Toyota Gazoo Racing has begun testing its first battery-powered prototype – and firm chairman Akio Toyoda is personally concerned in growth work to make sure it meets expectations, our sister publication Autocar UK reveals.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing’s BEV 

Speaking in the course of the current Le Mans 24 Hours, firm chairman Akio Toyoda revealed that his baseline expectations for the car are that it should be at the very least nearly as good to drive as present combustion-engined fashions, which embody the GR86, GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR Corolla.

Toyoda stated: “The starting point is not what powertrain the car has, but how fun it is to drive regardless of that powertrain. I actually had the opportunity to test drive a BEV GR we are working on recently. I don’t know if that car will make it onto the market yet, but the first priority of making these kinds of cars is that they need to be fun to drive, no matter what powertrain they use.”

Consequently, Toyoda additionally instructed that the car can be developed to have many traits of combustion-engined cars, together with having a clutch, gearbox and even making a sound to imitate engine noises.

Toyota Gazoo Racing BEV to imitate an ICE car 

“The biggest difference to other BEVs we are developing is that, when you are in the GR BEV, you can actually hear the engine noises, even if you can’t smell gasoline,” stated Toyoda. “There is also a manual transmission and also a clutch. If you put someone in the car and asked them to drive it and guess the powertrain, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

Toyoda’s reference to the handbook gearbox provides credence to options the GR mannequin could possibly be co-developed with a Lexus equal, as final 12 months the upmarket agency revealed early particulars of a handbook transmission challenge it was engaged on for future BEVs.

The agency’s chief engineer, Takashi Watanabe, outlined that the gearstick and clutch wouldn’t be related on to the motor, however they’d simulate shifts by adjusting the torque settings of the electrical motor. He additionally instructed that it could possibly be programmed to permit the car to roll again on a hill, and even probably emulate a stall, to make sure poor driving is punished.

Underlining the prototype nature of the GR check car, and the way its growth showcases the corporate’s willingness to tackle new concepts, Toyoda stated: “Whether it makes it to the market or not, what the corporate is making an attempt to do is discover the concept of what it’s that we shouldn’t lose in a car even when it turns into BEV.