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Tesla to deliver prototype electric vehicles to Toyota by July-end
- Thread starter dpeilow
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- Tesla Inc.
I don't really like the swing-up doors. I've had four different vehicles with them. For one thing, if you back up to a curb and forget about the difference in height you'll whack your head. Ow!
For another, in the colder parts of the winter up here in Canada, the gadgets that hold up the door loose their effectiveness. The door tends to either not go fully, up or it slowly droops. WHACK!
No serious injury, but a significant amount of cursing over the years has resulted.
(I guess the Roadster also has these gadgets, but it's not really a lift gate, and it's nowhere near your head when open.)
Tesla Building Electric Lexus RX Prototype?
I have copied the article e-mailed to me from Lexus Enthusiast I consider this very interesting. The picture resembles the RX450h hybrid.
[Via: Club Lexus]
Tesla Building Electric Lexus RX Prototype?
Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:34 PM PDT
Toyota & Tesla are now two weeks into their partnership (in which Toyota purchased a $50M stake in Tesla), and it’s rumored that their first joint-project will be converting a Lexus RX to a full electric prototype:
Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the models. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla compact car, the RAV4 and RX light trucks are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the vehicles haven’t been announced yet.
The target for a model developed with Tesla would be for a car that costs about $40,000 with 150 miles (240 kilometers) of driving range per charge, the person familiar with the plans said.
“Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer, said in a July 10 e-mail message.
It may not be a vehicle as exciting as Tesla’s own Roadster, but with the RX already engineered to support a battery pack with its hybrid version, it’s a natural choice to be prototyped using the Tesla electric platform.
Even more than the models chosen, I’m surprised by the speed of this partnership — I wouldn’t have expected an announcement so soon, never mind the possibility that we may see a full-electric Lexus prototype before the year is out.
[Source: Bloomberg]
I have copied the article e-mailed to me from Lexus Enthusiast I consider this very interesting. The picture resembles the RX450h hybrid.
[Via: Club Lexus]
Tesla Building Electric Lexus RX Prototype?
Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:34 PM PDT
Toyota & Tesla are now two weeks into their partnership (in which Toyota purchased a $50M stake in Tesla), and it’s rumored that their first joint-project will be converting a Lexus RX to a full electric prototype:
Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the models. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla compact car, the RAV4 and RX light trucks are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the vehicles haven’t been announced yet.
The target for a model developed with Tesla would be for a car that costs about $40,000 with 150 miles (240 kilometers) of driving range per charge, the person familiar with the plans said.
“Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer, said in a July 10 e-mail message.
It may not be a vehicle as exciting as Tesla’s own Roadster, but with the RX already engineered to support a battery pack with its hybrid version, it’s a natural choice to be prototyped using the Tesla electric platform.
Even more than the models chosen, I’m surprised by the speed of this partnership — I wouldn’t have expected an announcement so soon, never mind the possibility that we may see a full-electric Lexus prototype before the year is out.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Tesla Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Formalize Agreement to Develop Electric Version of RAV4
And so history repeats itself.
And so history repeats itself.
Here's Toyota's Press Release
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/tesla-motors-and-toyota-motor-163915.aspx
tomsax
Member
tonybelding
Active Member
Yeah, but. . . Is this the first step for Tesla to become another Lotus? By that I mean: an automotive engineering consulting company that, by the way, also produces a few cars of its own.
Or is it just the first step toward Tesla being bought by Toyota.
Or is it just the first step towards Toyota getting all of Tesla's electric drivetrain expertise and then discarding their no-longer-needed "partner".
So many possibilities!
Or is it just the first step toward Tesla being bought by Toyota.
Or is it just the first step towards Toyota getting all of Tesla's electric drivetrain expertise and then discarding their no-longer-needed "partner".
So many possibilities!
From the boilerplate text at the bottom of that release:
"Tesla ... is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production."
We've all seen this statement evolve over the years ("Tesla is the only" this, that, etc.) and I see now that they have added "in serial production". What does that mean? No one-off batch runs or kit cars?
Once the Nissan Leaf reaches market I guess they'll play up the made-in-USA aspect, although I'm not sure they can really claim that.
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Mods, I'm having a hard time telling which is the real Toyota/ Tesla Rav4 thread.
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http://www.mnn.com/transportation/c...lated-about-the-new-toyotatesla-electric-rav4
There are likely more Roadsters than EV1s built and now1st Gen Rav4s on the road. Tesla needs to do a Press Release on this milestone.
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http://www.mnn.com/transportation/c...lated-about-the-new-toyotatesla-electric-rav4
There are likely more Roadsters than EV1s built and now1st Gen Rav4s on the road. Tesla needs to do a Press Release on this milestone.
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I know what you mean. I would have preferred all the prototype/RAV4/RX stuff stay here until we have some real details, but it seems people understandably want a specific RAV4 thread so that is here, The New RAV4 EV (merged from a couple threads).
Yeah, I had noticed that before... I hope they do the same with the new Rav4-EV.
Stories about the new Rav4-EV are still showing photos of the gas version (with spare tire hanging off the tailgate) such as in this article.
I like the look of the spare tire on the rear of the RAV4. Is there any real efficiency negative to having it mounted there?
If not, it would be nice to see the rear-mounted spare, as opposed to below the car, as an option on the new RAV4-EV.
Weight is best kept towards the center of the vehicle. With something heavy hanging off the back, it can act like a pendulum during hard cornering. Also when going over bumps it can make the car bounce back and forth more.
Weight is also best kept low.
Weight is also best kept low.
tdelta1000
Active Member
I think it's a big deal that the first images released are and EV badge and a proud TESLA statement. That shows what they are thinking (or just testing the waters).
The left gauge show a 160, I wonder if this represents peak power output for the motor, 160kw, or if it is RPM (x10)?
Updated: Actually I guess that would have to be x100 not 10
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