The Story of the Toyota RAV4 EV

Written by Bryan Johannsen

In 1997 Toyota made an electric version of it's RAV4 utility vehicle available to lease for 3 years as a fleet item for businesses. The electric RAV4 was identical to it's gasoline powered counterpart including power steering, power brakes and air conditioning. The only major difference was the electric motor and it's batteries and a single speed transmission.

It was speed limited to 78mph with a 0-60 time of around 18 seconds. The range of the RAV4 EV was 80 to 120 miles depending on driving habits.

Up through 2001 the business fleet lease only policy was in effect but in 2001 Toyota opened up the RAV4 EV lease program to small businesses who wanted a "fleet of one" then in 2002 it was made available to the general public. At an MSRP of $42,000 only 328 were sold. Various tax credits were available that could bring the price down to around $30,000 if all were applied.

In 2005 Toyota discontinued the RAV4 EV and began denying lease continuances to owners. The RAV4 EV program was ended one day after new CARB regulations were passed that did away with the Zero Emission Vehicle requirement. Toyota was destroying RAV4 EVs returned from their lease until an agreement was struck between Toyota and an electric car enthusiast website. Though the vehicle is no longer manufacturered it is still supported by Toyota and driven daily by an handful of owners across the US.

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