Toyota RAV4 EV: История и характеристики электрического кроссовера

All electric compact crossover SUV

The Toyota RAV4 EV is an all electric version of the popular RAV4 SUV produced by Toyota until 2014. Two generations of the EV model were sold in California, and to fleets elsewhere in the US, with a gap of almost ten years between them. The first generation was leased from 1997 to 2003, and at the lessees' request, many units were sold after the vehicle was discontinued. A total of 1,484 were leased and/or sold in California to meet the state's mandate for zero emissions vehicle. Production of the second generation EV was limited to 2,600 units during a three year run, with sales limited to California beginning in 2012. A total of 2,489 units of the second generation model were sold in California through April 2015. synchronous permanent magnet
| transmission = Single speed
| battery = Panasonic NiMH
| charging = 6kW 100240V onboard charger for 1ϕ 30A using Magne Charge connector

The first fleet version of the RAV4 EV became available on a limited basis in 1997. In 2001 it was possible for businesses, cities or utilities to lease one or two of these cars. Toyota then actually sold or leased 328 RAV4 EVs to the general public in 2003, at which time the program was terminated despite waiting lists of prospective customers. The RAV4 EV closely resembles the regular internal combustion engine (ICE) version without a tailpipe and has a governed top speed of with an EPA rated range of 95 mile (153 km). Actual fuel economy and range depends on the same factors as a traditional gasoline powered vehicle including rolling resistance and average speed (aerodynamic drag). The RAV4 EV battery pack uses 24 12 volt, 95Ah NiMH batteries capable of storing 27 kWh of energy.

Production vehicles use the Magne Charge connector, a inductive charging paddle produced by General Motors subsidiary Delco Electronics also used on other electric vehicles of the time including the EV1 and Chevy S10 EV. The inlet was mounted on the front grille of the vehicle. When using a 6kW charging unit on a 240 volt, 30 amp circuit, the RAV4 EV's batteries can be recharged from being fully depleted to fully charged in about five hours, the process monitored by a passive battery balancing system. Some RAV4 EV prototypes were charged via a front fender mounted conductive charger coupling made by Yazaki Corporation.

Charging a RAV4 EV from full dead to full charge uses approximately 30 kW·h of electricity; the excess above the battery pack capacity is used by the charging system. At a rate of $0.09 per kilowatt hour, this costs around $2.70. As of May 2008, based on a gasoline price per gallon cost of $3.80 and up and the non EV 2003 RAV4 2 wheel drive gasoline fuel efficiency of , the RAV4 EV costs approximately 5 times less a per mile basis, and makes mileage in the RAV4 EV the cost equivalent to a small SUV. In addition, the RAV4 EV has a charge timer built into the dashboard that enables the vehicle to start charging at a specific time. As the RAV4 EV easily becomes the main cost of electricity in an average sized home, this enables the owner to use a Time Of Day Meter to reduce electricity costs. This configuration is a standard practice with RAV4 EV owners. The price of electricity at night depends on the carrier, but is usually in the range of 60% of the normal rate. In the use of charging the RAV4 EV, this equates to a cheaper cost per mile, roughly equivalent to a vehicle capable of , based on a price of $3.00 per gallon. The United States Environmental Protection Agency listed mileage ratings for the RAV4 EV in its yearly Fuel Economy Guide from 2000 through 2003. The 2003 model recorded fuel efficiency of 39 kW·h/100 mi city, 49 kW·h/100 mi highway; the city mileage rating was equivalent to , and on the highway. The EPA rated combined mileage was
In 2007, the EPA updated its rating system and revised the ratings to a city equivalent of , highway equivalent of , and a combined equivalent of Toyota tested the RAV4 EV in Japan for 300000 mile (482802 km) over two years before introducing the vehicle in the United States. The economies of scale are affecting the replacement cost of the RAV4 EV.

RAV4 EV pre production prototypes were first released in a confidential evaluation program with electric utilities throughout the U. S. These prototypes were based on the smaller, shorter, two door version of the RAV4. The prototypes included some versions fitted with Panasonic NiMH batteries, and others with high performance Panasonic lead–acid PbA batteries (the same ones that eventually found their way into the EV1 and other production GM electric vehicles). The RAV4 EV prototypes also were equipped with on board level 2 chargers and connected via a front fender conductive charger coupling made by Yazaki Corporation. Both prototypes were well accepted. The utility employee evaluators did not have to personally pay for the more costly and advanced NiMH batteries, and the NiMH RAV4 EV prototype received better reviews, due to its increased range. Its energy efficiency, however, was not as good as the PbA version. Due to the impracticality of developing two battery types for a limited volume program, Toyota opted for the higher performance, higher cost NiMH RAV4 EV. This resulted in a greater manufacturing cost, and higher purchase price. A number of electric vehicle advocates voiced disappointment that the choice was made to manufacture only the NiMH version. Many electric vehicle advocates claimed that automaker's choice of the NiMH battery worked against the 1990s deployment of cost effective electric vehicles based on PbA batteries, and that further development of lead–acid technology could result in performance equal to NiMH, but at a substantially lower price. Their argument was that a usable electric vehicle is possible at a substantially lower price, and that the lower purchase price would foster greater acceptance of electric vehicles. In fact, lithium ion batteries soon displaced both nickel and lead from electromobiles.

Initially, RAV4 EVs were only available for three year fleet lease, not for sale and not for lease to the public, at a few dealerships beginning in 1997. From 2001, leases were made available to small "fleets of one" purportedly run by small businesses.

In March 2002, due to a shift in corporate policy, the Toyota RAV4 EV was made available for sale to the general public. All 328 that Toyota made were sold. No one knows for certain what prompted Toyota to change their position on the RAV4 EV, since they had long since fulfilled their obligations under the MOA with the California Air Resources Board's zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate via its fleet lease program. The MSRP was $42000; but in California, ZIP grant rebates of $9000, decreasing in 2003 to $5000, and a $4000 credit from the Internal Revenue Service brought the price down to a more palatable $29000 ($33000 for some 2003 deliveries), including the home charger. More RAV4 EVs were sold than had been planned for manufacture through standard assembly line techniques. Toyota filled every order despite the fact that the last few dozen vehicles had to be assembled from spare parts due to a shortfall of production components (a significantly more expensive way of building a vehicle). This unexpected development caused deliveries to trickle on into September 2003. It also caused variations in the vehicles such as heated seats, retractable antennae, mats, etc. The last of the 328 EVs was sold in November 2002.

A total of 1,484 were leased and/or sold in California.

Whether or not Toyota wanted to continue production, it was unlikely to be able to do so because the battery was no longer available. Chevron had inherited control of the worldwide patent rights for the NiMH battery when it merged with Texaco, which had purchased them from General Motors. Chevron's unit won a $30000000 settlement from Toyota and Panasonic, the manufacturer of the battery, and the production line for the large NiMH batteries was closed down and dismantled. This case was settled in the ICC International Court of Arbitration, and not publicized due to a gag order placed on Toyota. Only smaller NiMH batteries, incapable of powering an electric vehicle or plugging in, were allowed by Chevron Texaco.

The second generation RAV4 EV combines an electric powertrain from Tesla and a battery produced by Panasonic in a chassis built by Toyota. The electric motor supplied by Tesla is an AC induction motor, a departure from Toyota's practice of using synchronous permanent magnet motors in their hybrid electric vehicles. A fixed gear open differential transaxle has a gear ratio of 9.73. On the other end of the scale, and due to its large battery pack, charging at 120 volts with the cord that comes standard under the rear deck takes 44 hours for Standard Mode and 52 hours for Extended Mode. has come up with a way to add 48 kW CHAdeMO DC Quick Charging to the RAV4ev which dramatically shortens charge times for the 41.8 kWh battery. This can make the car tremendously more useful in areas where this charging infrastructure exists.

The RAV4 EV began assembly in 2012 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in Woodstock, Ontario alongside the regular gasoline version. Tesla built the electric powertrain at its plant at Toyota's old NUMMI facility, now the Tesla Fremont Factory, in Fremont, California, and then shipped them to Canada. About 2,500 RAV4 EV vehicles were built between 2012 and 2014. The battery supply deal between Toyota and Tesla concluded with the end of production in August 2014. In 2017, Toyota sold all its shares in Tesla.