Toyota is all set to unveil its latest edition — the Toyota RAV4 EV in Los Angeles next week at the 26th International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS26). The automaker didn’t reveal more details, but released a teaser image of the car’s badge. It is expected that the new RAV4 EV will be an updated version of the Toyota RAV4 EV, which we already saw at the 2010 Los Angeles Motor Show. That model was developed by Toyota and the exclusive EV brand Tesla in which Toyota provided the base vehicle for the project while Tesla supplied battery, motor, gearbox and power electronics. Tesla will ship EV drive system machinery from a facility in Palo Alto to Toyota’s Woodstock, Ontario plant, which assembles customary gasoline-engine RAV4s.

Toyota made clear that the new Toyota RAV4 EV is due to go on sale in the United States in mid 2012, and will be available for the general public. But rumours suggest the sales will be limited to California only. However, the automaker claims a range of about 100 miles (160km) between charges that is approximately as the same as the Nissan Leaf’s 175km range, which was exclusively based on the New European Driving Cycle.

Earlier, the original RAV4 EV discontinued its US sales in 2003 due to low demand and sold only 1484 units in the country. Powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the first RAV4 EV model had a range of 80-110 miles. On the basis of that the automaker hopes this next-generation RAV4 EV to be more successful and fuel efficient than its first effort that was produced between 1998 and 2003.

via Caradvice