While the 1st gen RAV4 had impressive longevity, it would be good to keep in mind that these vehicles used a different type of battery chemistry. I don't think that anyone had expected this type of performance given what GM said about the EV1. Please don't read too much into it. I would look at the results achieved by the Tesla Roadster or the Model S. The 2nd gen RAV4 shares many more traits and drivetrain components with those vehicles than with the 1st gen RAV4.
The above was not really the point I'm wishing to make at all. Yes it's a different chemistry. No, GM was not to be trusted. The old RAV4 EV, regardless of the fact that it utilizes a different chemistry from the current generation many here have, serves not as an example of what
your new RAV4 EV may do, but rather as an example to a much larger, more significant audience – the world of ICE users who are skeptical of EVs. Don't dismiss the 1st generation's significance simply because it's not the latest model and runs with NiMHi. Points on cooling notwithstanding, there is expectation for the newer chemistry to exceed the older one in performance. It's best to root for high miles and proven reliability on the original, the highest of any EVs on the road, as a kind EV precedent on which to stand and proclaim to the world: "Look, here, the evidence you may need is this....and if the old models ran 160K miles, we expect the current tech to do even better, and to continue improving."