You say you want a Toyota RAV4 electric vehicle when they come out next year? Too bad. Toyota won’t be selling them to the general public, so in order to get one you’ll have to organize a neighborhood car sharing program. According to Pike Research, Toyota’s National Business Planning Manager of Advanced Vehicle Marketing Geri Yoza has announced the company will focus on “very strategic applications”–meaning fleets and car-sharing programs–for the RAV4 EV.
Also in the bad news department is the fact that Toyota is reportedly skipping the quick-charging feature for the RAV4 EV. We think this is a bad idea, as most people swapping out vehicles in a fleet will want to charge vehicles in just a few hours to keep things running smoothly. But at least Toyota has a rationale behind this decision: they don’t want to adopt the technology until the SAE finalizes a standard. What’s up, Toyota? We’re hoping this fleet idea is for initial testing and you will bring the market’s only electric CUV to us soon.
Via Autoblog Green
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The Pike Research report cited by Autoblog was incorrect and Toyota is setting the record straight: the Toyota RAV4 EV will most certainly be sold to the general public. We are eager to inform consumers that they will have the opportunity to purchase a battery electric vehicle from Toyota. Thank you, Cindy Knight, Toyota Public Affairs Manager