Peter Baker is in Jersey, testing out an electric vehicle by Toyota, the Toyota RAV 4. Featuring a guest interview with James Thomas who works in product affairs at Toyota.
The NiMh batteries used in this, the GM EV1, and other 90's/early 2000's electric vehicles were more than capable of impressive ranges--there was a startup EV company who made an EV 1996 that once went 375 miles on a charge (Solectrica Sunrise). But GM owned the patents for these NiMh batteries, and once they'd managed to get California to retract their emissions laws (California passed emissions laws in the 90s that prompted the development of the Rav4 EV, the EV1, the Ford Ranger EV, and others), they happily sold the patents to a eager to buy company ... Texaco/Chevron. Guess how many EVs and EV companies were able to use the latest battery technology after that?
Perhaps someone misread the statement. The range was nearly two hundred kilometers or about a hundred and twenty miles . The most range my 2002 RAV4EV could store was about a 115 miles. When I put my vehicle into storage.A few years ago, it had built up enough resistance so that I was getting about fifty miles range. I'm ready to pull it out of storage and change out the format from nickel metal hydride to lithium ion. All it takes is money 😂
In early 1997 Jersey police were given three 5 door versions of the Rav4 EV - i so wanted one. But my purchase fell thru when Toyota sold the battery rights to Texaco who promptly destroyed the technology and the car. My local dealership manager claimed he had to keep me in the dark - toyota and texaco did not want any adverse publicity - and he would have lost his job otherwise. Shame on Toyota and big oil.
Sorry i think its very unlikely. Was trying to buy the 5 dr version back in 1997 but the sale kept being held up by 'head office.' Seem to remember it was around £25k for a leased battery or £65k for outright purchase. The lease came with minimum 10 year maintenance/guarantee, the purchase had to be self funded - so a lease was a no-brainer. I had no idea Toyota was selling the battery patent to big oil at the same time. My sale was cancelled and Texaco recalled all the cars already sold as soon as it held the rights to the battery. There used to be clips on YT by owners complaining how heavy handed big oil was in seizing their cars. They were removed when big oil got an international injunction banning any discussion/mention of the subject. 1000's of new/hardly used batteries ended up in an ice field in Alaska. Good luck trying to find an EV. Wish i'd been less trusting and quicker off the mark in 1997 - but big oil would have only 'stole' the car off me.
Please google "who killed the electric car". It's a great little documentary about how promising EV transportation was here in CA and the opposition from big oil and non-support from Toyota. It was only promoted as a compliance car for the air resources board. Toyota has dragged its feet on investments into EVs. More money is made on plugin hybrids. ...
