2011 Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle

2011 Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle

Toyota Debuts 100-Mile vary, RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle at LA  Auto Show

Toyota/Tesla Collaboration to make, Demonstrate And Evaluate thirty five Vehicles;

Fully built Second-Generation RAV4 EV Slated For 2012 On-Sale Date

LOS ANGELES, November 17 2010 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) debuted these days the second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV at a news conference at the LA Auto Show. a complete of thirty five vehicles are going to be engineered for an indication and analysis program through 2011, aiming at market arrival of a fully-engineered vehicle in 2012. The fully-engineered vehicle can have a target vary of a hundred miles in actual road driving patterns, in a very big selection of climates and conditions.

'When we have a tendency to determined to figure along on the RAV4 EV, President Akio Toyoda wished to adopt a brand new development model that incorporated Tesla's streamlined, quick-action approach,' said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer, TMS. 'The result was a hybrid – a brand new call and approval method and a development vogue that our engineers visit as 'fast and versatile.'

Led by the Toyota Motor Engineering and manufacturing North America (TEMA) Technical Center in Michigan, the new development model helped scale back development time while not compromising product quality. The team has accomplished this by approaching the project as they'd a typical mid-cycle 'major-minor' product amendment. Specifically, midway through a generation, the team began with a totally built current-generation RAV4, to that was added a significant powertrain choice, along wîth minor feature and cosmetic changes.

Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle

Tesla was accountable for building and supplying the battery, similarly as different connected elements, that met specific Toyota engineering specifications in performance, quality and sturdiness. Toyota was accountable for development and producing leadership and therefore the seamless integration of the powertrain.

'From the start, the client expertise has been the main target,' said Lentz. 'In different words, how can we deliver an unconventional product to mainstream customers that's compelling and reasonable which offers a suitable level of daily convenience.'

A large a part of the team's specialize in the client expertise targeted driveability. during this case, the tip goal may be a vehicle wîth driveability characteristics as near the standard RAV4 as potential.

For example, the demonstration vehicle weighs approximately 220 pounds over this RAV4 V6 nevertheless it'll accelerate from zero to sixty nearly as quickly.

This added weight issue needed important retuning of major parts and a prioritized specialize in weight distribution. Not solely were suspension and steering changed considerably, major parts required to be relocated to higher balance the increased mass of the battery pack.

 Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle

The demonstration vehicle Toyota is currently testing is powered by a lithium metal oxide battery with useable output rated within the mid-30 kwh vary. However, many choices relating to each the merchandise, similarly because the business model, haven't been finalized. Battery size and final output ratings, similarly as pricing and volume projections of the vehicle Toyota plans to bring to plug in 2012, haven't been determined.

As for a final assembly location, Toyota is considering several choices and combos. the fundamental vehicle can still be engineered at its Canadian production facility in Woodstock, Ontario. Tesla can build the battery and connected elements and parts at its new facility in Palo Alto, Calif. the strategy and installation location of the Tesla parts into the vehicle is being mentioned.

The RAV4 EV received many distinct exterior styling changes together with a brand new front bumper, grille, fog lamps and head lamps. New EV badging and therefore the custom 'mutually exclusive' paint color, completed the transformation. the inside received custom seat trim, multimedia dash displays, push-button shifter and dashboard meters. The RAV4 platform brings a 73-cubic-foot cargo space with rear seats folded down – no cargo area was lost within the conversion to an electrical powertrain.

In 1997, Toyota delivered to market 1st|the primary}-generation RAV4 EV in response to the California zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate and was the first manufacturer to satisfy the mandate's Memo of Agreement on volume sales. Powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the vehicle had a spread of between 80-110 miles on one charge. From model year 1998 to model year 2003, only 1,484 vehicles were sold or leased within the U.S. 746 first-generation RAV4 EVs are still on the road (www.toyotarav4ev.com).

'Price and convenience proved to be crucial success factors and that they stay therefore nowadays,' said Lentz. 'But a lot of has modified within the previous couple of years. most significantly, the growing level of awareness that sustainable mobility can return at a value that has to be shared by the automakers, government and therefore the shopper.'

Toyota's approach to sustainable mobility focuses on the world's future reliance on mobility systems tailored to specific regions or markets, instead of individual models or technologies. It acknowledges that nobody technology are going to be the 'winner' which a mobility system in LA can in all probability look terribly totally different from one in Dallas or big apple or London or Shanghai.

Toyota's comprehensive technology strategy could be a portfolio approach that has a long-term commitment to hydrogen fuel cells, plug-in hybrids and battery electrics all driven by the additional proliferation of standard gas-electric hybrids, like Prius, as its core technology.

Toyota has announced that coinciding with the arrival of the RAV4 EV in 2012 it'll launch, in key world markets, the Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid) and alittle EV commuter vehicle. it'll additionally launch, in key world markets, its 1st commercialized hydrogen fuel cell  vehicle in calendar year 2015, or sooner. Finally, by the top of 2012, Toyota can add seven all new (not next-generation) hybrid models to its portfolio.

These are standard specifications - not necessarily specifications for the vehicle(s) in the photo(s).

2011 Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle Specifications
Engine Location Front
Production Years for Series 2005 -
Introduced At 2010 LA Auto Show

Dimensions
Seating Capacity 5
Doors 4
Exterior
Length 181.9 in | 4620 mm.
Width 71.5 in | 1816 mm.
Wheelbase 104.7 in | 2659 mm.
Front Track 61.4 in | 1560 mm.
Rear Track 61.4 in | 1560 mm.
Interior
Front Row Headroom 40.8 in | 1036 mm.
Second Row Headroom 39.7 in | 1008 mm.
Third Row Headroom 37.2 in | 945 mm.
Front Row Legroom 41.8 in | 1062 mm.
Second Row Legroom 38.3 in | 973 mm.
Third Row Legroom 30.0 in | 762 mm.
Front Hip Room 53.8 in | 1367 mm.
Rear Hip Room 52.4 in | 1331 mm.
Front Shoulder Room 57.1 in | 1450 mm.
Rear Shoulder Room 55.3 in | 1405 mm.

Suspension
Suspension Front : Independent MacPherson strut with stabilizer bar

Rear : Double wishbone coil spring with stabilizer bar

Steering
Rack and Pinion with Power Assist
Steering Overall Ratio 14.6:1

Brakes
Front Brake Size 11.8 in | 300 mm.
Rear Brake Size 11.2 in | 285 mm.

Tires / Wheels
Tires P215/70R16
Wheels 6.5 x 16 in

The 2011 Toyota RAV4 EV Demonstration Vehicle measures 71.50 inches in width, 181.90 inches in length, and has a wheelbase of 104.70 inches.

Source - Toyota