• Toyota bZ4X Electrification, step by step

  • Toyota Mirai World record of 1,003 km on hydrogen

Toyota has revealed its

first 100% electric car

, the new era of automotive in the Japanese company. Late, but okay. At least, this is what they say from the consortium that manufactures the most vehicles in the world together with the Volkswagen Group and that it is the absolute leader in hybrids. The bZ4X is the first model of the bZ sub-brand (acronym for 'beyond Zero' or 'beyond Zero') and

part of the prototype that was shown last spring at the Shanghai Auto Show

.

To kick off what

will soon be a large family

, Toyota together with Subaru built a

dedicated platform for electric vehicles (e-TNGA)

and together they created the bZ4X with

Subaru especially focused on electrifying the all-wheel drive system

.

As a result, the bZ4X is

a larger SUV than the RAV4 whose greatest contribution will be the quality of its battery

, which promises truly innovative durability if indeed after

10 years (or 240,000 kilometers)

of operation they continue to service 90% of operability, as Toyota points out. As it is integrated into the chassis itself (under the floor) it seems necessary that its duration is practically that of the model itself.

If the battery runs out, you already have to change cars.

Toyota explains why the battery can last so long: "

Multiple control of voltage, intensity and temperature, at the level of each cell

. If an abnormal heat generation is detected, the appropriate controls are automatically activated. measures to

mitigate material degradation

, and the manufacturing process has protection mechanisms to prevent foreign bodies from entering the battery ".

It is water-cooled

, another technical first for Toyota.

The battery produces

71.4 kWh

and provides more than

450 km of range

according to the WLTP measurement, although Toyota will have to confirm this after its homologation.

Another key to its 'eternity' is a

heating system with a heat pump

that maintains reliability at

sub-zero temperatures

without affecting autonomy especially.

The bZ4X will be sold with an

11 kW three-phase cable with the possibility of filling 80% of the battery capacity in half an hour

if it is plugged into a 150 kW pole (CCS2).

Otherwise, the bZ4X with all-wheel drive is an

SUV with 80 kW electric motors

on each axle, separated by 2.85 meters, which is a distance 16 cm greater than the wheelbase of the Toyota RAV4.

They generate a maximum power of

217.5 hp, with 336 Nm of torque and a deployment of 0-100 km / h in 7.7 seconds

.

The

front-wheel drive

version is

fitted with a 150 kW electric motor that develops 204 HP and 265 Nm of torque and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 8.4 seconds, although its

speed is limited to 160 km / h, as is the his brother 4x4

.

It can be driven

with a single pedal,

which boosts energy regeneration and speeds up or slows down simply by pressing or taking your foot off the accelerator.

The images that accompany this information illustrate the physiognomy

of the five-seater vehicle

: hammer-shaped on the front that is the only thing that stands out from a rather

sober and solid

appearance

, with a narrow strip for the headlights and a

fine grille that regulates with a curtain mechanism the air inlet

(with the dual purpose of cooling the battery and improving aerodynamics; the

20-inch wheels

raise and reinforce the robustness of the set in the side view, while in the rear the permanent lights run through the body of the Side to side.

Inside the new Toyota electric SUV you can guess a comfortable driving position and with an informative 7-inch TFT screen

in the instrument

panel

above the steering wheel for complete visibility. The cabin, due to the lack of conduits for wiring and the wide wheelbase, ensures more than enough space to travel comfortably in the three rear seats.

The trunk volume of the bZ4x reaches 452 liters

.

The bZ4X will be Toyota's first production model with a steering-by-wire system -

One Motion Grip

-, although it will not arrive in Europe at first.

This system

dispenses with the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels

, although the driver will notice uneven terrain while driving.

For this steering system,

the traditional circular steering wheel is replaced by the One Motion Grip control (similar to the famous Tesla airplane steering wheel)

.

The inclusion of a

solar panel to recharge energy

(a system that has already been tested in the Toyota Prius) and the third generation of the Toyota Safety Sense driving aids system complete the innovative technological area of ​​the bZ4X.

Toyota calculates that

the solar panel can accumulate the energy to circulate 1,800 km in a year

, since it recharges the battery both while

driving

and parked.

Among the novelties of the new safety equipment, Toyota highlights an expansion of its Pre-Collision system that

detects vehicles that circulate in the opposite direction

or invade the lane and provides assistance in emergency braking.

All these news and details to discover about the Toyota electric SUV will be announced in Europe on

December 2

.

AND THE WORLD will tell you first-hand.

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