Toyota RAV4 EV in Field Trials
By Ron Cogan
Toyota’s Prius emerged on the world scene in the late 1990s before hitting U.S. shores in 2000. While this super-efficient gasoline-electric hybrid brought many new technologies to the market, what also made the Prius possible was the substantial work in electric drive, electronic motor controllers, nickel-metal-hydride batteries, electro-mechanical steering, and regenerative braking that was developed in Toyota’s battery electric vehicle program years earlier. These same technologies have been incorporated into Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle work as well. In early 1996, Green Car documented this automaker’s debut of the Toyota RAV4 EV electric vehicle and its use in field trials. The following report is reprinted just as it ran in Green Car Journal’s March 1996 issue.
TOYOTA ELECTRIC RAV4
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 1996 Toyota is moving ahead with a fleet of experimental RAV4 electric vehicles (EVs) for the U.S. market. Based on the company's newest sport utility vehicle, the compact, front-drive four-passenger RAV4-EV is being tested with either valve-regulated lead-acid or nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. The RAV4-EV is an evolutionary vehicle based on the Toyota EV-50 that was first shown during the 1992 Tokyo Motor Show.
Green Car editors who recently test drove the RAV4 EV were favorably impressed with its smart packaging. Most striking is the first impression left by this vehicle, a good one which underscores that putting an electric powertrain into a sport utility vehicle can be a very good thing. Ride height, comfort, and ingress/egress are not compromised. The prototype RAV4 EV test vehicle also looks like it had rolled off the production line with detail, fit and finish, and integration of the EV package at the highest levels of sophistication.
While there’s no fair comparison to be made between the RAV4 EV’s performance and that of GM’s sporty two-seater EV1 – after all, it’s a sport utility, not a sports car – the RAV4 EV is responsive and offers a very favorable overall driving experience, although it is slower than a gasoline-powered RAV4 variant.
The two-door vehicle is similar in size and stature to a Suzuki Sidekick or Geo Tracker. It has a permanent magnet AC induction motor transversely mounted under the hood. A one-speed transmission has settings for park, reverse, neutral, drive, and brake. The brake setting uses the motor to help slow the vehicle. The RAV4 EV is also equipped with a regenerative braking system that converts the motor into a generator to help direct energy back to the batteries during braking.
Charging is performed via a conductive connection and requires a 200 volt power supply. The RAV 4 EV carries its charger onboard, and also incorporates a timer function that allows the vehicle to be automatically charged during off-peak hours when electricity is least expensive.
Riding on specially-designed 195/80R16 low rolling resistance tires, lead-acid battery equipped RAV4 EVs can travel nearly 75 urban miles between charges. With the NiMH batteries range is extended to over 100 miles. Top speed for the 3218 pound vehicle is over 70 mph with either battery type.
Toyota’s RAV4 EV test program will last approximately two years as vehicles are evaluated by utility companies in California, New York, and Michigan. Specifically, Toyota will be working hand-in-hand with Southern California Edison, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Pacific Gas and Electric. Pending agreements with other utilities in California and New York will bring the number of companies involved to six.
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