Euro road trial for Toyota iQ EV
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Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
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25th November, 2010
- Toyota outlines progress on environmental technologies for “eco-car” development
- iQ EV (electric vehicle) to begin limited trial programme in Europe from 2011
- Toyota to introduce eleven hybrid models worldwide by the end of 2012
- Sales of Prius Plug-in Hybrid to start in Europe, Japan and the USA in 2012
- Hydrogen fuel cell Toyota saloon car to be marketed from around 2015
- Accelerated research into next-generation secondary batteries with significantly better performance
than lithium-ion
Toyota is to undertake European road trials of an electric-powered version of its tiny "iQ" city car
from next year. It announced the study last week in a progress report on its product and technology
strategies to use electricity and alternative power sources to develop low carbon vehicles that are
less dependant on fossil fuels.
The iQ EV is scheduled to go on sale in the USA in 2012, but Toyota is looking at its potential in
other markets, including Europe, Japan and China.
The news of Toyota’s further development of its EV programme follows the unveiling last week of the
RAV4 EV at the Los Angeles Motor Show, a new model produced in partnership with electric vehicle
specialists Tesla Motors that will also be sold in the US from 2012.
Toyota plans to launch eleven hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012, including both all-new and
re-designed models. It has also confirmed that Prius Plug-in Hybrid (see image), currently undergoing a
demonstration programme in London and other worldwide locations, will go on sale in Europe, Japan and
the USA from early 2012. Toyota is expecting to sell around 50,000 cars a year, the majority in its
home market of Japan.
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Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
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Toyota continues to advance its development of fuel cell hybrid technology and expects to introduce
a saloon fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) in around 2015 in markets where a fuel supply infrastructure
has been established – expected to be Europe, Japan and North America.
The performance of the secondary batteries used in EVs and hybrid vehicles is central to their
ability to deliver improved driving range, acceleration, power economy and ease of recharging. Toyota
is investing in research and development of next-generation batteries, beyond the lithium-ion type
featured in Prius Plug-in, to bring about the big advances in performance that will be needed for
electric-powered eco-cars to succeed in the mass market. In January this year it set up a new division
to study next-generation battery production, with a team of around 100 researchers.
The options being investigated include solid-state batteries, where Toyota has made progress in
overcoming performance and packaging issues, and metal-air batteries which have the potential to
provide a much higher energy density than the lithium-ion type.
Toyota believes eco-cars can only have a positive impact on the environment if they are widely used.
At the same time as it explores alternative power systems, it is continuing to improve the efficiency
of its internal combustion engines, which account for the majority of sales, while raising performance,
reducing costs and expanding the range available.
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