Toyota Electric RAV4 Will be Built by Tesla

Tesla and Toyota announced today they will partner to build an electric RAV4. The prototypes will be made combing the RAV4 with a Tesla electric powertrain. One prototype has already been built. Tesla will produce and deliver the fleet of prototypes this year.

The electric RAV4 will used Tesla's liquid cooled lithium-ion battery configuration. The configuration ties together thousands of commodity cells that you would normally find in a laptop.

In May, Tesla and Toyota announced the partnership to cooperate on the development of electric vehicle parts and production systems. Tesla wants to benefit from Toyota's experience in engineering, manufacturing, and production. Toyota wants to benefit from Tesla's technology, 'daring spirit, quick decision making and flexibility.'

The electric RAV4 will be marketed in the US starting in 2012.