Almost 25 years ago, Toyota made a technological revolution by introducing the first production hybrid car – the Prius. Since then, however, the company seems to be lagging behind in the race for full electrification and has preferred to rely on the safe with cars with internal combustion engines such as the Rav4.
In April this year, it became clear that the situation was about to change radically and Toyota is already working on its first mass-produced electric cars, which, without much surprise, will be in the SUV segment.
The debutant in this field is called bZ4X, as the abbreviation bZ comes from “beyond zero” – beyond zero emissions.
When it was presented at the Shanghai Motor Show, the electric car was rather shrouded in ambiguity and speculation, but now, in early November, its exact specifics are clear. Comparisons with Tesla are inevitable, especially since the bZ4X is in direct competition with the Model Y, since both electric cars are SUVs and have a similar mileage of about 500 km.
The name bZ4X suggests that at least a few more electric cars will be built on the bZ platform, as Toyota plans to enrich its portfolio and have five battery models by 2025.
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The bZ4X itself will be available in two versions – with a weaker and more powerful battery. In the first case, the electric car is powered by a single electric motor, which will reach 204 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 8.4 seconds. This is the model with a mileage of 500 kilometers on a single charge.
The second version has 218 horsepower, but on the other hand the mileage is 460 kilometers and acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h – in 7.7 seconds.
Both models have a top speed of 160 km / h and will be available with super-fast charging, which reaches 80 percent in 30 minutes.
Unlike Tesla, this Toyota will be able to be ordered with solar panels built into the roof, which will provide about 1800 kilometers of additional mileage per year. In addition, solar panels would allow the car to charge, even if it is parked in the sun and there are no charging stations around.
The few product photos available do not reveal too many details of the interior, except that the bZ4X will have a steering wheel similar to Formula 1 cars. To the right of it is the display of the infotainment system and some of the other devices.
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It is already known that the electric car will come with a system in which there is no direct connection between the steering wheel and the tires. The systems in modern aviation are similar, which according to Toyota will give drivers an even better feeling of maneuverability of electric cars.
This will also seriously reduce the difficulty of parking in hard-to-reach places or when turning backwards, for example.
As bZ4X is seriously aimed at the European market, its orders on the Old Continent will begin this December.
Serial production of the electric car is expected to begin in the first months of 2022. Gradually, the bZ4X is expected to reach the United States and Australia, where it will compete with its fiercest opponent in the face of Tesla.
