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Transportation Earth Power

Toyota Scion IQ Electric Car To Launch In 2012 344

Mightee writes "Toyota officially announced at an annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas that the all-electric Scion iQ will be launched next year in the United States. According to Toyota, Scion iQ can only go 50 miles on a single charge. Because of this, it will be facing tough competition from 73-mile Nissan Leaf and 85-mile Mitsubishi i."
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Toyota Scion IQ Electric Car To Launch In 2012

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  • by WelshRarebit ( 1595637 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @02:48PM (#36647760)

    If they price it right (ie: much cheaper than a leaf) then I'd consider it. My commute in the morning is 10 miles each way, plus add 10 miles for a trip to the grocery store and this car can take care of 90% of my driving needs. I already own a mini-van with a trailer hitch so I am covered for long trips or for towing or carrying stuff.

    • by Mashiki ( 184564 )

      If it's $6k it might have a place in the market. Anymore and it simply costs too much for the limited range especially when you're looking at the geographic scope of north america in the first place. One of the main reasons why people don't live in major cities and commute is because they don't like the city, but that's where their job is. That isn't even touching on public transportation, which is either poor or non existent.

      Well this probably won't catch on anyway, especially since people seem to be lo

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        $6k? Are you fucking kidding?
        • by 0123456 ( 636235 )

          $6k? Are you fucking kidding?

          Yeah, I wouldn't pay more than $5k for an electric 'smart car' like this one.

          • So you're not an early adopter for this technology, so what? Most people aren't. I remember when I first bought a computer back in 1982, most people couldn't imagine that they'd ever have a reason to buy a computer of their own. And Gates "a computer on every desk" was still a seemingly unrealistic goal. 20 years later most people in the developed world had them at home and at work.

            You not being in amongst the early adopters won't stop electric cars following the typical S sharped technology adoption curve.

            • So you're not an early adopter for this technology, so what? Most people aren't. I remember when I first bought a computer back in 1982, most people couldn't imagine that they'd ever have a reason to buy a computer of their own.

              Sad thing is... that thought process lasted for the next 15+ years.

              -AI

              • Not really. Each of those years more and more people found enough reasons to justify the ever decreasing cost of buying a computer. Everyone has their own point at which they are ready to buy. That's what makes the technology adoption curve.

                Same thing happened with TVs. And video recorders. And mobile phones. And the same will happen with electric cars.

            • by 0123456 ( 636235 )

              So you're not an early adopter for this technology, so what?

              Electric cars are not some magical new technology that allows us to do things we couldn't previously do. Electric cars are nearly two centuries old and were rapidly abandoned when the internal combustion engine appeared because in comparison they totally sucked ass.

              Electric cars still totally suck ass compared to ICE cars. We've just had a century or so to forget that so people like you can look at them and think they're something wonderfully new and cool.

              • I know very well the long history of electric cars. As I have an interest in the topic, no doubt rather better than you do.

                Electric cars suck at the moment in range, recharge times and price tag. But they are far cheaper to run.

                But of course the technology improves all the time. They are not the same as the electric cars of a century ago. Those cars had primitive batteries, todays cars benefit from battery technology developed for laptops. Tomorrow's electric cars will benefit from the research being put in

      • by CyberBill ( 526285 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @03:08PM (#36647874)

        In California, you could buy this car and get $5,000 state and $7,500 federal tax credits - lowering the cost of the car by $12,500. The standard gas version of this car is looking to run ~$16,000... well equipped probably $20k. So long as this is in the same ballpark, you -could- be driving an EV for under $10k, and that is a steal for a brand new car.

        • That only provides incentive for manufacturers to keep prices high - it dies *not*lower the cost of the car, it just distributes it to other people.

          • The prices aren't high because the manufacturer's want them to be. They are high because batteries are expensive to make. So yes, the gov scheme does reduce the amount the consumer pays.

            Small gov ideologues won't want to accept that though.

        • by cvtan ( 752695 )
          Bought a Prius for my wife in 2007 and thought I was getting a tax credit. But noooo. Did not qualify due to our income level. Of course you don't find that out until after the purchase.
      • by Lifyre ( 960576 )

        You should look into what parts of the country are growing. The flight from city center ended and has reversed in the past decade. People are moving back to the cities and loving it. Even downtown Detroit has seen growth...

        • You should look into what parts of the country are growing. The flight from city center ended and has reversed in the past decade. People are moving back to the cities and loving it. Even downtown Detroit has seen growth...

          You sound like the Mayor of Detroit...

          Mayor?

          lol

          -AI

          • by Lifyre ( 960576 )

            Heh, I can't stand Detroit personally but I do have family that lives there. They actually seem to like the current Mayor. He's a bit less corrupt than most of his predecessors. It's also one of the fastest shrinking places in the country so it was a good example.

    • It's not so much the range but the recharge time.

      A small fuel tank on a car would mean more stops, but with an electric car the recharge time may be overnight. Not much use. But if it was 10 minutes or there was an option to swap batteries then it wouldn't be so bad.

  • small... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by ThorGod ( 456163 )

    For a daily commuter, it looks a little small. The average size of a 'randomly selected' US commuter car is considerably bigger than this car. I love the concept, but it looks about as 'safe' as commuting via motorcycle.

    Heck, at this point I'd consider a smaller car 'enclosed' in a bigger, 'safety' shell.

    • Tesla Model S [teslamotors.com] can go 160 miles on a single charge with the default battery option. It could have at least be mentioned in the summary, even if it is not "competition/"

      • by MBCook ( 132727 )
        It's also a $45-$60k luxury car. It's no the same market.
      • Yeah, that Tesla is expected to be around $60 when it launches. The gas Scion IQ is $15k, so I expect this to be at or under $20k. Not even the same ballpark.

        I wish Aptera was succesful, that would have been a radical concept and may have reached under $30k. Batteries just don't have the energy density yet (or in the near future), when you turn on heating, airconditioning, your electronics. I think a combustion-electric, like a train, is a superior solution for now (not like the hybrid cars on the road

    • Size has nothing to do with safety. The Smart Car earned the top safety rating [iihs.org] from the IIHS. It uses a very sophisticated airbag system to protect the occupants.

      That being said, I wish the U.S. would relax the safety regulations on cars. Motorcycles have essentially no safety while cars have so many requirements that it is nearly impossible to build a truly efficient car. I have wished we would do the same thing they do in Germany and other European countries, which is to allow ATVs to be converted and

      • Smart car safety is slightly overrated. If you're in a head-on collision with another car you'll take two or three times the hit as the other car because it weighs two or three times less.

        OTOH most accidents aren't head-ons so it's not all bad news.

        (And just to balance things ... statistics show that SUVs are *less* safe then normal cars in non-head-on collisions because they almost always flip over)

  • by sribe ( 304414 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @03:07PM (#36647862)

    When I lived near the city center this would have been great as the second car for a couple. Really. I would have loved it, at the right price.

    Not so much any more though. Our current vehicles get about 25, 20, & 8 mpg. (Don't freak out you greenies, I don't drive the 5-ton very often or very far. It's a pretty harsh ride...) So yeah, since we, current owners of 3 largish vehicles, would have considered it seriously, I'd bet there's a good market for it.

    • But you could have vehicles from the 1980s that got 50, 30, and 20. Namely diesel rabbit, Mercedes 300SD (price of a house then; cheap now) and F250/350 with International 6.9/7.3 diesel. With all-synthetics and real smooth rubber (and with the 3.55 gear set) many people get real-world mileage of 20 mpg. Maybe you should let that 460 (or 454 or 440) go, at a minimum. With 4x4 and big knobblies (I live in bumfuck and use my mud tires for mud regularly in the winter) I get around 15 mpg mixed with my 6800 lb

  • by Clueless Moron ( 548336 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @03:07PM (#36647864)

    What will the range be like after 5-10 years? And what if it's a really cold winter day? I have to heat the cabin somehow.

    This is my main problem with all-electric vehicles. You never really know how much range you have. And if you live in a cold climate like I do, gasoline engines are really quite efficient in the winter since the "waste" heat is not wasted at all; it heats the cabin.

    • by Ichijo ( 607641 )

      And what if it's a really cold winter day? I have to heat the cabin somehow.

      Wear extra layers. You should be bringing them anyway in case you have a flat tire.

  • According to Toyota, Scion iQ can only go 50 miles on a single charge.

    Traffic? Roads? Weather?

    I need to know what I can ask of the car under less than perfect conditions.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      I looked up the range of the Nissan Leaf, they say it can go 62 miles in terrible conditions: 14 degrees F outside, traffic jam, average speed of 15mph (it's most efficient speed is 38mph). That's slightly worse than half their best condition 138 miles: flat roads, 68d F, 38mph constant speed. (http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/tags/show/range#/leaf-electric-car/theBasicsRange/index)

      If Toyota is playing it safe and reporting their worst condition distance for now, then all is well. If they reported

  • Cup holder: Check. Rear view mirrors are a nice touch but probably superfluous.

  • by Colin Smith ( 2679 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @03:46PM (#36648120)

    Subject says it all.
     

  • by YrWrstNtmr ( 564987 ) on Sunday July 03, 2011 @04:27PM (#36648316)
    The infrastructure is not there yet. If I live in an apartment (city dweller?), where do I plug it in? If I have a house, but no garage, where do I plug it in.

    Yes, some few companies are equipping their parking lots with plugin terminals. Very few. And as far as street side (parking meter?) plugins? I can see serious vandalism, just for the lulz.

    A 50 mile range means that I have to manage the cars fuel every day. Doesn't sound like fun to me.
    I love the idea of an all electric. But I just can't see it yet.
    • by dkf ( 304284 )

      And as far as street side (parking meter?) plugins?

      Did you know that in northern Sweden they already have those installed? OK, they're there to plug in heaters to keep engines warm enough to start in the winter — they have serious winter, and no way do I want to move there — but a plug is a plug. It's quite practical, and people are less likely to mess with it if they get a real benefit from it.

      I can see serious vandalism, just for the lulz.

      As opposed to now where they just slash your tyres and set fire to the car, "just for the lulz"...

      • I can see serious vandalism, just for the lulz.

        As opposed to now where they just slash your tyres and set fire to the car, "just for the lulz"...

        I suspect that mischief that does not result in permanent damage would be far more tempting than something like slashing tires. Unplugging a car that is in the middle of charging would be such mischief. It reminds me of those parking meters that just internally tracked which spot had what time remaining. Someone would enter their parking spot number, pay for an hour, go shopping, then someone comes along and pays for 5 minutes for that spot in order to cause a ticket to be issued 6 minutes later.

        The way

  • Once again showing that there are no good batteries to be had.
  • LEAF's 73 mile range (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 03, 2011 @06:39PM (#36649016)

    When did the Nissan LEAF's range get downgraded from 100 miles to 73 miles? Is it by the same process Top Gear used to determine the Tesla Roadster's 55 mile range [wikipedia.org], or by these guys 313 miles [autoblog.com] (official range is 244 miles). If we want to start using the actual range instead of the advertised range as the range number, can we also start using the actual mpg for cars instead of the advertised number?

    For reference: I've owned a plug-in converted Prius [hymotion.com] for over a year and a half and speaking from experience, my assisted mode (electric motor constantly assisting gas engine) is roughly 32 miles. In the summer I rarely dip below 100mpg, but in winter I am lucky to get 80mpg. EV range is roughly 18 miles in summer, but it doesn't even work in winter (Prius limit, not conversion kit limit). I used $143.28 worth of electricity (including taxes and delivery fees) keeping my car charged, and filled up on gas once every 5-8 weeks.

    It allows me to make my weekend trips for kids sports, shopping, and various errands near the neighbourhood without using a drop of gas. Now that I've had a taste of what an electric car would be like to own I want one. Making trips to the gas station seem so inconvenient now, my car sits in the driveway for 12-18 hours a day; sometimes it sits there all day. It sits in the parking lot at work for 8 hours a day. Why can't that time be used to trickle charge my car so I don't need gas?

    The electric charging infrastructure already exists, it's pre-installed into every home and office parking lot. The same just cannot be said of hydrogen. Hydrogen isn't a power source, it's a power medium like batteries. Hydrogen cars today have a range similar to electric vehicles. The hydrogen version of the BMW 7 series has a range of about 125 miles; just 25 more than the Nissan LEAF's range (if we only use advertised ranges). The Tesla Model S can be equipped with a 300 mile battery pack for a vehicle MSRP of $77,000; the BMW is worth $1,000,000 (though is has an attractive lease option).

    Hydrogen just adds a level of complexity that simply doesn't exist for electric vehicles. EVs will not replace all cars, at best today they can be a second car, or a single car for someone who lives in a town where everything is less than 30 miles away. Commuting, doing errands, short (less than 100 mile) trips is what you'd get an EV to do; if you do more of everything else (road trips, on-the-road salesman, long drives, etc) then don't buy an EV.

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