Toyota and Tesla announced their partnership on a new Rav4 EV just four months ago and already the two have a vehicle to show for it. The first Toyota Rav4 EV by Tesla will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.
To be fair, by the time the companies announced the project, they already had a prototype built. Still, considering how fast they got a show car together, it’s likely that the drivetrain and battery system are very similar, if not identical, to the Tesla Roadster’s. All either company has said is that Tesla has been contracted to develop a battery, motor, gearbox and all related electronics for the Rav4 EV, for which Toyota will pay them a cool $60 million.
For the moment, Toyota’s only released these two teaser images of their nifty new badge and shout-out to Tesla on the speedometer. Further, the company has simply announced that the Rav4 EV will be at LA, but has kept all other details to itself. That means we won’t know the vehicle’s range, charge time, launch date or price until next week at the earliest. Unless more images are released, we won’t know what it’ll look like until next week either, though if the original Rav4 EV is any indication, the changes won’t be too radical save perhaps some aerodynamic improvements.
Stay tuned to AutomobileMag.com next week for our complete live coverage of the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Source: Toyota
