2010 Toyota iQ EV to use Wheel Motors

Toyota's iQ-based electric car, due to be launched in 2010, will have it's own unique body work, Li-ion batteries and will use in-wheel motors in each wheel. No specs have been released on either the motor output of the battery capacity at this stage of the tease campaign.

The iQ EV will be Toyota's first electric car and their first mass produced with lithium ion batteries. According to a report in Autocar, the iQ’s chief engineer, Hiroki Nakajima says the car, Internally called the BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), will have a range of 150km (93 miles) hinting at a battery capacity of around 24 kWh.

Toyota has some experience with wheel motors from their HV-R Supra hybrid endurance racing proto type that used 10 kw front wheel motors and a super capacitor bank to win a 24 hour race in Japan in 2007, 19 laps ahead of the 2nd place finisher.

That's all we're being teased with at the moment. For a company that is on the record as saying li-ion batteries aren't ready for prime time this seems to be a change in policy. Amazing what a little competition will do.