Toyota to launch micro electric cars with standardized reusable batteries

Source: EV Century According to Japanese media reports, Toyota will launch a new ultra-compact electric car this year, which may be a single or two-seater. The biggest highlight of this new car is that it will use a standardized battery pack. The miniaturized battery of an ultra-compact car is easier to use than the battery pack of a full-size model. With the continuous use of electric vehicles, the battery capacity will decay and will be disassembled when the capacity is reduced by 20-30%. Toyota expects to reuse these batteries in home energy storage systems to effectively utilize resources. According to information, the capacity of a reusable battery (after being retired from electric vehicles) is about 8 kilowatt hours, and 8 kilowatt hours is enough to power a Japanese home for several hours or a day or two. Toyota did not reveal much about the model. However, at the end of last year, it released official pictures of a two-seater micro electric car, and it was revealed that it would be launched in the Japanese market in 2020 (winter 2020). According to the development director of this model, the ultra-compact two-seater pure electric vehicle is designed for regular, short-distance travel. For example, the elderly, novice drivers, and consumers who travel short and very regular distances, the extremely short turning radius can make driving convenient for these consumers. This new pure electric car is positioned as a mini car and adopts a two-door and two-seater design. The slender headlights on the front face are very distinctive, and the closed center grille is inlaid with the Toyota brand New Year Energy Vehicle blue logo, proving its identity. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of this product are 2490/1290/1550mm respectively. The wheelbase information has not been disclosed yet. At the rear of the car, the new car adopts a design style similar to K-car. The flat and square shape is full of features, which can also maximize the space inside the car and increase practicality. In terms of power, the official has not disclosed specific information about this model. However, according to previously announced news, the new car has a full battery cruising range of 100 kilometers, a top speed of 60km/h, and a charging time of 5 hours. According to Toyota, the reused battery of the new ultra-compact electric car is about 8 degrees (after the battery capacity is attenuated), so the new battery capacity of this model will be about 10-11 degrees, and such a battery capacity is completely sufficient. Promoting a micro electric vehicle to travel more than 100 kilometers, we infer that the model above is expected to be the micro electric vehicle with standardized reusable batteries that Toyota will launch this year.