Hi, what are you looking for?
Building US Infrastructure Fast & Smart
Ask a Scientist: Two Dozen States Can Meet 100% of Electricity Demand with Renewables by 2035
Cleantech SPACs: Bane Or Boon For Climate Action?
New Role For Concentrating Solar Power, With Green Hydrogen & A Perovksite Twist
India’s Reliance Industries Scouting Land For 100 Gigawatts Of Solar Projects
Building US Infrastructure Fast & Smart
For Offshore Wind, The Magic Numbers Are 30, 30, & 3
U.S. Distributed Wind Energy Potential Can Meet Half of National Electricity Demand
Ask a Scientist: Two Dozen States Can Meet 100% of Electricity Demand with Renewables by 2035
Just Don’t Say “Climate Change,” & Manchin Is On Board With West Virginia Wind Power
DOE Launches $84 Million Enhanced Geothermal Energy Systems (Video)
Renewable Generation Surpassed Nuclear in the U.S. Electric Power Sector in 2021
Betting A Billion Dollars On Low-Carbon Grid Transformation Tech
Mexico’s Clean Energy Ambitions Realistic With These Renewable Energy Resources
NREL Celebrates the Powerful Women of Water Power
Exhausted: How We Can Stop Lithium Mining from Depleting Water Resources, Draining Wetlands, and Harming Communities in South America
Tesla’s Cyber Rodeo Was Like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory For Tesla Nerds (a photo/meme journal)
Here’s What Tesla Learned From Last Year’s Megapack Fire In Australia
Laboratory Partnerships Bolster Battery Recycling Prize Solutions
Should Tesla Investors Keep An Eye On EV Battery Prices?
Betting A Billion Dollars On Low-Carbon Grid Transformation Tech
“Home of the Future” — Solar Power Home with Electric Ford F-150 Lightning Backup Power (Video)
Buzz Solutions Takes Out 50% Of Grid Inspection Image Effort & Duration
Bill Nussey of Freeing Energy Talks About His Chart-Topping New Book on Local Energy
How A Smart Electric Grid Will Power Our Future
How Ford Gets Accurate Towing Range Estimates
Seeing Climate Solutions Clearly Through Biases & Missing Data Is Challenging
New Law In France: Green Roofs On All New Commercial Buildings
Why Automotive Outlets Keep Butchering Solar Vehicles (& Why They’re Wrong)
One Earth Climate Model Shows How To Cut Global Emissions
Encel MotoE World Cup Gets A Stellar Start To The New Season!
How Ford Gets Accurate Towing Range Estimates
£200 Million Boost to Rollout of Hundreds More Zero-Emission HGVs
Tesla Full Self Driving Beta: How Close to Level 5 Autonomy? (Readers Chime In)
Exhausted: How We Can Stop Lithium Mining from Depleting Water Resources, Draining Wetlands, and Harming Communities in South America
Tesla Full Self Driving Beta: How Close to Level 5 Autonomy? (Readers Chime In)
It’s Just Like A Normal Car — Polestar 2
BMW i3 Long-Term Review from Australia
All-Season Tires For The Tesla Model 3 To Keep Things Simple — Turned Out To Be Safe & Cheap
Bubbling/Peeling Tesla Model 3 Steering Wheel — 25,000 Mile Review Update
Fiat 500e Shines in 21% Plugin Share Market of France
33% Of New Cars Sold In Netherlands Now Plugin Cars
Germany’s Plugin EV Share Up To 24.3%, Economic Pressures Mounting
UK Plugin Share 16.2%, BEVs Grow 1.66× YoY, Supplies Can’t Keep Up
Sweden Plugin EV Share At 48.2%, Kia Niro On Top
Tesla Full Self Driving Beta: How Close to Level 5 Autonomy? (Readers Chime In)
It’s Just Like A Normal Car — Polestar 2
BMW i3 Long-Term Review from Australia
All-Season Tires For The Tesla Model 3 To Keep Things Simple — Turned Out To Be Safe & Cheap
Bubbling/Peeling Tesla Model 3 Steering Wheel — 25,000 Mile Review Update
Tesla Q4 Shareholder Conference Call — Watch & Listen Here
Volkswagen Group — In-Depth Conference Call Highlights Company’s Focus On Transition
Bill McKibben On Unions, Tesla, & Elon Musk — CleanTechnica Interview
How To Watch & Listen To Tesla Q3 Earnings Call — Most Useful Livestream
Tesla Sales & Future of Tesla Discussion with Ride the Lightning, Starman, & EVANNEX
The Toyota bZ4X is a mostly underwhelming battery-electric SUV from Team T.
Toyota, predictably enough, is gaga about the bZ4X, its all new battery-electric SUV. In a press release, it exclaims, “When it comes to SUVs, this all-new, all-electric model is breaking the mold. Futuristic styling and designs — like the curved front bumper and large hammerhead shark-like shape that runs from the top of the hood to the top of the headlamps — give the bZ4X an alluring silhouette that’s sure to stand out. The rear design commands attention thanks to the combination lamps, rear hatch and bumper’s trapezoidal theme, which extends all the way to the tires.
The edgy features don’t stop there. Bold details and refined styling abound inside as well.”
I don’t know about you, but when the first thing a car company has to say about a new model is a “large hammerhead shark-like shape that runs from the top of the hood to the top of the headlamps,” it suggests it has its priorities backwards. Apparently Toyota is more interested in convincing people the bZ4X is just another SUV, except with a battery and an electric motor. Maybe that’s smart marketing — “Nothing to fear here, just another SUV from the folks you know and trust.”
In the elegant executive offices on the 10th floor of CleanTechnica World Headquarters — it used to have 11 floors but that’s another story — we prefer to hear about battery size, range, charging speed, and performance. Cars shouldn’t look ugly, of course, but we don’t buy electric cars based on geegaws like novel taillight shapes and how many creases there are in the sheetmetal.
Autoblog sums it up this way: “Turns out the company that popularized the hybrid has been hesitant to join the all-electric revolution. The bZ4X speaks to that hesitancy. It’s an exceedingly safe effort with RAV4-like styling, as well as range, power and recharging specs that are hardly ambitious. Toyota even split the development with Subaru, which calls its AWD-only version the Solterra. For those wishing Toyota still sold a RAV4 EV today [which was last sold from 2012 to 2014], the bZ4X should probably satisfy. For everyone else, there are ultimately more compelling EVs.” Ouch! Hardly a ringing endorsement, is it?
Nevertheless, Autoblog does say the base model with front-wheel drive is a good value, as it has the highest EPA range (258 miles) and costs about the same as many gasoline-powered SUVs ($43,215). Add $4700 for the Limited edition and another $208 for all-wheel drive. The interior is a matter of taste, but it looks dated compared to other cars and features lots of shiny black plastic — not normally something one associates with premium automobiles.
It comes standard in XLE trim, which offers most of the amenities customers might want except for a power driver’s seat, and a 71.4 kWh battery. The AWD version has a 72.8 kWh (why such a trivial difference?) but can only manage 228 miles of range — about the same as a Nissan LEAF with a 60 kWh battery. The Subaru Solterra is a clone of the bZ4X AWD with identical specs.
In the interest of full disclosure, Toyota says in a footnote,”Charging times are estimated based on ideal charging conditions. As temperatures decrease below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, charging time will increase significantly. Drive battery level and condition, charger specifications and DC charging more than twice per day also can negatively affect charging time. DC charging may not work on AWD bz4x when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Well, AWD is the preferred drivetrain choice for cars operating on slippery or snow covered roads. But if the AWD version doesn’t charge properly if the temperature slips below freezing, that could make it a poor choice for people who live where AWD would be most needed. Doesn’t that seem a little odd to you? One other thing that seems a bit off with the bZ4X (beside its absurd name) is the shiny plastic bits at each wheel. It looks as though the Toyota design team was channeling the late and largely unlamented Honda Element.
Autoblog does have one thing it likes about the newest Toyota. Its standard configuration is front-wheel drive, whereas many similar vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4 in single motor trim put the motor in the rear. FWD is preferred in slippery conditions, although the magazine notes torque steer can be an issue in the Toyota.
In the final analysis, you pays your money and you takes your choice. If the Toyota bZ4X floats your boat, go for it. Drive electric. Be happy.
UPDATE: Toyota reached out with this updated information:
[“Essentially, the disclaimer regarding DC charging rates for bZ4X in colder temperatures was inaccurate and has been updated to the below, as well as on Toyota Newsroom (link here: https://pressroom.toyota.com/five-things-to-know-about-the-all-electric-toyota-bz4x/). While it is still accurate that the charging rate for Front Wheel Drive (FWD) and All-Wheel Drive (AWD) bZ4X models may slow at below freezing temperatures, the additional detail on even colder temperatures for the bZ4X AWD model required additional clarification.
Updated disclaimer: (2) DC charging times are estimated based on ideal charging conditions. As temperatures decrease below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, charging time will increase significantly. For the bZ4X AWD model, charging may slow down more than other models in weather conditions below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and may not be possible when the temperature drops to around -4 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Drive battery conditions, charger specifications and DC charging fully more than twice per day also can negatively affect charging time.
As with all EVs, certain conditions, such as weather, impact battery performance for both driving and charging. For DC charging, specifically, the bZ4X FWD charges at rates up to 150 kilowatts, while the AWD model charges at a maximum possible rate of 100 kW. With this performance, customers will be able to charge from low battery light ON to 80% in about 1 hour, depending on the conditions.”]
Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.
#1 most loved electric vehicle, solar energy, and battery news & analysis site in the world. Support our work today!
Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.
What’s in a name?
Just 10 years ago, when the groundbreaking and leading EV, the Tesla Model S came out, the electric vehicle landscape was relatively sparse. Aside...
Prices in the US for the unpronounceable Toyota bZ4X have been announced.
Following up on US auto sales reports for the 4th quarter of 2021 as well as the full year 2021 compared to 2020 and...
Copyright © 2021 CleanTechnica. The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.