The primary focus of chemical analysis, research and toll processing is in the field of producing the vast number of high-yield batteries needed to power the fleets of electric vehicles required once new petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold.

However, whilst electric vehicles typically have relatively high ranges, fast charging and feel as comfortable as any other car to drive, one of the first cars to highlight that EVs could be the future was made by Toyota, but it is not the car most people associate with them.

Typically, when people discuss Toyota’s pioneering EVs, they tend to discuss the Prius, the first successful hybrid car that combined both an electric motor and a 1.5-litre petrol engine.

However, that same year, Toyota released an electric vehicle that accidentally became very practical and very popular, ultimately being discontinued in exceptionally controversial circumstances.

The Toyota RAV4 EV was a battery-electric version of the popular small offroad vehicle initially launched in California to meet a state-wide mandate for zero-emissions vehicles that was also the reason for the GM EV1’s existence.

Initially, the plan was to produce just enough as a fleet lease vehicle to satisfy the state before discontinuing the vehicle, similar to the test run the EV1 had. However, possibly as a result of its surprising popularity, the RAV4 EV actually sold more models than they had planned to make, ultimately selling 328 and leasing a further 1484.

Unlike General Motors, who had seemingly planned to discontinue the EV1 as soon as they could, ending the programme as soon as California’s Clean Air Mandate was beaten in court, Toyota seemingly changed their mind, sold more of the cars and appeared to plan for a further round of production.

However, this was halted in its tracks by a patent infringement lawsuit between Toyota, its batter supplier Panasonic, and Ovonics, a company that owned the patent on large Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries that had been sold by GM in 2000 to Texaco, who in turn was purchased by Chevron.

Both are large oil companies, and it was claimed in the film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” that this legislation was deliberately used to stop the use of batteries large enough to power cars, limiting the development of the technology for a decade until the superior lithium-ion battery technology could be used to power vehicles.