Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • ETRMA: COVID-19 pummels European tire markets in 2020
      New systems solutions advance the sustainability of automotive weatherseals
      3D mapping, navigation from Conti, others on cusp of mainstream
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
    • ETRMA: COVID-19 pummels European tire markets in 2020
      R&D, Group 1 oils shift keeps Nynas busy
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
    • 3D mapping, navigation from Conti, others on cusp of mainstream
      R&D, Group 1 oils shift keeps Nynas busy
      Motion Industries rebrands as 'Motion'
      Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
    • New systems solutions advance the sustainability of automotive weatherseals
      Arburg: 2021 Technology Days in June will run for 6 days
      R&D, Group 1 oils shift keeps Nynas busy
      Arburg boosts electric machine business with AMK acquisition
    • Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
      Ace Products & Consulting partners with Wallace Instruments
      Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
    • WCCO task force navigates pandemic, expands communications
      ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
    • Tero Peltomaki named Cimcorp CEO
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      ARP Materials adds technical sales manager
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
    • USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      India decides against extending carbon black duties
      Hot topics at virtual CES: AVs, air taxis and drones
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
    • Editorial: Against a backdrop of turmoil, M&A deals give glimpse of normalcy
      Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
    • Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
      Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
    • Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • ETRMA: COVID-19 pummels European tire markets in 2020
      New systems solutions advance the sustainability of automotive weatherseals
      3D mapping, navigation from Conti, others on cusp of mainstream
      The new One: Nokian unveils all-season passenger tire
    • Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
      Ace Products & Consulting partners with Wallace Instruments
      Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
    • Bridgestone bets on guayule as alternative natural rubber source
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2020 International Silicone Conference Virtual Edition
      2020 ITEC Virtual Edition
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive
June 20, 2019 04:04 PM

Toyota offers glimpse at next-generation electric vehicles

Hans Greimel
Automotive News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Toyota Motor Corp.
    Toyota has clay models of its planned electric vehicle lineup, which show a reduced emphasis on the front grille and a new focus on the front corners.

    TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. had an electric vehicle plan. And now it has the cars.

    Japan's biggest car maker, seeking to shed its image as an EV laggard, has pulled the veil on six edgy concepts that foreshadow a wave of battery-powered Toyota vehicles arriving before 2025.

    Key elements of Toyota's new EV family look, called EV-e, include long wheelbases, spacious interiors, camera mirrors and ventilated front corners with automated driving sensors.

    Designers have been working on this visual language since 2016, global design chief Simon Humphries said on the sidelines of the company's EV strategy briefing this month.

    "These are new ways to try to find an identity for this," Humphries said of the EV lineup's look.

    The display of life-sized clay concepts, in earthy gold and bronze hues, is the clearest sign yet of what Toyota envisions for the more than 10 EVs it plans to launch in the early 2020s.

    Some of those vehicles, such as the electric C-HR subcompact crossover going on sale next year in China, will be battery-powered versions of existing nameplates.

    But Toyota plans a host of other EVs that will ride on a newly developed dedicated EV platform called e-TNGA, a play on the company's Toyota New Global Architecture modular platform that the car maker has been rolling out in recent years.

    The new EV platform will be able to accommodate everything from a three-row SUV or a sporty sedan to a small crossover or a boxy compact, Humphries said.

    "We're making a new platform for the car and trying to make a new experience for the people who buy it," Humphries said. "This gives you a good idea of the platform's capability."

    Toyota's new EV platform will bring a lot of changes to the look and feel of upcoming vehicles.

    In the front, Toyota ditches the grille and turns to creative slits to ventilate the electric motor.

    Toyota's styling today, called "under priority," uses a big, low grille for a more planted look.

    The new face, called the "interlock grille," tries to mesh the upper and lower elements.

    The styling focus of the front end will turn from the radiator to the corners.

    "You've got to anticipate the next big thing that's going to change the face," Humphries said.

    "A lot of it is going to fall to sensors," he said. "The sensors for autonomous driving are largely based in the corners. So, the corner is going to be the next radiator. What we're trying to do is build emphasis on the corner, build in sensors for the future."

    Because sensors typically need to be housed in plastics to function perfectly, large elements of those corners could rely on non-metal materials.

    The hoods of the upcoming EVs likely will be a lot smaller than the hoods on today's gasoline vehicles, Humphries added.

    That's because the front motor compartments are smaller and because there will be less reason for wide, easy access to all their nooks and crannies.

    Cameras, meanwhile, will do away with traditional sideview mirrors. They will be slimmed down to winglets or mounted in out-of-the-way places, such as the top of the A-pillars.

    Such high placement will provide a more expansive camera view.

    Headlights also will be reduced to slits and maybe incorporated into the hood.

    "There's no need for them to be a separate unit. They can be built into something else," Humphries said.

    And watch for bigger wheels on Toyota's EVs.

    Big wheels are a cool feature on show cars, but they usually shrink for production vehicles. EVs, by contrast, can accommodate bigger wheels because the motor compartment is smaller.

    During steering, front wheels can turn farther into the vehicle without bumping into something. Bulkier transversely mounted engines limit that turning radius, and thus, the wheel size.

    "From a design point of view, it simply looks better," Humphries said of big wheels. "You can put better brakes on it. The bigger the wheel, the bigger the brake, the better the performance."

    Toyota's upcoming EVs also will get longer wheelbases, which opens other possibilities.

    "This is a good thing for design. It gives the car a lot of stance and structure," Humphries said. "Interiors will play a big part because we have a lot of space in there."

    And because the batteries are packed along the bottom of the vehicle, the interior floor will be flat. The floor batteries also will boost the driver and occupants, enabling a higher eye point, he said.

    The design showcase is part of a wider EV messaging blitz from Toyota.

    At the briefing, Shigeki Terashi, executive vice president for research and development, said Toyota now expects to get half of its global sales—or roughly 5.5 million vehicles—from electrified models by 2025. That is five years ahead of the 2030 goal it had floated in December 2017.

    Full EVs are expected to account for less than 1 million of the total.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION