Tokyo 2009: Toyota FT-EV II concept
Toyota FT-EV II concept - click above for high-res image gallery
Toyota revealed their latest plug-in electric concept car here in Tokyo as the FT-EV II. This one is a followup to the iQ-based FT-EV that we saw in Detroit but appears to be a ground-up design that takes advantage of the electric drive architecture. The iQ is promoted as a 3+1 layout because the presence of the steering column and instrument cluster force the driver's seat to be further back limiting the already small rear seat behind it.
The new concept uses a complete fly-by-wire system with joystick-like controls that feature a steam-punk design motif. The result is wide open space in the front and the very thin shell seats result in decent room. The car also has sliding doors on both sides. It's not known if this concept represents a design direction for an urban BEV that Toyota will likely build to meet ZEV mandates in the next five years, but it would make sense to do a custom design.
Gallery: Tokyo 2009: Toyota FT-EV II concept
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Johannes 12:45PM (11/01/2009)
Yay, it's a golf car!!! toyota must be extremely serious.
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mike 8:26AM (10/23/2009)
I don't hate it.
But the overhang of the fenders on both the front and back make me feel the car is taking up space which I am then not being given to use in the vehicle.
I'd rather the body, and so the cabin, are pushed out further to take advantage of the ground space the car is using.
I mean, it is clearly urban, and I have to drive and park that whole ground space.
So don't rob me of its potential usage.
It's a lesson the little boxes of the kei-car world have learned well.
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Mark Kiernan 8:27AM (10/23/2009)
The control stick is weird, but the car itself seem really cool.
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Leo 10:25AM (10/23/2009)
The joystick is a nice touch, though probably illegal for road going cars. Correct me if i'm wrong, but dosen't the law stipulate that there must be a direct mechanical link between the driver (through the steering shaft etc.) and the wheels?
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Yanquetino 11:22AM (10/23/2009)
Translation: "EVs are punishment cars."
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NeilBlanchard 12:24PM (10/23/2009)
Hi,
The previous version of this car looked to be almost ready for production; but this one is (much?) farther from being production ready. The drive-by-wire is frustrating -- why is it in the design? It would seem to add complexity, has no actual advantages, and (probably) use more electrical power -- this car is plenty small enough to have manual steering and brakes.
And the various styling/chassis changes seem to be calculated to add a "wow" factor, but not to add any functionally. So, instead of spending their time making this car practical and move it closer to production -- they are adding fluffing stuff and making it more expensive and harder to actually produce.
Sheesh -- c'mon Toyota! Let's do it, and skip the foot dragging...
Sincerely, Neil
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Chris M 6:10PM (10/27/2009)
Sigh. The presence of a "joystick" or any other weird steering system in a concept car is a clear tipoff that it will never go into production. There are certain design clues that always indicate a "non production concept", and this is one of the more blatant ones.
But at least it didn't have a bubble top!
So, what will Toyota do? Well, they could make a more sensible EV version of the IQ if the Smart EV is successful, or they could roll out the plug-in Prius if the Volt gets popular, or they might pull out a total surprise and produce an EV sedan to rival to the Nissan Leaf or an EV or PHEV sports car to rival the Tesla Roadster, or maybe even a plug-in minivan to rival the IMIEV. Or they could sit on it and hope the plug-in revolution goes away.
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