The second new concept presented by the Japanese carmaker at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon is the Toyota FT-EV II. The Toyota FT-EV II stands for Future Toyota Electric Vehicle II and represents an application of the company's core Hybrid System. The Toyota FT-EV II is equipped with a lithium-ion battery that offers a range of 90 km on a full charge while it's electric motor is capable of taking it to a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
For some reason, the company has deliberately taken out of the Toyota FT-EV II the symbols of vehicle performance - the steering wheel and foot pedals. They say the Toyota FT-EV II was designed to represent just a means of transport.
However, they focused on the communications capabilities of the Toyota FT-EV II. It's able to connect to systems beyond d the usual navigation system. The Toyota FT-EV II can offer customized information for the driver, download music and movies.
Toyota Press Release:
Toyota FT-EV II Electric Vehicle that Envisions the Future Mobility Society
The Toyota FT-EV II, which stands for "Future Toyota Electric Vehicle II", is a concept car that was created from the core technology of the Toyota Hybrid System in the pursuit of the ultimate environmentally-considerate vehicle. Its lithium-ion battery provides a cruising range in excess of
90km on a full charge, which is more than enough for everyday use, and a maximum speed in excess of 100km/h. Since it is an electric vehicle, naturally it is an environmentally-considerate vehicle that produces absolutely no CO2 emissions while driving.
A distinctive, compact body with bright exterior colors has been designed in accordance with Vibrant Clarity, Toyota-brand design philosophy. The compact exterior and retro-futuristic interior feature designs that evoke images of the future.
The vehicle has no steering wheel or foot pedals-symbols of vehicle performance. In addition, it has not been designed simply as a means of transport, but instead based on the premise of collaboration with communications functions, a concept that differs from earlier vehicles. The console incorporates communications functions to achieve a more seamless link with information, expressing the new vehicle concept of the electric vehicle as an information device.
Enhanced communications functions enable the linking of individual drivers' information on a
network, allowing the vehicle to connect with services that go beyond car navigation, such as recommending information tailored to the individual's preferences and downloading music and movie content. Furthermore, the vehicle can connect to home networks to play a role in storing energy and saving large volumes of data, making the vehicle a new information device in the networked society of the future.
The Toyota FT-EV II is not simply an electric vehicle designed for a post-fossil fuel era, but is a sustainable concept car that focuses on the relationship between cars, people and society of the future.
The Toyota FT-EV II is primarily designed for
short-distance travel and is positioned as a commuter vehicle for urban use, but as it integrates communications, it will become a device that can provide completely new links between vehicles and people.
