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Toyota and Pacific Gas and Electric Company Charge Up Joint Electric Vehicle Fleet

22 January 1998

Toyota and Pacific Gas and Electric Company Charge Up Joint Electric Vehicle Fleet

    FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 22 -- Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS),
Inc., delivered four 1998 Toyota RAV4-EV production electric vehicles to
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) executives during ceremonies at the
New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) plant here today.
    The event, part of a PG&E plant tour of the manufacturing facility, a
Toyota-General Motors joint venture operation, marks the first Toyota RAV4-EV
delivery to PG&E, and the first of 10 vehicles the utility will lease in 1998.
Additional RAV4-EV sales to the California utility are expected in the future.
    "California's air is the cleanest it has been in 50 years, but the real
work is just beginning," said Marv Rivers, TMS Corporate Fleet Sales Manager.
"Through this partnership, Toyota and PG&E hope to ensure that the air our
children breathe is the cleanest ever."
    "Pacific Gas and Electric Company has a responsibility to provide utility
service that is safe and reliable, but we also take very seriously the
responsibility to protect the environment," said Norm Stone, director of clean
vehicle programs at PG&E.  "With natural gas and electricity, we sell two of
the lowest-polluting fuels available and have been testing them in vehicles
since 1987.  We're proud of our accomplishments, and look forward to using
these RAV4-EVs to help reduce air pollution in the communities we serve."
    The vehicles will be put in PG&E's fleet for everyday use in Fresno,
Bakersfield, Salinas and San Francisco.
    The Toyota RAV4-EV is Toyota's first production electric vehicle.  Powered
by advanced nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, the RAV4-EV can travel up
to 120 miles on a single charge at speeds up to 78 mph.  With four doors and
seating for five, the vehicle offers true utility for a variety of fleet
applications.  The RAV4-EV is available to fleet buyers nationwide for a
purchase price of $42,000 or lease of $457 per month, before factoring in
federal, state and local incentives.
    Pacific Gas and Electric Company is one of the nation's largest combined
gas and electric utilities serving 13 million people in a 70,000-square-mile
area from Central California to the Oregon border.  The utility also has
received over 40 major awards including commendations from the White House and
the Natural Resources Defense Council for its environmental sensitivity.
    Toyota Motor Sales is the U.S. sales and marketing arm of Toyota Motor
Corporation with responsibility for the distribution, marketing and sales of
Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the United States.  With over 1.2 million
vehicles sold in 1997 and over 65 percent of those built in North America,
Toyota is the fourth-largest car company in the U.S.

SOURCE  Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.