Toyota: An All-Electric Car by 2012

By Jeff St. John

Toyota (TM), the leader in hybrid car sales, plans to have a battery-powered compact car called the FT-EV on the market by 2012 – a lightweight four-seater, modeled on its gasoline-powered iQ, that will have an all-electric range of 50 miles.

Toyota's move toward an all-electric car follows those by companies like Nissan, Mitsubishi, Think and several others aiming for the commuter market, where the shorter ranges of battery-powered vehicles are seen as less of a drawback (see Reva Plans to Launch L-Ion Battery-Powered Car in Europe and U.K. Mini Car Designer Looks to Asian Market).

As for its hybrid plans, Toyota said it will begin delivering Prius hybrids that can be plugged in to recharge their batteries in 2009, slightly earlier than a previously announced 2010 rollout date. About 500 of the plug-in hybrids will be used for market and engineering analysis by lease fleet customers.

Those plug-in Priuses will be powered by lithium-ion batteries built at a plant owned by Toyota and Panasonic (PC) EV Energy Co., the company announced. Current Prius models use nickel-metal hydride batteries.

Toyota showed off test models of the FT-EV and new versions of the hybrid third-generation Toyota Prius and Lexus HS250h at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this weekend. Startups Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, as well as financially troubled automaker Chrysler, are introducing all-electric sports cars at the show (see Tesla Spiffs Up Roadster; Chrysler Touts All-Electric Sports Car).

The push for more fuel-efficient vehicles comes amid a dire economic climate, with sales of new cars plummeting and American automakers General Motors (GM) and Chrysler tapping up to $17.4 billion in federal bailout funds to avoid bankruptcy (see Showing Off Green Cars Amid Economic Gloom and U.S. Automakers Get Federal Bailout).

General Motors plans to have its plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt on sale in 2010. Ford (F) said it plans to be building an all-electric commercial van by 2010, an all-electric passenger car by 2011, and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2012.

The economic downturn and falling oil prices have hurt sales of hybrids along with broader auto sales. Toyota's hybrid car sales in the United States fell 53 percent in November from a year ago, and the company expects to post its first operating loss in 70 years for the fiscal year ending in March.

But Toyota's push toward electric and plug-in hybrid cars is part of the company's recognition that, despite currently falling oil and gasoline prices, "the inevitability of peak oil," or the coming peak and decline of production from the world's oil fields, will force automakers to make more fuel-efficient cars, Irv Miller, Toyota Motor Sales' vice president, of environmental and public affairs, said in a prepared statement.

Other automakers have also reported steeply declining sales. The poor economic climate has led seven automakers to scale down or cut their presence at the auto show, including Nissan (NSANY), Mitsubishi, Rolls-Royce and Land Rover.

Comments

[TripleG:]

This has to be a price-competitive vehicle or it will be a slow acceptance in the market.

Jan 13 08:20 AM

[John D:]

Just like the EV1 back in 1990 ... there was great potential then but with gas & diesel so cheap there was no market, now people know that eventually gas will be back up there again one day there should be a market but like Triple G says ... some slow acceptance

Jan 13 09:14 AM

[Paul Killinger:]

I could tick off a LONG list of reasons this can't work except as a super niche vehicle with very limited sales. And that's the problem in a nutshell. This type of transport is NOT what drivers have come to expect.

Jan 13 09:31 AM

[mcbain:]

2010 Ford Fusion goes up to 47 mph on electric only, and has a range of 700 miles, is midsize and can fit 4 people comfortably. Don't see this Toyota as that big a deal.

Jan 13 12:34 PM

[nakedjaybird:]

Right, nucs wouldn't work either (plus all the other roadblocks); and their 20% share today. That's enough to bet on.

Toyota again shows how foreigners think longer term than US short term mentality. They know oil transportation is a future buggywhip.

Jan 13 12:58 PM

[Stockguy456:]

Why waste the time just go with hydrogen!!!!!!

Jan 13 03:57 PM

[qw:]

Without a US energy Policy, all these electric and hybrids will have no acceptance if gas stays at $3 or so. Note the Prius lost 53% in December. Obviously, Toyota did not see the $1.50 gas prices coming, just like the domestics did not see the $4 gas coming.
Also, battery pack replacement costs predicted for hybrids/electrics is in the neighborhood of $5 to $10,000. How many consumers are going to pay that kind of money for a 5 to 6 year old vehicle, to continue using the elecrical portion of the powertrain?
Many will just revert to the gas engine as their sole powertrain at that juncture.

Jan 13 09:15 PM