Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc. announced on 17 October the arrival of the 2013 Scion iQ EV in the US. The vehicle is a battery-electric 4-seater city commuter car based on the Toyota iQ and intended for car-sharing programmes in urban and campus environments rather than private purchasers.
“Toyota believes battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) have the potential to play a role in future mobility strategies,” said Chris Hostetter, Group Vice President of Strategic Planning at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “Up to now, cost and convenience issues have limited BEVs’ appeal with a broad consumer market. Toyota developed the iQ EV specifically as a city commuter, for use in an urban environment, where driving distances are likely to be short, charging opportunities numerous, and its compact proportions beneficial.”
The iQ EV features Toyota’s newly developed high-output lithium-ion battery which consumes power at the rate of 104Wh/km. In ideal stop and go driving conditions, the 12kWh battery provides an estimated range of up to 50 miles on a full charge. The vehicle can be fully charged in approximately three hours at 240V.
“Approximately 90 iQ EVs will be available for fleet and car-sharing applications,” said Hostetter. Details on individual iQ EV programme partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
The iQ EV has energy conserving features such as regenerative braking, heat pump-driven air conditioning with a pre-conditioning option, LED high-mounted stop light, heated front seats, and a heated windscreen defroster. The car is equipped with a timer to match charge completion time with the time the vehicle will actually be driven, to help reduce battery degradation. There are three driving modes to select from: ‘D’ range controls the vehicle to use the least amount of power during city driving; ‘S’ range increases acceleration performance for brisker driving; and a ‘B’ range maximises regenerative braking efficiency.
Maximum output from the powertrain is 47kW (63hp) with a maximum torque of 120 lb-ft. In ‘S’ range the iQ EV accelerates from zero to 60mph in 13.4 seconds, and from 30 to 50mph in 7 seconds. Its top speed is 78mph. The iQ EV is manufactured at Toyota’s Takaoka Plant in Toyota City, where production began in September 2012.
