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Tesla tried this with Toyota on the Rav4 EV, for which Tesla provided battery and drivetrain. Toyota decided Tesla was so hard to work with that it was worth en

Tesla tried this with Toyota on the Rav4 EV, for which Tesla provided battery and drivetrain. Toyota decided Tesla was so hard to work with that it was worth ending all future partnerships. Tesla also provided the full battery and Drivetrain for the Mercedes-Benz B-class EV and Daimler ultimately cancelled the project to bring the technology in-house. I don't think the issue is that Tesla is unwilling to be an OEM, but that their customers are unwilling to out-source development of extremely competitive technologies to a relatively volatile supplier. https://insideevs.com/insight-toyota-tesla-partnership-marred-clashes-engineers/ https://insideevs.com/insight-toyota-tesla-partnership-marre... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340139/bye-bye-baby-b-mercedes-spikes-its-electric-subcompact-eyes-more-mainstream-evs/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340139/bye-bye-baby-b-m...

jmpman 8y ago
The RAV4EV and Mercedes were built as California compliance cars. They’re fantastic vehicles (I own a RAV4EV), and with a bit more range, I’d prefer that over the Model Y. Notice that these were released back in 2012, and almost 7 years later, there isn’t a comparable SUV for less than $75k. Once Toyota produced their required 2600 cars to get sufficient California credits, they ended the program.
- zaksoup 8y ago
  I don't disagree that they're great cars (I tried very hard to find and purchase a b class), but the reporting I linked suggests strongly that both Daimler and Toyota intended to continue the partnership past just the CARB complaince models but ultimately changed their minds. This was not a limited partnership that was always ended to end at 2600 models.
  - jmpman 8y ago
    Maybe it was intended to last longer. The vehicle pricing was up in the $50k+ range, and I think deep discounting was required to move them. Rumor is that Toyota lost many millions. Cars.com allows you to search for the Rav4EV and B-class rather easily. The RAV4EV is going for around $14k these days. It’s a great commuter car, but doesn’t have the distance to make it a very practical solo vehicle. I supplement mine with a huge Suburban.
    - zaksoup 8y ago
      Sure. I think we're maybe off-topic from my original point which is just that Tesla has done the OEM thing in the past and for whatever reason it hasn't expanded into a larger set of supply contracts. And yeah, I ended up with a Ford Focus because I want to actually be able to make it from Oakland to Truckee without having to stop to charge...
    - jmpman 8y ago
      BTW, the Mercedes B has a silly range of just 84 miles. The additional 20 miles in the Rav4EV makes or breaks it for my needs.

jmpman 8y ago

The RAV4EV and Mercedes were built as California compliance cars. They’re fantastic vehicles (I own a RAV4EV), and with a bit more range, I’d prefer that over the Model Y. Notice that these were released back in 2012, and almost 7 years later, there isn’t a comparable SUV for less than $75k. Once Toyota produced their required 2600 cars to get sufficient California credits, they ended the program.

zaksoup 8y ago
I don't disagree that they're great cars (I tried very hard to find and purchase a b class), but the reporting I linked suggests strongly that both Daimler and Toyota intended to continue the partnership past just the CARB complaince models but ultimately changed their minds. This was not a limited partnership that was always ended to end at 2600 models.
- jmpman 8y ago
  Maybe it was intended to last longer. The vehicle pricing was up in the $50k+ range, and I think deep discounting was required to move them. Rumor is that Toyota lost many millions. Cars.com allows you to search for the Rav4EV and B-class rather easily. The RAV4EV is going for around $14k these days. It’s a great commuter car, but doesn’t have the distance to make it a very practical solo vehicle. I supplement mine with a huge Suburban.
  - zaksoup 8y ago
    Sure. I think we're maybe off-topic from my original point which is just that Tesla has done the OEM thing in the past and for whatever reason it hasn't expanded into a larger set of supply contracts. And yeah, I ended up with a Ford Focus because I want to actually be able to make it from Oakland to Truckee without having to stop to charge...
  - jmpman 8y ago
    BTW, the Mercedes B has a silly range of just 84 miles. The additional 20 miles in the Rav4EV makes or breaks it for my needs.