Tokyo Preview: Toyota FT-EV II Electric Concept Car

06 October, 2009 01:22:00

Font size:

Toyota will display a new version of its electric concept car, based on its compact Toyota iQ, at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public from October 24 through November 4.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, is promising an electric vehicle by 2012, but Yasuo Kajino, a Toyota manager, said the FT-EV II electric vehicle, a concept model to be unveiled at the Tokyo Show, isn't the 2012 model.

FT-EV II is a high-quality vehicle concept, designed primarily for urban driving with a body that is even more compact than that of the Toyota iQ, but still with room for four seats on board.

The four-seater FT-EV II runs on lithium-ion batteries and has a top speed of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) an hour with a range of more than 80km (50 miles), which is ample for most urban journeys.

Drive-by-wire technology allows all the vehicle functions to be controlled using a joystick, including the accelerator, brakes and steering. Removing the throttle and brake pedals frees up legroom for the four-seat design.

The exterior features a low front cowl and an additional window below the level of the windscreen to give extra forward visibility. To improve safety through the quality of all-round vision, the rear lamp clusters are see-through LED units. To ensure easy access in tight spots, there are electric sliding doors on both sides.

The electric concept car, less than three meters (9.9 feet) long, has solar panels on its roof and is designed to be easily recharged at shopping malls or at home.

Subscribe to the RSS feed for more information on green cars, green car news & green car technologies.