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Tesla Toyota Prototypes: RAV4 and Lexus RX

Information regarding the already two confirmed Toyota vehicles being fitted with Tesla's battery packs and motors is slowly leaking into the media, as the automotive world expects to see the two models sometime this month.

According to a report by Bloomberg, citing an internal source, the two models chosen for the task are the Toyota RAV4 and Lexus RX. The source says that, despite the fact Toyota wanted to test Tesla's technology on the Corolla, the two models mentioned above better suited the weight of Tesla’s battery pack.

As for the technical details behind the prototypes, details are nearly absent. Bloomberg however cites an email sent by Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, saying “we anticipate range and acceleration exceeding that of other announced electric vehicles of this class."

As hinted over the weekend, Tesla and Toyota signed a deal which requires the former to deliver two rechargeable prototype electric cars to Toyota as early as this month. The news was confirmed by JB Straubel, Tesla's chief technology officer.

“Since our announcement in May, Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, and it is exciting to start seeing some initial results,” Straubel said.

Toyota and Tesla began working together in May, after the two announced they will try to revive the former New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) as an electric vehicle production hub. Toyota announced then it would invest $50 million in the joint venture, which will also include the development of an electric vehicle together with Tesla.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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