All-Electric Toyota bZ4X Revealed in SoCal
Hydrogen-powered Mirai aside, the all-electric bZ4X is the first purely green machine Toyota has offered in the States.
Toyota has been a leader in the world of hybrid technology for decades, which is why in most cities, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a Prius. But the company has been slower to embrace all-electric powertrains, a decision which has been chalked up to its hesitance to use unproven tech on customer vehicles. Because Toyota isn’t Tesla. That means it’s big deal that it unveiled the all-electric bZ4X in Southern California last week, as excepting the hydrogen-powered Mirai, it’s the first pure green machine American buyers have seen from the Japanese giant. Let’s take a look.
First, if you’ve harbored a suspicion that marketing teams exist primarily to rack up colossal bar tabs and set piles of money on fire, the bZ4X name will confirm it. It’s truly dispiriting to imagine how much was spent coming up with a name that reads like a secure password. So let’s hope the specs prove more inspiring that the moniker. The bZ4X is built on Toyota’s dedicated e-TNGA platform, is about the size of the current RAV4, and will be available in both front and all-wheel drive configurations. In FWD spec, Toyota is estimating a 250 mile range.
To keep the center of gravity low, the lithium-ion battery will be located under the floor, and according to the press release, it will be able to achieve an 80 percent charge in one hour. Ever concerned about reliability, Toyota is also aiming for 90 percent of the battery’s capacity to remain after ten years of service. Given the environmental footprint involved in the production of a vehicle, and the fact that most cars on American roads are over 12 years old, that last bit is particularly important.
Inside the cabin, the bZ4X will feature a cloud-capable infotainment system that will offer live traffic info and parking space availability, and owners will also be able to use their smartphones to start, lock, and unlock the vehicle. As you’d expect, over-the-air updates will ensure the software is continually optimized. The new model is set to arrive at Toyota dealers in the middle of next year, and will be the first of a bz-branded line of electric vehicles, with six as-yet-unannounced models to follow in the future.
Photos: YouTube