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Electric iQ to test in Europe

Toyota is to undertake European road trials of an electric version of its iQ city car from 2011.

It announced the study this week in a progress report on its product and technology strategies to use electricity and alternative power sources to develop low-carbon vehicles that are less dependant on fossil fuels.

The iQ EV is scheduled to go on sale in the USA in 2012 but Toyota is looking at its potential in other markets, including Europe, Japan and China.

The news of Toyota’s further development of its EV programme follows the unveiling of the RAV4 EV at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show, a new model produced in partnership with electric-vehicle specialist Tesla that will also be sold in the US from 2012.

Toyota plans to launch 11 hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012, including new and re-designed models. It has also confirmed that the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, currently undergoing a demonstration programme in London and other worldwide locations, will go on sale in Europe, Japan and the USA from early 2012. Toyota is expecting to sell around 50 000 a year, most of them in its home market

CITY SENSIBLE: Toyota's electric iQ should have a 150km operational range when it goes into production in 2012.

Toyota continues to advance its development of fuel-cell hybrid technology and expects to introduce a sedan fuel-cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) in around 2015 for markets where a fuel supply infrastructure has been established – expected to be Europe, Japan and North America.

The performance of the secondary batteries used in EVs and hybrids is central to their ability to deliver improved driving range, acceleration, power, economy and ease of recharging.

Toyota is investing in research and development for next-generation batteries beyond the lithium-ion type featured in Prius Plug-in to bring about the big advances in performance needed for battery eco-cars to succeed in the mass market.

The automaker, in january, 2010, set up a new division with about 100 researchers to study next-generation battery production.

The options being investigated include solid-state batteries, with which Toyota has made progress in overcoming performance and packaging issues, and metal-air batteries with the potential for higher energy density than lithium-ion.

Toyota believes eco-cars will only have a positive effect on the environment if they are widely used. At the same time as it explores alternative power systems, it is continuing to improve the efficiency of its internal combustion engines, which account for most sales, while improving performance, reducing costs and expanding the range available.
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