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"I delight in calling the RAV4 EV the &amp;quot;Grande Dame,&amp;quot; and for good reason. The first of her kind evolved from California&amp;#039;s Zero Emission Mandate back in the late 1990s. Toyota produced the RAV4 EV between 1998 and 2003, its first four years focusing on fleet usage. There are now some 1500 in operation in the U.S. Our local electric utility, Southern California Edison, has accumulated hundreds of thousands of miles with its fleet RAV4 EVs, fairly common sights in our region.   Most RAV4 EVs were leased, but for a period in 2002\u20132003 Toyota sold some 240 of them at a base price of $42,000 \u2014 when a conventional RAV4 could be had for as little as $16,500 back then. And, to put EV costs in perspective, it&amp;#039;s likely the RAV4 EV was the most costly Toyota ever offered to the public. An estimated production cost of $100,000 each isn&amp;#039;t considered out of line.   In fact, such is their popularity today among EV buffs that the cars have gained residual value reflecting their real cost, not a paltry mid-$40K transactional price. One car is said to have recently sold on eBay for $71,000.   So what&amp;#039;s a Grande Dame like to drive? In a word, pleasant. At 0\u201360 mph in 16.1 seconds, she&amp;#039;s anything but quick. On the other hand, the RAV4 EV doesn&amp;#039;t get swamped by traffic \u2014 and remember, the old dear is almost a vintage car by EV standards. With a top speed governed to 78 mph, the car is freeway-capable provided one doesn&amp;#039;t expect to accelerate into that open slot in the next lane.   Handling would be familiar to any conventional RAV4 driver. Indeed, as with more than a couple converted cars we&amp;#039;ve driven, a low battery placement tends to give a ballasted yet planted feel. Though hardly quick, the RAV4 EV&amp;#039;s 58.9 mph isn&amp;#039;t far off other SUVs&amp;#039; slalom. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a20317/eclectic-electrics-toyota-rav4-ev/>