The electric version of Toyota iQ is finally ready and will be making its public debut, in concept form, at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The normal iQ, as its name suggests, is a clever car. But this EV version, this one is a genius. It comes with some innovative solutions to minimize the battery use, and maximize the range.

For instance, the iQ EV features a a low power consumption heat pump air conditioning system, because the normal systems use too much power, and relies mostly on seat heaters to warm up the occupants. It also has a new type of Heated Windscreen Defroster (HWD) system.

Stuff like this enabled Toyota to use lower battery capacity for this car, which means shorter charging time. The iQ EV can be fully charged in three hours, and up to 80 percent in just 15 minutes.

Toyota iQ EV has a newly developed, flat, highly compact lithium-ion battery pack, which has been mounted within a high strength steel cradle beneath the cabin floor, where you usually find the petrol tank and the exhaust system. This way the cabin space remains the same – which is good because any less space in the iQ would be unacceptable – and it also helps with weight distribution.

As for the performance and dynamics, the 47 kW electric motor/generator (torque 163 Nm) gives the little iQ a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 14 seconds, and a top speed of 125 km/h.

Other technology features of the iQ EV are to be found inside the cabin. The Toyota iQ EV features an exclusive driver’s instrument binnacle with Optitron metres styled to resemble electrical componentry such as a generator turbine and printed circuitry. It incorporates a central speedometer with EV System Indicator-linked changing colour illumination, a 3.5″ TFT (Thin Film Transistor) multi-information display, a compact, high contrast LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a plug-in indicator.

The 3.5″ TFT screen displays a comprehensive variety of vehicle information. Its easy-to-read default setting shows only the basic information the driver needs; driving range, state of charge and, through the EV System Indicator, output/regeneration status.