REPORT: Electric Toyota iQ to get bespoke body
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jul 29th 2009 at 3:32PM 
Toyota FT-EV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota surprised the audience by showing off a fully electric version of its diminutive iQ city car called the FT-EV. According to Autocar, a production version of the EV should be on the market by 2010, which, if true, would be an impressive feat indeed. We're not sure how these plans to along with Bill Reinert's assertion that electric cars "just aren't plausible right now," but we're happy to see EV technology progressing at the automaker regardless.
Hiroki Nakajima, chief engineer for the iQ, tells the British motoring mag that the electric iQ – known internally as BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) – will not share sheet metal with its gas-powered sibling. "We wanted to position the iQ as premium," he said, "but not so the BEV." That being the case, expect the Goldmember-style accents from the concept to be dropped in production form.
Following successful tests of the technology in its plug-in Prius fleet, the BEV will be the first production application of lithium ion batteries in a Toyota and the target range is 93 miles (150km). Charging time is quoted at eight hours, but that's surely dependent on the specific outlet serving up the charge. Power will come from one electric motor per wheel, potentially making this an all-wheel drive electric vehicle.
Gallery: Detroit 2009: Toyota FT-EV Concept
[Source: Autocar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alex 3:34PM (7/29/2009)
yikes
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Kooshball 3:38PM (7/29/2009)
regardless of the possible hatin' this will get for its styling, an AWD mini-EV would make for a great daily driver esp. if it manages to stay under $25k...
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Alex 4:22PM (7/29/2009)
I don't see the advantage in an AWD application for this car. Two more motors is going to suck a lot of additional energy from the batteries, shortening its range.
willyolio 5:41PM (7/29/2009)
no it won't. electric motors aren't like gas motors. if you're not using them, you're not using energy.
doesn't matter if it has 4 electric motors or 2. the only difference in range is how you operate the pedals.
tgriffith 3:47PM (7/29/2009)
This is actually pretty cool.
There was a recent story about an MIT group creating an EV that recharges in 10 minutes... sure would be cool if Toyota could manage that, rather than having to wait 8 hours between 90 mile jaunts.
But that technology would cost upwards of $80K, so if this iQ can be around $20K it might make a decent commuter.
The MIT story is here-
http://www.cargurus.com/blog/2009/07/28/college-students-create-ev-that-recharges-in-10-minutes/
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Russell 3:54PM (7/29/2009)
I feel like the wheels are too big.. makes it look like a toy car
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br4nd0nh347 5:45PM (7/29/2009)
Know what's funny?
Those tires could be the small out there, but the car is so small they still look rather large.
tankd0g 12:43AM (7/30/2009)
It's the car that's too small... the wheels are actually tiny.
Jung 3:56PM (7/29/2009)
That's hot. Sign me up!
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GOT 8:14AM (7/30/2009)
+1!
Shipey 4:04PM (7/29/2009)
Just when I was starting to recover from the Acura post this... thing... comes along and sears my eyes.
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Rocketboy 4:07PM (7/29/2009)
Bespoke?
More like Behurl.
or Bepuke.
Perhaps Bespew.
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Bloke 5:39PM (7/29/2009)
How would you know, since we don't yet know what the bespoke shell even looks like?
The car in the photo uses the iQ's standard bodyshell apart from a couple of filled-in window areas.
British_Rover 4:33PM (7/29/2009)
Wow that is ugly and who needs AWD for a small city car anyway? You aren't going to take something like that out in heavy snow. FWD with snow tires is fine for anything else.
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ehisforadam 4:40PM (7/29/2009)
Ppff....heavy snow? If that thing's AWD, I'm taking it rallying!
tankd0g 12:44AM (7/30/2009)
On a car that size, the stuff you scrape out of your freezer is heavy snow.
laser 5:04PM (7/29/2009)
Holy Bat Crap, Batman! That thing is ugly!
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Bloke 5:08PM (7/29/2009)
Did you bother to read the headline at all? It's going to get a bespoke bodyshell - in other words, something different to the standard IQ's shell which is in the photograph.
tankd0g 12:50AM (7/30/2009)
Bloke, it's still ugly.
keep the change 6:20PM (7/29/2009)
93 mile range? I wonder if that is with the headlights on. I wonder what air conditioning will do to that range, or heat. Is it highway range, or city? If that is just straight highway range with no accessories running, the real world range in the winter at night would be significantly less. Hopefully you will make it home on those terribly cold and dark winter nights.
Of course, if you do get home, once you shower and change, you won't have any juice left to make it to your seminar for 7 pm. You will have to call and cancel and tell them that your "I.Q. is low".
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