The Toyota iQ All-electric Prototype Review

Toyota is well known for being at the cutting edge of automobile technology and their prototype Toyota iQ EV (electric vehicle) model, should be rolled out to the European markets after an initial fleet trail period at some point in 2012.

Although the complete specifications of the Toyota iQ EV are not known, the initial prototype has some interesting facts and features including

 

 

  • The power pack is an 11kwh flat lithium-ion battery and will be hidden beneath the floor and not effect the interior space
  • 47kw synchronous electric motor will be powered by the 11kwh 270v lithium-ion battery
  • You will be able to get approximately 65 miles on one single charge
  • Top speed of approximately 78mph
  • Full 200v charge will take around 4 hours and an 80% charge will take about 15 minutes
  • Produces emission free urban mobility
  • This is the type of car that the environmentalists, world leaders and politicians have been talking about for the past decade or so and it’s only now that, car manufacturers are doing something serious about this important issue and with the continued rise in energy and crude oil, this is something that more and more people will take more seriously in the coming months and years and in particular with the current economic climate.

It is not clear about the true cost or savings with an EV against a traditional car running on gasoline, but early estimations suggest that, the average sized car costs approximately $7.80 per 100 miles for gasoline as opposed to $4.06 for electricity which is nearly half the cost, but these amounts can vary depending on the size of engine your car has and what the standard kilowatt rate of electricity from your area energy supplier is.

With any new launch it takes time to convince people that, it’s a good idea and it will probably be no different for the new Toyota iQ EV micro city car when it’s eventually launched in to the world car markets. What is for sure with this particular model of electric vehicle is the fact that, it’s not only better for our pocket with running costs and associated parts, but is also cleaner and better for our planet.

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