Long considered a pioneer of green mobility, Toyota is only now launching its first electric model with a strange name: bZ4x. The series model faithfully preserves the design and characteristics of the homonymous concept, presented in the spring.
Long-time partners, Toyota seems to have become infected with Subaru in adopting unsuccessful names to the public. After the Subaru BRZ, which is actually a Toyota GT86, the first Toyota electric model, also developed in partnership with Subaru, gets an equally difficult name to pronounce: bZ4x. Writing these four characters, I realize that pronunciation is not the only problem with naming the new model.
Toyota bZ4x is the first model built on the platform dedicated to e-TNGA electric vehicles. It integrates a Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 71.4 kWh under the floor. According to Toyota, it provides a range of 450 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. The Japanese manufacturer promises that the battery will retain 90% of its capacity after ten years of use (or 240,000 km). For this, Toyota uses a water cooling system (premiere at Toyota) and a cell-level management system to increase durability and performance.
Toyota bZ4X: The first electric model of the Japanese giant
The upcoming bZ4x, which will be officially launched on December 2, will be available in two versions – front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. In the first case, the propulsion is provided by a 150 kW electric motor mounted on the front axle. In the other, each deck is driven by an electric motor with a power of 80 kW, for a total of 160 kW. In both cases, the maximum speed is limited to 160 km / h. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h takes 8.4 seconds for the front-wheel drive model and 7.7 seconds for the all-wheel drive model.
Both versions offer the possibility of fast charging from 150 kW stations, which means that the battery can be charged from 0 to 80% in 30 minutes. Subsequently, the charging options will include an optional three-phase 11 kW adapter, which will allow overnight charging by those who have a compatible wallbox.
A novelty not only for Toyota, but also for the entire automotive industry, is the steer-by-wire steering system, which will be available as an option in Europe. It eliminates the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering box and allows a more precise adjustment of the steering. A complete turn requires only 150 degrees in this case, which allows you to keep your hands on the steering wheel. It has the look of an airplane sleeve, similar to what we saw on Tesla’s new Model S and Model X.
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