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Toyota to launch 'car of future' in US in 2015
by Staff Writers
Las Vegas Jan 06, 2014


First Formula E car dazzles Las Vegas
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 07, 2014 - The first Formula E car -- part of an upcoming motor racing competition to put electric vehicles on the map -- made its dazzling debut on Monday in Las Vegas.

The sleek Spark-Renault SRT-01E, capable of speeds above 225 kilometers (150 miles) per hour, will compete in the first Formula E Championship that begins in Beijing in September, part of 10 races sponsored by the FIA, the global governing body for motor racing.

"The Formula E is the future of the automobile, I think this will change the perception of electric vehicles," said Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm, one of the corporate sponsors.

Formula E will have 10 teams, each with two drivers.

Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi showed off the vehicle at a parking lot, demonstrating to spectators and media the capabilities of the fully electric machine.

"It's a different feeling from anything else," di Grassi told reporters, saying that "you have to be more precise... but it is more efficient."

Formula E chief Alejandro Agag said he hopes the championship will stimulate investment in electric vehicles and change their image.

"Formula E is a championship with a mission," he said.

"Electric cars have been perceived as slow... we want more consumers to get an electric car."

Jacobs said the investment from Qualcomm is part of the company's mission in getting more "connected devices" and improving technology in many sectors.

Qualcomm is working with automakers to get more connectivity for vehicle navigation, convenience and other functions, and has a long-term project seeking ways to wirelessly charge electric vehicles, possible through embedded devices in highways.

The Formula E car was on show as the Consumer Electronics Show got under way in Las Vegas.

Toyota said Monday it plans to launch a fuel-cell car in the United States next year, declaring the hydrogen vehicle with zero emissions "the car of the future." Toyota Motor Sales vice president Bob Carter said the initial market will be California, together with an initiative to establish hydrogen refueling stations in key regions of the state. "In 2015, we will bring this car to market," Carter said in the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The vehicle, yet to be named, would be a "zero-emission, electric-drive, mid-size, four-door sedan." "Functionally, this is a regular car," he added. The streamlined design is to maximize oxygen intake for the fuel-cell process. It will be able to travel 300 miles (480 kilometers) on a single fueling, which would take three to five minutes. While carmakers have long touted the advantages of fuel cells, high production costs and a lack of fuel stations have held back the technology. Carter said however that Toyota had been getting results from its major investments and added that "we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people." Government initiatives in California were making progress in getting hydrogen fueling stations in needed areas, he added. "The issue of infrastructure is not so much about how many, but rather location, location, location," he said. "Fuel cells will be in our future sooner than many people believe... and in much greater numbers than anyone expected." Toyota unveiled a prototype last year at the Tokyo auto show, but on Monday offered more details for its plans for the US market. Honda is also expected to roll out a fuel-cell car in the US market in 2015, and other automakers are working on the technology, which emits only water vapor as exhaust. Honda already has a fuel-cell car, the FCX Clarity, available on a small scale in a limited number of markets. Carter said that Toyota and California officials plan to add 20 new fuel stations by 2015 to the 10 existing ones. The goal is to have about 100 in the state, and to have a station within a six-minute drive of an owner's home or business. "This infrastructure thing is going to happen," he said. "I believe this vehicle will be the car of the future." It is expected to launch in Japan at about the same time.

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