The Proace CITY Electric brings Toyota to the biggest light commercial vehicle market

By Electric Vehicles, 26 January, 2022

The new Toyota Proace CITY Electric is a big step forward for Toyota Professional's electric light commercial vehicle (LCV) and people carrier line-up. In addition, this electric model makes Toyota, a strong contender in the high-volume compact van market in Europe.

Panel vans and five-to seven-seat Verso people carriers in standard (4.4 m) and long (4.5 m) wheelbase versions, as well as a long-wheelbase, five-seat Crew Cab, will be available in the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, buyers can choose from a wide range of electric vehicles. The Toyota Proace Electric van and the Toyota Proace Verso Electric people carrier, which were recently released, make Toyota even more of a leader in the field of vehicles that run on electricity.

For practicality, the electric vehicle models have the same load capacity as the Toyota Proace CITY models, holding up to 4,400 liters. They also have the capacity for 800 pounds of payload and 750 pounds of towing weight.

The market for compact electric vans has grown four times faster than that for medium-duty electric vans in the last two years. This shows that there is a lot of room for growth. People who run a fleet of small businesses and get to more low-and zero-emission zones in cities can use the new models. People who want to improve their environmental image can also use them.

It could help Toyota reach its goal of having more than 10% of its powertrains in Europe be zero emissions by 2025. Proace City Electric is a great way to do this. From the fourth quarter of 2021 onward, Europe will get the new model piece by piece. The first countries to get it will be France and the Netherlands, followed by Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and others. This will happen throughout 2022 when more markets are added.

All Toyota Proace CITY Electric models have a 136 hp (100 kW) electric motor that drives the front wheels. This electric motor is the same for all models.

The lithium-ion battery is under the load compartment floor, so it does not get in the way. Two hundred sixteen cells are spread out over 18 modules, and they can store 50 kWh of power. Using this, you can drive 260 to 280 km when fully charged and reach a top speed of 135 km/h. Power mode takes between 11.2 and 11.7 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h and 8.9 to 9.4 seconds to go from 80 to 120 km/h.

Options for Efficient Charging.

All Toyota Proace CITY Electric models come with a 7 kW single-phase onboard charger (OBC), but you can also get an 11 kW tri-phase charger. In addition, type 2 cables that can be used to connect to a home power source or a wall box charging system are also available.

When you use the single-phase 7 kW OBC, it takes 7.5 hours to charge all battery cells. It only takes five hours to charge the electric van with the three-phase 11 kW OBC. When the electric car is hooked up to a public or business 100 kW DC fast-charger station, it can get an 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes, which is very quick.

The charging status is shown by a lighting system around the inlet socket in the rear left-side wing. When the charging cable is attached, the car lights up in white in standby mode. When battery charging is in progress, this changes to a green flashing light, then a solid green when the charging is done. A red light means a problem; a blue light means that a charging session has been set up.

Cooling the battery

Effective battery temperature management is important for keeping performance and range up in cold and hot weather. Glycol water is used to cool the lithium-ion battery in the Proace City Electric. It is kept cool by a cold loop device and heated by an electric heater. This helps keep the battery's charging time and efficiency the same and ensures that the battery performs at its best across a wide range of temperatures, from -40 to +55 °C.

Drive Mode Selector and Electric Toggle

There is no gear shift in the Proace CITY Electric, but there is an e-toggle control on the center console that lets you get into Park and choose Drive or Neutral. You can also choose to reverse the car. When the driver lets go of the accelerator pedal, there is also a "B" switch that lets the car get even more regenerative braking energy to help charge the battery when they do it again.

Depending on the driver's preference, the weight of the load, and the driving conditions, Eco, Normal, and Power drive modes can be chosen with a switch next to the e-toggle. Motor power and torque are changed in each mode and the way the throttle works. The output is 100 kW in power mode with 260 Nm of torque. In normal mode, the output is 80 kW with 210 Nm, and in eco mode, which is suitable for carrying a lot of weight, the output is 60 kW with 180 Nm. An electronic parking brake is also included as part of the package.

The addition of battery power does not make Proace CITY Electric less useful. Smart Cargo-equipped models have a load space that grows to 4.4m3 when extra storage space is gained through a folding passenger seat mechanism and through-loading. The standard-wheelbase model (L1) can carry 800 kg, and the long-wheelbase model (L2) can carry 750 kg. Both electric vans can tow braked loads of up to 750 kg.

The small vans come with two separate front seats or a driver's seat, as well as a two-seat bench. The Verso has a lot of options, with five and seven-seat options for both wheelbase lengths. The Crew Cab model (L2 long wheelbase only) can fit five people in the back of the car.

The Proace CITY Electric range has the same grades as the Proace CITY range for van and Verso models. In addition, it has the same equipment for practicality, safety, comfort, and convenience.

The small van comes in base and comfort versions. The entry-level model is a simple, workhorse model that is easy to use and has a low cost of ownership. The Comfort version will also have side doors that can be opened, bigger 16-inch wheels with covers, and the Smart Cargo load-extending system.

Similarly, the Toyota Proace CITY Verso Electric will have the same grade structure as the Proace CITY models. In addition, there will be Combi, Shuttle, Family, and Family+ versions, with the Family+ model having a color head-up display and satellite navigation.

It will also show information about the battery and how much power the car is consuming on the 10-inch TFT multi-information display, which will be standard on all models. Customers can also use the MyT app to get to connected services on their smartphones with the app's help. This lets you control the air conditioning system from afar, check the battery's condition, and set up charging at a distance. You can also set up a battery charging schedule for your electric car.

Proace CITY has a lot of safety and driver assistance systems.

As a result, both the Toyota Proace CITY Electric van and the Verso models have the broadest range of active safety systems in their class: dynamic and post-collision braking systems, Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, driver attention warning, trailer stability control system, high beam assist, blind-spot detection, and Advanced Grip Control with Hill Ascent/Descent Control are some of the things that make this car different from other cars.

A rear-view camera is also available for the driver's help, as well as a 180-degree system for a bird's-eye view of what is going on around the car. Parking sensors and rear-view cameras are also available. @via autoexpress.