As per the terms of the agreement, the two companies will develop prototypes of the EV by integrating the Toyota RAV4 model with a Tesla electric powertrain. A fleet of prototypes will be produced by Tesla and sent to Toyota for evaluation within this year.
Though this cooperative agreement, Tesla expects to learn from Toyota’s engineering, manufacturing, and production experience, while Toyota hopes to enhance its knowledge in EV technology through its association with Tesla.
TMC, which introduced Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997 and Tesla that designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components with the goal of producing affordable electric cars for mainstream buyers, plans to introduce the EV into the market by 2012.
