Somebody tell me that we're actually playing on this ball field. If I find out that this is the low grade version of our material, I'm going to scream!
Toyota Announces Electric Vehicle Sales Record
TORRANCE, Calif., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS), Inc., announced today that it is the first automaker to complete its commitment under the State of California's zero-emission vehicle Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
The MOA is the result of an historic agreement between automakers and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) intended to speed the development of market-ready, advanced-battery electric vehicles. Under the MOA, automakers must produce and deliver a specified number of advanced battery, zero-emission vehicles prior to 2003 -- for Toyota, that number was 322. At that time, CARB has mandated that 10 percent of the vehicles sold in the state must produce zero exhaust emissions.
"Every part of our operations is designed to minimize our impact on the world around us," said Yoshi Ishizaka, TMS president and CEO. "From our use of 100% renewable-resource electricity to the fact that we intend to continue to produce and deliver electric vehicles to customers around the country, even after completing the MOA, our actions are proving our words."
Toyota chose a fleet sales strategy for the RAV4-EV, allowing the company to continue product development and gather significant in-use information about range, performance and market acceptability. During 1998, RAV4-EV was the best-selling electric vehicle in the country, with 359 vehicles delivered to customers. And since the first vehicle was leased in November 1997, Toyota has placed over 507 RAV4-EVs on the road in selected markets nationwide.
The Toyota RAV4-EV is a state of the art battery-powered electric vehicle. Combining a quiet and powerful electric motor and a high-capacity nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the RAV4-EV offers a range of over 125 miles and a top speed of 79 mph. |
