Following the recent launch of the Future Toyota Electric Vehicle (FT-EV), the Japanese automaker expresses its commitment to electric and hybrid models that could provide the two main attributes currently demanded by the global market: low fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions. Even though the FT-EV is only a concept for the time being, Toyota says that battery-powered vehicles may be the key to success in the next few years, which coincides with the company's short-term strategy.
"It was a brief glimpse of our future,” Irv Miller, Toyota Motor Sales group vice president, environmental and public affairs, said, pointing to the newly-released FT-EV. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size.”
Toyota didn't provide too many details regarding the FT-EV concept but we do know that it is powered by a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 11 kWh. The charging process takes up to several hours, according to figures given by the carmaker. The maximum power output was rated at 45 kW (60 hp) with a torque of 160 Nm. The cruising range was estimated at 50 miles (80km), while the top speed reaches 70 mph (112 km/h).
“This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity. Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future,” Miller concluded.
"It was a brief glimpse of our future,” Irv Miller, Toyota Motor Sales group vice president, environmental and public affairs, said, pointing to the newly-released FT-EV. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size.”
Toyota didn't provide too many details regarding the FT-EV concept but we do know that it is powered by a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 11 kWh. The charging process takes up to several hours, according to figures given by the carmaker. The maximum power output was rated at 45 kW (60 hp) with a torque of 160 Nm. The cruising range was estimated at 50 miles (80km), while the top speed reaches 70 mph (112 km/h).
“This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity. Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future,” Miller concluded.