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Tesla pulling plug on Toyota RAV4 EV battery deal

The future of the Toyota RAV4 EV appears to be in doubt. Tesla supplies the EVs battery packs, and it says that production ends later this year.
"Toyota is expected to end the current RAV4 EV model this year," Tesla said in its quarterly financial filing obtained by Bloomberg. "Our production activities under this program are expected to end in 2014," the company said.
This timeline fits closely with the original production plans for the RAV4 EV. When the $100-million project was first announced, Tesla said that it expected to supply battery packs for the vehicle from 2012 to 2014. Building components for the Japanese automaker continues to bring in money, though. In the company's Q1 2014 letter to shareholders, it said: "Automotive revenue included $15 million of Toyota powertrain sales." According to Bloomberg, Toyota has sold just 1,594 RAV4 EV models from 2012 through April 2014. Initially, the business had estimated that it would sell 2,600 units of the electrified crossover.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla owner's garage makeover, Lucid signs deal with LG Chem

A Tesla owner has remodeled his garage to resemble a Tesla showroom. The Model S owner, who also runs Teslainventory.com, painted one wall a very specific shade of red, mounted a Tesla logo on it, and even bought the same table and stools used in some showrooms. He also documented the transformation, and gives tips on how other fans can give their own garage a makeover. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Electrek. Lucid Motors will source lithium-ion batteries from LG Chem. Lucid's batteries will use proprietary cell chemistry developed in partnership with LG. Lucid also has a battery supply deal with Samsung SDI for its first vehicle, but says it could use batteries for other companies through its own supply business, or for specific performance variants of its electric sedan. "The differing performance attributes available from the two cell suppliers provide Lucid with maximum flexibility to select the best cell for each application," Lucid says. Read more in the press release, or at Green Car Congress. Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi will share an electric vehicle platform. As other automakers are building their own mass market EVs, these three are teaming up in order to be able to offer their own models at prices competitive to their gasoline powered counterparts. According to the Nikkei, EVs from the three companies will all use the same platform as the upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf, and will share motors, inverters, and batteries. Read more from Reuters, or at Green Car Reports. Related Gallery Lucid Motors EV Prototype News Source: Electrek, YouTube: DAErik, Lucid, Green Car Congress, Reuters, Green Car Reports Green Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Tesla Renault Green Automakers Green Culture Electric Videos recharge wrapup

Aftermarket carbon fiber rear spoiler for Tesla Model S is priced accordingly

Need a little something extra for your Tesla Model S? Robert Strohmeyer and EV Autosalon have you covered. The item is a thin rear spoiler, and it only costs $1,200. Strohmeyer sent AutoblogGreen an email about his new aftermarket parts company focusing on full EVs and plug-in hybrids. "Naturally," he wrote, "I started with the Tesla Model S" and the spoiler is the first product he's offering. EV Autosalon claims the very first of its EVA fiberglass spoilers was shipped last week and that more will go out next week. A few things to note. The spoiler – available in both fiberglass and carbon fiber - comes unpainted "so that [it] can be painted and installed by your local body shop of choice to match your Model S perfectly." The spoiler is meant to be attached to your Model S with 3M industrial strength body molding tape and will come with templates so that you can line up the spoiler with the edges of the trunk - you don't want this one to get put on crooked. The $1,200 price tag is for the matte or glossy carbon fiber spoilers. The fiberglass version will set you back $600, well below the cost of the official carbon fiber rear spoiler for the Tesla Roadster ($1,700). If you want an official rear spoiler for the Model S, you need to order it when you order the car (there is currently no option to buy one in the accessories section of company website), and Tesla will only put it on the $85,900 85-kWh Performance model. Tesla says the official spoiler will, "improve high speed stability" and will "reduce lift at the car's rear by 77% at highway speeds, with minimal range impact." Strohmeyer isn't making any performance claims about his aftermarket spoiler, but some members of the Tesla Motors Club like the look of it. Do you?