Toyota to sell Tesla-powered electric car

An updated version of the all-electric Toyota RAV4 EV, a vehicle that was available to lease in America from 1997 to 2003, is to be developed with help from Tesla. Toyota expects to mass-produce the new car by 2012.

Toyota, a company that has gained a reputation for favouring hybrid technology such as that used in its Prius over pure electric vehicles, recently acquired a £35m ($50m) stake in California electric-sports car maker Tesla.

The move by Toyota to invest in mass-produced electric cars is in contrast to the position adopted by its rival, Honda.

Head of research and development at Honda, Tomohiko Kawanabe, earlier this year told Bloomberg news:“We are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can’t say I can wholeheartedly recommend them… It’s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.”

Tom Hanks talks about his Toyota RAV4 EV

The original RAV4 EV has a top speed limited to 78mph and a range of up to 100 miles. An estimated 800 of the cars remain on the road, one of which is owned by Tom Hanks. The Hollywood actor has publicly endorsed electric cars and talks about his RAV4 EV on a film posted on Youtube.

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