Photo: Toyota
Many years ago, Toyota was the first automaker to offer a production hybrid vehicle across the world. As the years went by, Toyota did not rush into launching an EV on a global scale, but the bZ4X is set to change that in 2022. Today, the Japanese marque unveiled the European version of its all-new electric vehicle.
The odd name, bZ4X, is meant to underline this model's link to Toyota's new family of zero-emission vehicles, which will have "beyond zero" as their motto.
The "4" and the "X" in the name might refer to the fact that this model comes with all-wheel-drive through separate motors on each axle, while the X may have something to do with Toyota's claim of "class-leading off-road handling and performance."
The 2022 Toyota bZ4X is built on the new e-TNGA platform, which is dedicated to EVs but shares the philosophy of the Toyota New Global Architecture.
In plain English, it means that the Japanese marque has incorporated the battery into the chassis, beneath the floor. Toyota engineers claim that the solution brings excellent balance and high rigidity on top of the low center of gravity.
Despite offering all-wheel-drive variants and praising the model's off-road capabilities, Toyota will also offer a front-wheel-drive version of the bZ4X. The bZ4X is the first Toyota to feature a steer-by-wire system, called One Motion Grip.
It will also come with a complex traction control system with settings for snow/mud, deep snow and mud (below 20 km/h, ca. 12 mph), as well as tough off-road driving (below 6 mph/ca. 9 km/h).
The latter will come with a 150 kW motor (201 horsepower) that will provide 265 Nm (195 lb.-ft.) of torque, good for a top speed of 100 mph (ca. 160 km/h) while being capable of sprinting from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.4 seconds.
Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive version will have two motors, maximum power of 214.5 bhp (217 horsepower), and a peak torque of 336 Nm (247 lb.-ft.), which means a 7.7-second time for the 0-100 km/h sprint, while the top speed is still limited to 160 km/h (100 mph) for the sake of range.
Toyota's bZ4X comes with a 71.4-kWh battery that should provide a maximum range in excess of 280 miles (ca. 450 km) according to WLTP test parameters. It can be charged from zero to 80 percent in around 30 minutes using a CCS2 fast-charger that comes with up to 150 kWh of power. Customers will be able to get an 11-kW three-phase on-board charger from the fourth quarter of 2022.
Mind you, all the figures above are provisional, as the vehicle is pending homologation on the European market. What is not provisional is the fact that Toyota guarantees that the battery will maintain 70 percent of its original capacity after up to 10 years of ownership or one million kilometers (ca. 621.371 miles) driven, as long as the customer takes the vehicle into an authorized Toyota service center each year for a health check.
According to Toyota, the battery was developed with a target of 90 percent of capacity retained after ten years or 240,000 kilometers (ca. 149.000 miles). These are ambitious figures, especially the ten-year part, but Toyota does have almost 25 years of experience with hybrid vehicle batteries, something that no other manufacturer can pride itself on.
As you will observe after clicking through the photo gallery, the Toyota bZ4X does not have a frunk. Instead, the Japanese model will focus on offering a roomy trunk, along with what Toyota describes as "class-leading leg-room for all occupants."
The "4" and the "X" in the name might refer to the fact that this model comes with all-wheel-drive through separate motors on each axle, while the X may have something to do with Toyota's claim of "class-leading off-road handling and performance."
The 2022 Toyota bZ4X is built on the new e-TNGA platform, which is dedicated to EVs but shares the philosophy of the Toyota New Global Architecture.
In plain English, it means that the Japanese marque has incorporated the battery into the chassis, beneath the floor. Toyota engineers claim that the solution brings excellent balance and high rigidity on top of the low center of gravity.
Despite offering all-wheel-drive variants and praising the model's off-road capabilities, Toyota will also offer a front-wheel-drive version of the bZ4X. The bZ4X is the first Toyota to feature a steer-by-wire system, called One Motion Grip.
It will also come with a complex traction control system with settings for snow/mud, deep snow and mud (below 20 km/h, ca. 12 mph), as well as tough off-road driving (below 6 mph/ca. 9 km/h).
The latter will come with a 150 kW motor (201 horsepower) that will provide 265 Nm (195 lb.-ft.) of torque, good for a top speed of 100 mph (ca. 160 km/h) while being capable of sprinting from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.4 seconds.
Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive version will have two motors, maximum power of 214.5 bhp (217 horsepower), and a peak torque of 336 Nm (247 lb.-ft.), which means a 7.7-second time for the 0-100 km/h sprint, while the top speed is still limited to 160 km/h (100 mph) for the sake of range.
Toyota's bZ4X comes with a 71.4-kWh battery that should provide a maximum range in excess of 280 miles (ca. 450 km) according to WLTP test parameters. It can be charged from zero to 80 percent in around 30 minutes using a CCS2 fast-charger that comes with up to 150 kWh of power. Customers will be able to get an 11-kW three-phase on-board charger from the fourth quarter of 2022.
Mind you, all the figures above are provisional, as the vehicle is pending homologation on the European market. What is not provisional is the fact that Toyota guarantees that the battery will maintain 70 percent of its original capacity after up to 10 years of ownership or one million kilometers (ca. 621.371 miles) driven, as long as the customer takes the vehicle into an authorized Toyota service center each year for a health check.
According to Toyota, the battery was developed with a target of 90 percent of capacity retained after ten years or 240,000 kilometers (ca. 149.000 miles). These are ambitious figures, especially the ten-year part, but Toyota does have almost 25 years of experience with hybrid vehicle batteries, something that no other manufacturer can pride itself on.
As you will observe after clicking through the photo gallery, the Toyota bZ4X does not have a frunk. Instead, the Japanese model will focus on offering a roomy trunk, along with what Toyota describes as "class-leading leg-room for all occupants."
Google News