Japenese carmaker in June finally introduced its first mass produced all-electric SUV.
Toyota’s first battery electric vehicle, the bZ4X, was finally rolled out last month in Copenhagen, Denmark. The car’s arrival was highly anticipated as the world’s leading car manufacturer was a relative latecomer in the full-on electric game and it could not have gotten off to a worse start. Hardly a few weeks after its launch, 2 700 models had to be recalled due to the possibility that their wheels might fall off due to loosening hub bolts.
But, that is not the reason why bZ4X won’t be available in South Africa just yet. Toyota South Africa Motors has no intention of bringing it before 2023 and even by then it will only be in limited numbers. By researching and developing a variety of new energy solutions, including fuel cell electric, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles, Toyota wants to be able to provide different markers with different solutions.Other carmakers like BMW and Volkswagen have leapfrogged hybrid systems and gone straight from internal combustion engines to full-on battery electric technology.
Developed alongside fellow Japanese manufacturer Subaru, Toyota calls the car the bZ4X. The bZ is short for “Beyond Zero”, which is its sub brand for cars with zero emissions. The 4 indicates size, which is in this case medium, while the X denotes that it is a crossover. The battery, which is guaranteed for eight years and 160 000 km, can be charged to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes through fast-charging.