In 2009, Toyota hinted that it might offer an all-electric commuter vehicle in the next few years. It could take the shape of Toyota’s FT-EV concept, which shares its platform with the company’s new minicar, the Toyota iQ—sold as a Scion in the United States. The FT-EV on display at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show promised a driving range of 50 miles. Don’t hold your breath for this mini-EV, but the company is planning to introduce the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid—which will provide about 12 miles of all-electric driving before returning to the Prius’s standard hybrid mode. That’s expected in 2012.
Make: Toyota
Model: FT-EV
Web site: www.toyota.com/concept-vehicles/ftev.html
No. of passengers: 4
Battery size: TBD
Range: 60 miles
Max. speed: 70 mph
MSRP: TBD
Availability: 2012
Make: Toyota
Model: Prius Plug-in Hybrid
Web site: www.toyota.com/esq/articles/2010/Prius_Plug_In_Demo_Program.html
No. of passengers: 5
Battery size: TBD
Range: 12.5 miles in all-electric
Max. speed: 62 mph in all-electric (Conventional Prius has max. speed of 112 mph)
MSRP: TBD
Availability: 2012
