Tesla to stop supplying batteries for Toyota

[Rifleman]

I think most of the cell's that will be freed up by the end of the production run of the Rav4EV will end up being allocated to the B-Class EV. It is a shame that Toyota does not want to actually sell the RAV4EV. There are alot of of regions where it would sell very well in, if they actually wanted to sell it.

 

[miimura]

I think most of the cell's that will be freed up by the end of the production run of the Rav4EV will end up being allocated to the B-Class EV. It is a shame that Toyota does not want to actually sell the RAV4EV. There are alot of of regions where it would sell very well in, if they actually wanted to sell it.

It's not that they don't want to sell it, they just don't want to MAKE any more than they're forced to. On top of that, they want to maximize the CARB credits that they get from each one they do make and minimize their support costs. They think that concentrating all the cars in CA reduces the support costs. In reality, it just pisses off potential customers in other markets. Their desire for people to keep the cars in CA was always stated, but people "exported" them anyway. After a while, Toyota just clamped down and became more hostile to out of state owners and potential buyers. Now the only practical way to take one out of state is to find a used one that is clear of any connection to Toyota Motor Sales and Toyota Financial Services.

 

[Zythryn]

The Rav4 EV is nearing the end of its 2600 unit run, so this is completely expected. Since Toyota has made it clear that they do not support battery electric vehicles and would rather go the hydrogen fuel cell route, there's nothing else for Tesla to supply.

Not sure if they reached the end of the run, or quit early.
Toyota has sold about 1500 of the second gen Rav4ev. It is possible they have 1000 in inventory. I suspect though that they simply have ended early.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Wonder if there'll be a "fire sale" at some point when the dealers may be desperate to offload the last few RAV4-EVs?! A sub-$30k price point (after the fed tax credit) would be nice!

 

[Ampster]

......... By the way, many security vehicles at the Tesla Factory in Fremont are RAV4-EVs.

I have heard that those were the mules used for testing before production. I think I also heard that some of them have roadster charging ports.

 

[TesAus]

Don't be too hard on Toyota and indeed Mercedes, if they hadn't thrown money and battery orders at Tesla a few years back when it was in a seriously perilous state financially then we may have never had the opportunity to own a model S?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Don't be too hard on Toyota and indeed Mercedes, if they hadn't thrown money and battery orders at Tesla a few years back when it was in a seriously perilous state financially then we may have never had the opportunity to own a model S?

True. More than the battery orders which came much later, it was the timely investment from Daimler - that Elon said saved Tesla more than the DoE loan did - and the practically-free Fremont factory courtesy Toyota. All the same, I suspect they didn't know what they were signing up for when they made the investments

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

From The New York Times:

Seeing Future in Fuel Cells, Toyota Ends Tesla Deal

The electric RAV4 has sold poorly, despite low-cost lease and loan offers Toyota introduced last year to promote sales.

Seeing Future in Fuel Cells, Toyota Ends Tesla Deal

 

[scaesare]

It's funny (not ha-ha, but tragic) that the way the article is written it implies Tesla is the one stopping the contract because of the Model X coming soon. But later in the article it says Toyota won't produce the RAV EV beyond the 2,600 (I agree with the reasons suggested up-thread). So it's that Toyota isn't renewing the contract, instead.

If only in my career I could have blatantly twisted the facts and created false impressions as much during my work life presentations and reports -- would have made the job much easier, temporarily (until real life caught up). I'm just extra-sensitive (read: pissed) right now because of all the FUDing from the past several years, and realizing in addition to the FUDers how very few good journalists/writers there are left in the world.

Even the headline seems to cast a negative light on Telsa, it's "Tesla to stop supplying batteries to Toyota", not "Toyota to stop manufacturing EV's using Tesla batteries."

 

[art]

Power japan plus has a new battery, the ryden duel-carbon battery. they said they will announce a partner in august that will build battery packs and add a battery managment system. green car reports 5 13 2014. partnership with world renowned copany in auto racing.

 

[tdelta1000]

That RAV4 EV hasn't exactly been a top seller.

I totally agree but I also think it may have something to do the Toyota's Hydrogen chase.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I totally agree but I also think it may have something to do the Toyota's Hydrogen chase.

Since each HFCV will be worth 9 credits instead of 3 for a RAV4EV, I guess it might. As long as the price subsidy is less than 3 times that of the RAV4EV, Toyota's a winner! They've never given a stuff about the RAV4EV, doing everything they can to stop people outside CA from buying one.

 

[doug]

That RAV4 EV hasn't exactly been a top seller.

I totally agree but I also think it may have something to do the Toyota's Hydrogen chase..

I didn't take the time to articulate any reasons or value judgments in that post. But yeah, Toyota never planned to sell that many. I think their choice to use Tesla to provide the drivetrain was more about their lack of commitment to pure EVs rather than their faith in Tesla. It's a shame too. I test drove the Rav4 EV and it's pretty nice.

 

[jerry33]

That RAV4 EV hasn't exactly been a top seller.

If you limit sales to one state and then tell folks you're only going to make a few of them ever, that's not surprising. It's hard to sell a car that is going to be an orphan. This is just about the same strategy that GM used for the EV1.

 

[art]

does anybody think that power japan plus will be supplying toyota with batterys?

 

[RobStark]

does anybody think that power japan plus will be supplying toyota with batterys?

Power Japan Plus will probably not be supplying anybody with batteries.

According to some Japanese TMC members they have no Japanese language website nor getting any Japanese media coverage.

Increasingly sounds like a pump and dump stock scam.

 

[Doug_G]

does anybody think that power japan plus will be supplying toyota with batterys?

Does anyone think Nissan will be buying batteries for anything except hybrids? They have an established supply chain for that.

 

[Ampster]

True. More than the battery orders which came much later, it was the timely investment from Daimler - that Elon said saved Tesla more than the DoE loan did - and the practically-free Fremont factory courtesy Toyota. All the same, I suspect they didn't know what they were signing up for when they made the investments

The NUMMI plant was a great deal. I heard a rumor that it was one of the unspoken conditions of the gov't loan. Remember, GM was in bankruptcy, so liquidating their interest in NUMMI was good for the creditors.

 

[RobStark]

The NUMMI plant was a great deal. I heard a rumor that it was one of the unspoken conditions of the gov't loan. Remember, GM was in bankruptcy, so liquidating their interest in NUMMI was good for the creditors.

Toyota wanted to give away NUMMI.

They did not want the bad press of shuttering the last auto plant in CA. Nobody was interested in it as a factory except Tesla.

A sale to anyone else meant re-zone from industrial to commercial or residential.

There would be environmental reports and required environmental clean up before it could be re-zoned.

Massive legal and PR headaches for Toyota.

So they sold a billion dollar factory to Tesla for $42M after they invested $50M in Tesla.

 

[Ampster]

Yes it was the perfect storm for Tesla. Both GM & Toyota were motivated and Tesla was in the right place at the right moment.
I drove by that site a few weeks ago. It is huge.