV comes fitted with a 154hp electric motor. In 'Normal' mode the front-wheel drive EV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds, though switching to 'Sport' mode will drop this down to seven seconds dead. With a full charge the expected driving range is just short of 160 kilometres and charging can be completed in approximately six hours if using a 240V supply. A cable that accepts standard household current is also provided.
Compared with the regular RAV4, Toyota re-styled the front bumper, upper and lower grilles, side mirrors, rear spoiler and under body to provide optimum air flow around the vehicle. Taken as a whole these tweaks help to make the EV the most aerodynamic SUV on the market.
The RAV4 EV will go on sale during the summer with Toyota planning to sell 2,600 units over the next three years. Before you break out your cheque book, the new car will only be available in certain parts of California for now, where it will carry a $49,800 price tag - equivalent to just over €38,000.