Toyota and Tesla To Build RAV4 EV At Woodstock, Ontario Production Facility

Toyota and Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) confirmed on August 5 that their jointly-developed RAV4 electric vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada beginning in 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, TMMC Chairman, who hosted Canadian officials at the plant today and thanked them for their support. "This is a great example of Toyota’s determination to collaborate with companies with leading edge technology."

Toyota will pay Tesla approximately $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gear box and power electronics for the RAV4 EV. Tesla will build the electric powertrains at its production facility in Palo Alto, CA and then ship them to TMMC for final assembly into the vehicle.

The RAV4 EV will be sold at U.S. Toyota dealers through Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS). Details including pricing, volume and regional distribution will be determined and announced at a later time.

In July of last year, Tesla and Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing, America (TEMA) collaborated to convert 32 conventional gas-engine RAV4 compact SUVs into fully functional RAV4 EV prototypes.

In addition to expanding the Prius family with the upcoming Prius v and Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Toyota will introduce an electric version of the Scion iQ in 2012 and a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle by 2015.

Tesla is not discussing a sale to Toyota. The Silicon Valley start-up "has plans of its own" that include the launch of the Model S sedan, in the coming months. The battery-powered four-door – and planned variants – will be the first vehicle developed entirely inside the Tesla organization, as opposed to the company’s little Roadster which was based on a platform and body provided by Lotus.

The Model S will be the first battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, offered with a choice of battery packs: a stock version providing 160-mile range, as well as optional 230-mile and 300-mile packs.

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