sobayimage
Well-known member
Toyota is building the second generation RAV4 EV under slight duress. The new RAV4 EV does two things for Toyota USA, first it allows Toyota to continue selling cars in California and secondly it helps reduce its CAFÉ numbers. Building 2600 specialty all electric cars is not a money maker for Toyota. The tax advantage that Toyota got from the Canadian government encouraged the car to be built in Stockton Ontario and the battery, motor and controls from Tesla allowed Toyota not make them in-house. Toyota built this car as a compliance car with the least investment. It’s rumored that Toyota looses money with each one it sells. I like my RAV4 EV and it’s fun to drive. The suspension is a little overly hard but with a 840 pound battery under it, what can you expect. The $2000 Leviton charger was a surprise but the extra 8 amps makes the charging very manageable. To get a Tesla powered vehicle with a charger out the door for $60,000 almost sounds reasonable.