Not many companies are willing to put electric vehicles out there in the market and we’re not sure why, but it looks like Toyota has no qualms about it as they unveil three brand new EVs for 2012. It’s almost like they’re saying they don’t care about what preconceived notions the public may have about EVs or hybrids.
One of those EVs will be the plug-in version of their hybrid car, the Toyota Prius which is said to cost $33,000 and will be comparable to the Nissan Leaf in price. The car supposedly also will feature an all-electric range of 14 miles, which should come in handy for driving around the city.
Next up will be the EV version of their Scion IQ which is said to be smaller than the Prius but yet slightly longer than the Smart ForTwo. Lastly, Toyota will be offering up the RAV4, which was developed as part of their partnership with Tesla Motors, and is aimed at more rugged drivers. Toyota also claims that the RAV4 will feature similar performance to its gasoline-powered counterpart, although that has yet to be put to the test.
Either way we have to give it up to Toyota for being one of the few car manufacturers out there willing to do their part for the environment by putting out EVs. Whether Toyota will be greeted with similar success as they had with the Prius still remains to be seen.
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