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From the pictures, it will be obvious that the ES3 has a slippery body. What is impressive is that a Cd of 0.23 has been achieved in spite of the body length being about 3.5 metres. Normally, a short body has a higher Cd because the airflow does not get a chance to smoothen out over the roof before ‘tumbling’ down at the back and causing turbulence and drag. Much of the aerodynamic optimisation was aimed at making the airflow as smooth as possible and even the wheel covers were specially designed for the purpose. Narrow 145/70 tyres also contribute to lower wind resistance as well as less rolling resistance.

FCHV-4/FCHV-5
While the ES3 had the primary objective of super-low fuel consumption, the FCHV (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle) has been an ongoing endeavor at Toyota which aims to produce a practical zero-emissions vehicle. Thus far, Toyota has successfully developed the FCHV-4 which uses a fuel cell that generates electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

The FCHV-4 makes use of a Kluger V (Highlander in the US market) SUV platform and body and is claimed to have acceleration as good as a petrol-engined car. It is also better in terms of operating range and can cover 250 kms on one tank of hydrogen which is stored at 250 atmospheres of pressure. An interesting feature is the use of a CFC-free electric heat pump air-conditioner using carbon dioxide as the coolant.

With the FCHV-5, a slightly different approach is being tried out whereby generation of electricity from hydrogen is derived from Clean Hydrogen Fuel (CHF). Seen as the next-generation liquid fuel, CHF can be produced from crude oil, natural gas or coal and it has low sulphur content. It can also be used for present petrol engines and stored in today’s fuel pumps. Therefore, it is a good solution to the problem of hydrogen supply infrastructure which is necessary for FCHVs to become widely used.

POD
It may look wacky but the Pod is a unique type of concept car which is more like a ‘partner’ and can share moods. Jointly developed by Toyota and Sony, it explores the potential for communications between people and their vehicles.

Believe it or not, this car will be able to express the driver’s feelings as well as its own by orientation of the headlamps, illumination of the grille and even the door mirror positions. Using LEDs, the front ‘face’ can express ten different emotional states. These emotions are influenced by situations: an angry expression when the driver swerves or brakes hard; a sad expression if a tyre goes flat; or a happy expression when the driver is cruising smoothly. Even the tail-mounted antenna comes into play, ‘wagging’ at the right moment! So the next time someone cuts into your lane suddenly, you can make it very clear you are angry…

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