Toyota to Build RAV4 EV in Canada, Sales Start Next Year

Having cleared up the misunderstanding on whether or not the pure-electric RAV4 will be sold to the general public (it will), Toyota and partner Tesla Motors confirmed today that their jointly developed EV SUV will be built at the Japanese company’s Canadian manufacturing plant in Woodstock, Ontario starting from 2012.

“The Tesla-Toyota joint development team has agreed that building the vehicle at the Woodstock plant on the same line as the gasoline-powered RAV4, will streamline and simplify the production process and guarantee the highest level of quality control,” said Ray Tanguay, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) Chairman.

Toyota previously revealed that it will pay Tesla Motors around $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gear box and power electronics for the RAV4 EV.

The maker of the Tesla Roadster will manufacture the components of the electric powertrain at its production facility in Palo Alto, California and then ship them to Canada for final assembly into the RAV4 EV.

Toyota said that the RAV4 EV will be sold through its U.S. dealerships with information on the precise launch date and pricing to be announced at "a later time".

TOYOTA RAV4 EV DEMONSTRATION MODEL

Tesla Current: Maxim Ostapenko Envisions an All Electric S-Class Competitor

With Tesla’s long anticipated Model S sedan still more than six months away, designers from all over the world have begun to speculate what will be next for the Silicon Valley-based automaker.

One such design study is the Current by Maxim Ostapenko, a graduate of Pasadena, California’s Art Center College of Design.

Essentially a four-door all-electric saloon car to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Jaguar XF, the Tesla Current shares its design heritage with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz F800 Style and the Citroen Survolt concepts.

The Current was designed for the NAFTA Superhighway: a ten-lane road that would join Canada, the United States of American and Mexico. Four of the ten-lanes would be used solely for trucks heading north and south with goods.

The Current’s fluid shape, partially-enclosed rear wheels and cab-rearwards design exist to convey a sense of speed and help it cleave through the air like a windjammer. You can check out our full gallery of images and leave a comment below.

By Tristan Hankins

Designer: Maxim Ostapenko via Carbodydesign

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Tesla Roadster Owner Drives 100,000 Kilometers in less than two Years

Hansjörg von Gemmingen has gained the bragging rights to say he has covered more miles in a Tesla Roadster than anybody else has. The German racked up an impressive 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) since he first purchased the car less than two years ago. A stockbroker living in the southwest part of the country, von Gemmingen says he drives his Tesla on a daily basis regardless of purpose or distance, charging it every night through a standard household outlet.

The owner of the 83rd Tesla Roadster to be delivered in Europe claims he always finds somewhere to plug in and recharge the car’s batteries. His 82-year-old mother-in-law even installed a 32-amp (240-volt) plug at her house so that Hansjörg visits her more frequently.

“The Roadster handles long roadtrips with ease. As long as you have somewhere to plug in for a bit along the way, it’s simple to drive the car no matter where you’re headed,” von Gemmingen says.

He even made an 800-kilometer (497 miles) journey to Berlin for the Tesla owners event last year. In less than two years, he has driven farther than any other Tesla customer. What he didn't reveal, however, is whether the car is still running on the original set of batteries or a new one.

So far, Tesla's global fleet of more than 1,600 Roadsters have been driven more than 11 million miles, with the company claiming it will use all the customer feedback on the upcoming 2012 Model S.

By Dan Mihalascu

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