Toyota's path to electrification started early, with 1,484 units of the first generation of rav4 EVs being produced in 1997 for sale or leasing. Since then, pure electric vehicles have been launched continuously, but until 2022, the first native platform electric vehicle was late, and 25 years of electrification technology accumulation finally settled in FAW Toyota.
On April 28, FAW Toyota bZ series of the first pure electric SUV bZ4X began pre-sale, the new car released a total of 5 models (3 two-wheel drive, 2 four-wheel drive), pre-priced 22-300,000 yuan (subsidized price). It was born from the exclusive e-TNGA architecture, from the design and performance of the bZ4X, we may be able to see the outline of Toyota's pure electrification idea for the next 5 years.
What are the highlights of the bZ4X?
The bZ4X adopts the theme of Hi-Tech and Emotion design, which integrates the technological sense of BEV with the vehicle, and the overall sense of exquisite design can make people feel the powerful aura of the SUV. Enjoy the digital in-vehicle ecosystem of the cockpit, supporting speech recognition and easy human-computer interaction.
However, I think the appearance of the bZ4X always gives people a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness, and from the pure side of the vehicle alone, it has many similarities with the RAV4, the same wheel eyebrow shape, the same C-pillar angle. Although the e-TNGA platform gives the bZ4X a much higher wheelbase ratio than the latter, the abrupt fall of the trunk along the line still makes it look like a coupe version of the RAV4. Unlike the Design Language of volkswagen's ID. series selection and strong differentiation of fuel vehicles, Toyota has gone in the opposite direction.
In terms of driving control, the bZ4X is equipped with X-MODE four-wheel drive off-road auxiliary mode (four-wheel drive model), and has a newly developed Grip-Control intelligent creep mode. The solar charging dome (optional) converts the absorbed solar energy into electricity, and according to the official version, the electricity obtained each year can increase the monthly endurance by 1750km.
Equipped with low attenuation and high safety drive batteries, the bZ4X consumes only 116Wh/km of CLTC energy consumption and clTC has a maximum cruising range of 615 km. At the same time, the bZ4X is also equipped with an external charging function, which can be used as a power supply outdoors or in emergency situations. Functionally, it can meet most of the use needs from daily life to light off-road.
But in terms of performance, the data of bZ4X is more conservative. The two-wheel drive version has a maximum power of 150kW for a single motor, and the four-wheel drive version has chosen the 80kW+80kW solution, which makes the vehicle's 100 km/h acceleration time 8.4 seconds and 7.7 seconds respectively, which is very close to the same level of fuel vehicles.
Fuel is smart, compared to Toyota fuel vehicles, the cockpit design of the bZ4X is a big step forward in the sense of technology. The new "TOYOTASafetySense Smart Mobility Safety Assistance Kit" combines many intelligent driving assistance functions to cover scenarios such as congestion, smooth driving, and getting on and off. If you put it on a mainstream SUV in 2022, these things are a bit decent overall.
The change and change of Toyota electric vehicles
Tesla and the new car-making forces will make electric vehicles a completely different product from the three dimensions of design, performance and intelligence. In the long run, consumers will feel that a good electric vehicle should have an avant-garde design, far exceeding the performance of fuel vehicles, elevated driving assistance and intelligent networking. But from the bZ4X, we feel that Toyota does not seem to be focusing on these three aspects.
Our understanding is that Toyota's first bZ series electric vehicle product is the product of Toyota's existing user base. Because toyota in the era of fuel vehicles, through a variety of sports cars, performance cars, racing cars and daily car reputation condensed a large wave of loyal brand fans, they may not be cold to the power performance, the progress of intelligence is also cautious acceptance, only want a Toyota electric vehicle that is not too different from Toyota fuel vehicles, perhaps this is the target group of bZ4X.
First than the Volkswagen ID. series to take into account the Volkswagen base disk users and new users to develop both hands to grasp both hands to be tough, Toyota chose to first protect its own position, and then develop a new user's conservative approach. Each approach has its own raison d'être, regardless of right or wrong. However, it can clearly reflect the business logic of a company, and Toyota has chosen to focus on stability.
But in the conservative, we also see a radical side of Toyota. For example, the bZ4X battery is developed with the goal of maintaining a battery capacity of 90% after the world's top 10 years, which is greatly improved compared with the current mainstream level, aiming to create an electric vehicle that can be used for a long time. According to speculation, Toyota may have adopted the technology of supplementing lithium in the negative electrode of the battery. This technology has high requirements for electrochemical processes, indicating Toyota's advantages in the research and development of basic technologies.
Write at the end
Compared with the new car-making forces that start to build cars from scratch, the research and development experience of traditional car companies in the era of fuel vehicles is an intangible valuable asset, and only by combining their own advantages can they formulate a long-term and effective electrification route, which is also very in line with the product positioning of the bZ series. Toyota has 25 years of accumulation of electrification technology, and the global sales of electrified models have exceeded 20 million.
In China, since the introduction of the first hybrid model Prius in 2005, FAW Toyota has actively promoted the new energy strategy and achieved coverage of multiple power forms such as dual engine (HEV), dual engine E+ (PHEV), E-engine (EV), and hydrogen engine (FCEV).
Next, we also expect that FAW Toyota's TOYOTA bZ pure electric exclusive series products based on the exclusive e-TNGA architecture will also be gradually improved, and there will be richer and higher quality pure electric models introduced into the market, bringing more surprises to users. Of course, I also hope that bZ4X can have a more convenient Chinese name.