Toyota iQ EV prototype

An all-electric version of Toyota’s diminutive iQ city car is set to make its first European appearance at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Still at the prototype stage, the iQ Electric Vehicle borrows components from Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system as used in the Auris Hybrid and, of course, the Prius.



The iQ EV’s flat lithium-ion battery is stored under the floor, so that no passenger or luggage space is lost. Clever packaging, perhaps, but making the battery small also means that the iQ EV will only travel a paltry 65 miles (105 kilometres) between recharges.

Considering that other small electric cars such as the Think City manage 100 miles (160 kilometres), the Toyota doesn’t exactly advance the genre a great deal.



Testing of the iQ EV is due to continue during 2011, ahead of a customer leasing programme in 2012. And no, there isn’t any word on whether Aston Martin is considering battery power for its iQ-based Cygnet.



Related posts:

Think launches City van

£40k for iQ-based Cygnet

Think launches City van

Norwegian electric vehicle maker Think has added a new model to its range.



The City N van, which is based on the existing City car, has European type approval, a 237 kg load capacity and 700 litres of cargo space. It will be joined by the larger 900 litre capacity Compact van later this year, with the possibility of more variants to follow.

Short, urban journeys are likely to be all that the City N van is suited to, thanks to a 100 mile (160 km) range and an eight hour recharge time for its lithium-ion battery system. Its load lugging ability won’t be able to compete with establish petrol- or diesel-powered small vans, either. The Ford Fiesta Van, for example, can transport a payload of 507 kg.



However, for niche operations where there’s no need to travel great distances, the Think’s low running costs could prove advantageous.



One underlying issue that Think needs to sort out is its distribution network, as currently its vehicles are only available in the United States, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway. Progress on this is promised during 2011.

Think city, 2008

Think city, 2008

TH!NK city demands very little of you. In fact, not much more than a mobile phone. Just a little overnight power top-up, and it's ready to go in the morning. It can travel up to 170 kilometer (106 miles) on a fully charged battery and all for a fraction of the cost of petrol or diesel.

Making everyday life simple
National and local authorities are increasingly making it cheaper and more convenient to drive electric cars. In London the TH!NK city is exempt from the congestion charge. In Italy access to certain city centers is restricted for internal combustion engines but open to electric vehicles. In Norway you can drive TH!NK city through toll booths free of charge and in the special public transport lanes the entire way to work. You don't have to pay car tax every year, either. The authorities will just love you after all, politicians want the same thing as you: to protect the environment. They make it easy for you to drive TH!NK city, because it has no emissions. Did we mention that in many places you don't have to pay for public parking? It's a whole new world. And much simpler. The road is a much friendlier place when you drive TH!NK city. Contact your local authorities and see what incentives they have to make your city cleaner.

Making running a car simpler
TH!NK city is a safe small car, offering driving features that are just perfect for you. Driving a silent car will give you a totally new everyday experience. And because electric motors don't have many moving parts that require servicing, you'll also enjoy the benefit of low operating and maintenance costs. Thanks to the car's unpainted plastic bodywork, the Think City can take the rough and tumble of city life without the usual visible dents and scratches.

Safety
A comprehensive, well-established safety concept makes TH!NK city a very safe car. Behind the wheel, you are protected and secure even if you are involved in a collision. The car is equipped with ABS brakes, airbags and three-point safety belts with pretensioners. The frame is designed to absorb energy and distribute it away from the passenger cell. Even the dashboard and knee padding have been developed to absorb impact. To further protect the driver and passengers, both doors have side impact bars and pusher blocks made of shockabsorbent materials. The ceiling, the front beam above the windscreen, and much of the interior are upholstered with shock absorbent foam.

Design
The combination of a smart choice of materials, clever details and a focus on clean lines and surfaces have made the TH!NK city a prize-winning Norwegian design. The powerful shoulder line and well-defined wheel arches give the car a stance that clearly highlights its superior road handling and excellent driving features. The side indicator lights prominently placed on the wheel arches add innovative looks to exemplary functionality. TH!NK city's body is made of recyclable ABS plastic, designed for city driving, ideal for anyone wanting to avoid visible scratches and irritating little dents.

The car's interior is designed to offer the driver a pleasant environment, where the emphasis is on providing a clear view of the traffic. The interior has a feeling of space, with instruments that are easy to read. Form, quite simply, follows function. For instance, you can sit in complete comfort with your seat in the perfect position to allow you to quickly get in and out of the car during your busy daily schedule. The glass rear hatch allows you to see right down to the bumper of the car behind you when reversing. This means you can now parallel park with accuracy and control.

Designed with the environment in mind
Engineers, developers, buyers and designers have focused on the same thing: clean recyclable materials, non-polluting production processes, and the best possible use of materials. All this gives you a clean car. For example, the dashboard can be completely recycled. The fabric, body, supports, air ducts, adhesives and fixings are designed using the same recyclable materials. We have also used materials that have already been recycled wherever we could. 16% of TH!NK city is actually made from recycled materials. The plastic bodywork and other plastic panels have not been painted. This has enabled us to protect the environment from pollutants and use less energy, while also making the panels easier to recycle. Even the batteries are returned to the supplier at the end of their useful life.

Drive 3 times as far on the same amount of energy
A conventional car with an internal combustion engine - either petrol or diesel - uses less than 30% of its energy in getting to its destination. The remainder is lost to friction and heat. In a TH!NK city, 90% of the energy is channeled directly into getting you to your destination. In other words, its energy efficiency is three times higher than that of a car with an internal combustion engine. So, you can drive three times further for the same amount of energy. That's an energy saving proposition worth thinking about.

Thinking globally
The most environmentally friendly electricity comes from renewable energy sources, such as hydro-electric power. If you don't have an agreement with a power supplier who can guarantee you clean power, you risk using energy from non-renewable sources. To compensate for this, Think will pay for carbon offset certificates for the portion of your electricity that generates CO2 emissions.

Specifications
* Number of seats 2 (2 rear seats incl 3-point seat belts as an optional extra)
* Number of doors 3 including rear hatch
* Length 3120 mm
* Width 1604 mm
* Height 1548 mm
* Turning radius 4,5 m
* Net wehicle weight 1113 kg
* Total weight 1397 kg
* Load capacity 284 kg
* Top speed 100 km/h
* Acceleration 0-50 km/h 6.5 seconds
* Acceleration 0-80 km/h 16.0 seconds
* Gradient 30% from stationary
* 5% gradient 300 seconds at constant 90 km/h
* Range IEC 170 km (summer tires, heater off)
* Range FUDS 180 km (summer tires, heater off)
* Range EU UDC 203 km
* Typical charge time:
o 0-100% SOC (state of charge) approx. 10 hours, 230 VAC / 14A
o 0-80% SOC (state of charge) approx. 8 hours, 230 VAC / 14A

Standart Equipment
* 2 front airbags
* Disable key for passenger airbag
* ABS brakes
* Regenerative brakes
* Power steering
* 4 kW electric heater
* Electric windows and mirrors
* 2 loudspeakers and aerial
* Central locking
* Mindbox

Extra Equipment
* Pre-heat timer
* Electrically heated windscreen
* Full length sunroof
* Radio CD
* Radio with MP3
* Radio CD with MP3, USB, Bluetooth
* Winter tyres
* Alloy wheels
* Steel wheels
* Roof rack
* 2+2 seats (including 3-point seat belts)

The future's electric

Well it is according to the UK Government’s Department of Transport. It has launched, via the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), a scheme to help with the purchase of electric cars.



The Plug-in Car Grant will cover up to 25% of the vehicle’s price, to a maximum of £5,000, and it’ll be available to both private and business users.



Application of the subsidy is going to work in a similar way to the scrappage scheme: the dealer will simply deduct it from the invoice when the car is bought. No form-filling needed to retrospectively claim the cash.



£230 million has been set aside, so that’s a potential 46,000 electric cars.



The money is due to be available from January 2011, but the rules are strict. Cars will have to fit into one of three categories to qualify:



1. All-electric (electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery)

2. Plug-in hybrid (powered by both mains-rechargeable batteries and an internal combustion engine)

3. Hydrogen fuel cell powered



That means there’s no point in rushing out to your Lexus dealer to order that hybrid RX 450h. You can’t plug it into the mains, so it’s not eligible.

Neither, for the same reason, is the environmentalists’ favourite, the Toyota Prius.

Does that mean that the UK’s most popular plug-in electric vehicle, the Reva G-Wiz, will have OLEV’s cash all to itself? Er, no… it’s not eligible either because it’s classed as a quadricycle, not a car.

Even if the G-Wiz was a car, its performance would rule it out. OLEV is also stipulating that eligible all-electric cars must have a range of at least 70 miles (113 km), and be able to hit 60 mph (96 kph). The G-Wiz fails on both counts, running out of charge at 48 miles and only managing 50 mph flat out.



So that might not leave too much choice. One possible contender is the City from Norwegian firm Think. It has a range of 112 miles (180 km), and can just achieve the magic 60 mph top speed. Like all manufacturers though, Think will first have to apply to the government before being considered for the scheme.

The Nissan Leaf, due for a European launch at the end of this year, could be a major player. Nissan’s Sunderland facility is in the running to build it, and that will be an important factor for some UK consumers when choosing an electric car.

Chevrolet is also scheduled to launch its plug-in hybrid Volt towards the end of 2010, albeit only in North America. UK sales of the right-hand-drive Vauxhall version, the Ampera, won’t however begin until 2012.

Of course, electric cars aren’t much good if they can’t be recharged. To address this, the government has also earmarked £30 million for 11,000 Plugged In Places - or public recharging points in plain English. The only trouble is that these will be restricted initially to London, Milton Keynes and the North East, with only 2,500 being installed in the first year.



Assuming you’ve found an eligible car, and there’s somewhere to recharge the thing, is it really going to be green? It’s the thorny issue of where all that electricity actually comes from.



In the UK, around a third of electricity is generated from coal, with over 40% coming from natural gas. That means roughly only a quarter is produced from non-fossil fuel sources, the bulk of that being nuclear. Only 6% currently comes from renewables.



Nevertheless, the government reckons that all-in-all, an electric car will be responsible for 40% less CO2 than a normal car. But even so, more electric cars won’t significantly reduce the country’s dependence on dwindling fossil fuel stocks, most of which are imported.



In time, achieving the two symbiotic goals of energy self-reliance and true zero emissions vehicles will probably have to mean increased renewables as well as more nuclear power. And the latter is as unpalatable to some as greenhouse gases.



Assuming the Plug-in Car Grant is successful (and who knows whether it’ll survive a potential change in government after this year’s general election) expect a new road safety campaign to be launched shortly afterwards. Otherwise, there’s going to be a lot of people getting run over by all those silent cars.