Image Credit: Toyota.
We can't hide from the truth any longer - modern electric car has become a bit of a brute. Everything is getting bigger, heavier, and packed with more screens than we could safely use. We're driving three-ton electric sheds to pick up a pint of milk... And we boldly call it progress. Thankfully, someone at Toyota decided to look out the window at a congested city street and realized it was about time to do something different.
What they've come up with is this thing, the FT-Me concept. And when I say "thing," I mean it in the most affectionate way possible. It's not a car in the traditional sense. It's a stylish, weatherproof pod. A jet helmet on wheels. A futuristic golf cart that's been allowed out on public roads. And thanks to a $20 million check from the British government, this charmingly small electric runabout might actually happen.
Image Credit: Toyota.
Let's get the dimensions out of the way, because they're hilarious. The FT-Me is a whisker over eight feet long. For context, the average American pickup truck is so long it practically needs its own zip code. You could park two of these Toyotas in a single parking space and still have room for a motorcycle. It's a two-seater designed for one purpose: conquering the urban jungle without the fuss, fury, and the bulk of a normal car.
Prepare yourselves for the performance figures. This is where you might want to sit down. Under the L6e "light quadricycle" rules in Europe, which this little guy is built for, its electric motor is allowed to produce a staggering five horsepower. My blender is probably more powerful. This monumental surge of electric grunt will propel the FT-Me to a top speed of 28 miles per hour.
Image Credit: Toyota.
But that's the whole point, isn't it? This car is about 0-to-the-coffee-shop times. It's for nipping through traffic that's barely moving anyway. Complaining about its top speed is like complaining that a screwdriver makes a terrible hammer. It's simply the wrong tool for that job. For the gridlocked reality of London, Paris, or Rome, 28 mph probably sounds supersonic.
Perched atop this tiny machine is a solar roof developed by a company called Savcor. Toyota claims this sheet of sun-guzzling cells can add between 12 and 19 miles of range per day. That's free energy, falling from the sky! Of course, this being a project developed in Britain, one has to wonder how much sun it will actually see. Still, on those two or three sunny days a year, it's a brilliant feature.
Image Credit: Toyota.
The main battery is expected to deliver a range of about 62 miles on a full charge. When you add the solar top-up, you're looking at a vehicle that could, for many city dwellers, almost never need to be plugged in. Toyota also claims its propulsion system uses three times less energy per mile than today's big, high-capacity EVs. It's the very definition of efficiency.
The damage to the wallet is not yet confirmed, but Toyota is benchmarking it against the Citroen Ami, a similarly unique piece of French engineering. That puts the FT-Me in the ballpark of $10,000. For a second vehicle - a city-specific appliance for errands - that's not an outrageous sum. It's less than some fancy electric bicycles.
Image Credit: Toyota.
Naturally, a project this quirky requires a team of boffins. Toyota is partnering with urban delivery specialists and the University of Derby to make it a reality. The research and potential manufacturing will happen at their Burnaston plant in the UK, the very same place where they built the sensible, reliable Corolla. I find the image of this little electric shoebox rolling off the same line as a family sedan deeply amusing.
Now for the bad news, at least for my fellow Americans. Don't expect to see this little guy dodging F-150s on your local freeway. We, in our infinite wisdom, love our vehicles large and in charge. The FT-Me would be less a car and more a hood ornament for the average American SUV. This is a European solution for a uniquely European problem of ancient, narrow streets and eye-watering fuel prices.
Image Credit: Toyota.
The biggest issue, as always, is time. With a "feasibility study" underway, it could be a good few years before we see these on the road, and in the hyper-speed world of electric vehicles, a few years is an eternity. By the time it launches, we might not need cars anymore... Let's hope Toyota puts its foot down and gets this thing built. It's too clever, too charming, and too delightfully absurd to be left on the shelf.
Image Credit: Toyota.
