Toyota iQ EV Prototype to Be Presented at The Geneva Auto Show

Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to reveal its latest electric car prototype version of Toyota’s iQ model, at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show in March.

The new prototype will be equipped with an electric powertrain based on the current Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which actually equips the Prius for more than a decade.

According to Toyota, the system will feature a flat lithium-ion battery pack, making the car have a driving range of about 65 miles or up to 105 kilometers, on a single charge. As most of the electric vehicles, the car isn’t built for use on longer trips and only for short-range transportation.

Currently, the company did not specify the date when the car will be available on the market. All we know is that it will be launched somewhere in 2012. For the beginning, the EV will be available in Europe through a leasing plan and then in North America and other markets.

The car is much smaller than the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, slated to fit three passengers. Toyota also has great plans for the future, through their venture with Tesla Motors Inc. to develop an EV version of the RAV4 compact SUV planned to be launched in 2012.

Besides this, several other vehicles will be created by Toyota, such as the sedan fuel cell hybrid, which is expected to be released in 2015 in the U.S., Europe and Japan.