Ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next week, Toyota has revealed its first production-ready battery-electric vehicle. No, not a Corolla. No, nor a Camry and not a RAV4 either. It's called the 'Ultra-Compact BEV.'
Just 2.5 metres long
Well, that's what it's called for now, and it's not really a car in the sense that you're thinking. Instead it's a tiny two seater - just 2.5 metres long and 1.5 metres wide - which is "designed to cover short distances while limiting impact on the environment."
The tiny car is designed to cover just 100km on a single charge, and will go no faster than 60km/h. And you won't be able to buy it.
Based around leasing and instant-hire
Instead, Toyota is using this still-un-named BEV, plus another electric-powered cube-style concept, as a way to dip further into the leasing and instant-hire markets. To do this, it's developed a number of strands of use of the BEV.
First off is the Ultra-Compact BEV Concept Model for Business model, which is predicated around a company that needs a handful of such vehicles for short business hops, working as a mobile office, or simply being available to allow employees to get out and about on a break.
Then there's the Walking Area BEV Standing Type model, which is designed for doing security rounds of large facilities, or working in places such as airports or large ports.
There's the Walking Area BEV Seated Type, which is designed around those with mobility issues, or those with large packages or heavy luggage to carry. Linked to that is the Walking Area BEV Wheelchair-linked Type model, which is designed to be compatible with wheelchair users, allowing them greater mobility in large city centres or at major tourist attractions.
Finally there's the Toyota i-ROAD, based around an ultra-narrow concept we've seen before, which is basically a large, gyro-stabilised electric scooter designed for 'last kilometre' journeys on commutes or small shopping trips.
Finding ways to minimise battery wastage
Added to this, Toyota is working on ways to maximise battery usage and minimise wastage as we move towards an all-electric future. Toyota wants to: "Examine every step of the battery's life, from manufacture through sale, resale or re-use, and recycling to maximise its value." That will include finding new ways to use recycled or reused batteries once they've become too depleted for vehicle use. The company is also working on its own EV charging stations, and EV-specific insurance.
Development chief Akihiro Yanaka said: "We want to create a mobility solution that can support Japan's ageing society and provide freedom of movement to people at all stages of life. With the ultra-compact BEV, we are proud to offer customers a vehicle that not only allows for greater autonomy, but also requires less space, creates less noise and limits environmental impact."
Incidentally, we do know that Toyota did make an all-electric RAV4 for a while. There was one based on the original RAV model, sold in very limited numbers from 1997 to 2003. A second-generation electric RAV was produced, in co-operation with Tesla, from 2012 to 2014, but was only sold in California.