Toyota & Tesla previews RAV4 EV

Toyota introduced us, over a decade ago, to the concept of guilt-free motoring with the Prius, the subject of enough debate and debacle to fuel any fossil fuel plant in its own right, and seem to have rested much of their commitment towards continuous refinements and model revisions of their much loved but rather ungainly green-mobile.

Those paying a bit more attention to their green drive may remember way back in 1997, when Toyota brought the first-generation RAV4 EV to market in response to the California zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, and was the first manufacturer to meet the mandate’s Memo of Agreement on volume sales. Powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, this RAV had a range of 130-210km on a single charge and was a reasonably decent all round offering, but in its 5-year life span only 1484 were sold or leased in the USA and today, only half of them are still on the road. Still, a valiant effort, especially at the time. Now, Toyota has revived the green RAV dream with the unveiling of their new ‘RAV4 EV’ concept, an all-electric vehicle jointly developed with Tesla, at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

A total of 35 RAV EVs will be built for a demonstration and evaluation program through 2011, with the introduction of a final production model in the US in 2012. The production vehicle will have a target range of 160 km in actual road driving patterns in a wide range of climates and conditions.

The RAV4 EV concept is based on the current Toyota RAV4 compact SUV body and fitted with a Tesla electric powertrain. Led by the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America (TEMA) Technical Centre in Michigan, the new development model helped reduce development time without compromising product quality.

Tesla, perhaps one of the best-known electric car manufacturers worldwide thanks to their real-world proven and production-ready performance roadsters and coupes, was responsible for building and supplying the RAV EV’s battery, as well as other related parts, that met specific Toyota engineering specifications in performance, quality

and durability. Toyota meanwhile was responsible for development and manufacturing leadership and the integration of the powertrain.

A large part of the team’s focus on the customer experience targeted drivability, which has long been perceived as the Achilles heel of electric motoring. In this case, the end goal is a vehicle with drivability characteristics as close to the conventional RAV4 as possible. For example, the demonstration vehicle weighs approximately 100kg more than the current RAV4 (although that’s the heavier V6 model, so expect EV to edge towards the 2 ton mark), but will accelerate from 0 to 100km/h nearly as quickly.

The added weight factor required significant retuning of major components and a prioritized focus on weight distribution, another challenge to the EV ideal. Not only were suspension and steering modified significantly, major components needed to be relocated to better balance the increased mass of the battery pack.

A lithium metal oxide battery powers the demonstration vehicle currently being tested, with useable output rated in the mid-30kWh range. However, many decisions regarding both the product, as well as the business model, have not been finalized. Battery size and final output ratings, as well as pricing and volume projections of the vehicle Toyota plans to bring to market in 2012 have not been decided.

The basic vehicle will continue to be built at Toyota’s Canadian production facility in Woodstock, Ontario, while Tesla will build the battery and related parts and components at its new facility in Palo Alto, California. The method and installation location of the Tesla components into the vehicle is being discussed. One challenge that Toyota has overcome is that of large battery packs eating into interior and/or boot space, but Toyota claim that no cargo space was lost in the RAV4’s conversion to an electric powertrain.

In perhaps the most definite sign that the EV will become available to the volume market soon, Toyota’s marketing department has already cast its brush towards the vehicle. It will receive some distinctive exterior styling changes including a new front bumper, grille, fog lamps and headlamps, obligatory EV badging and custom “mutually exclusive” paint colours. The interior will have custom seat trim, multimedia dash displays, push-button gearshift and dashboard meters.

Toyota pretty much opened the green door and led the industry in the development of hybrid petrol-electric systems, as deployed in Prius, Auris HSD and other models in markets worldwide. RAV4 EV is a further example of Toyota’s efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions by developing more efficient and alternative powertrain technologies, with a much-needed commitment towards bringing viable options to the market as soon as possible.

Personally I believe the 160km barrier may sway some people away from the RAV EV, but there is method in this if one looks at the average RAV buyer – usually not someone without the option of a second (albeit hubby’s/wife’s) car, especially in South Africa and similar markets where the RAV competes as a premium SUV and not an entry level runaround. This second car then could serve well for the long haul road trips, which leads onto the RAV’s purpose.

Work out in your own head how many kilometers you travel every day, to work and back probably, and then the weekend jaunts. Unless you live pretty far out, to cover over a 160km round trip in one day (without any stopping near a power outlet) is pretty unusual. Most people live within a 50km radius of their workplace (even in sprawled-out South Africa), so the RAV EV will have you covered. Even if you do end up travelling to the distant in-laws near the provincial border 160km away, I’m sure they won’t mind exchanging the pleasure of your company for a Rand or two of Eskom’s finest.

All that remains to be seen is how the RAV EV performs in real life conditions in 2011 and 2012, and hope that it comes to our shores too as a much needed alternative to the Prius. Let’s also hope that an inflated price on an already premium SUV, nor stunted driving dynamics nullify its hype and performance promises. And, of course, let’s also hope that the accelerator pedal works properly.

- Kevin Willemse