Toyota revs up for 2012 EV release

Toyota says it will road test an electric version of the compact iQ model next year, as the company works towards its target of launching 11 hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2012.

The Japanese auto maker yesterday released an update on its green car programme, confirming road tests for the electric iQ will begin in Europe next year. The city car is expected to have a range of more than 100km on a full charge and a top speed of about 120km per hour.

The iQ-EV is set for a 2012 launch in the US in two years' time, alongside an electric version of the popular RAV4 produced in conjunction with Tesla and a Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which should be commercially available by January 2012.

These models will make up two of the 11 new or redesigned hybrid vehicles Toyota aims to launch by the end of 2012, as part of its strategy to develop cars less dependent on fossil fuels. By that point, Toyota is expecting to sell about 50,000 of the cars a year.

In the longer term, the company said it was working on developing improved driving range, acceleration and easy recharging to ensure EVs appeal to the mass market.

It also announced yesterday plans to introduce a saloon fuel cell hybrid vehicle in about 2015, but only in markets where the fuel supply infrastructure is in place, probably Europe, Japan and North America.

In addition, a new research division at Toyota has been examining solid-state and metal-air batteries, which Toyota said could reduce dependence on lithium, a rare metal that is widely used in EV batteries. The company also said that the new battery designs have the potential to provide a much higher energy density than current EV batteries.

"Toyota believes eco cars can only have a positive impact on the environment if they are widely used," a web statement read. "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."

Over the next two years Toyota will face acute competition from domestic rivals Nissan and Mitsubishi, as well as US firms Chevrolet and GM, which are all planning to release electric and hybrid cars aimed at the commercial market.