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It is no secret that Toyota and Subaru have been working hard behind the scenes on some new ideas. Toyota seems to have some exciting plans up its futuristic sleeve with the electric vehicle market exploding. With the announcement of the “beyond zero” vehicles, the bZ4X is just the start.

The Toyota bZ4X electric vehicle

The new Toyota bZ4X on display
The Toyota “Beyond Zero” bZ4X electric vehicle SUV | Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Toyota announced in a press release that the new Toyota bZ4X would be the first car in the new bZ series. Toyota has announced that there will be seven bZ models and 15 total battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the lineup.

The bZ name stands for Beyond Zero and will be part of the label for future Toyota vehicles. Beyond Zero is also a nod to the idea of zero emissions, but taking that a step further.

In addition to being a very futuristic vehicle, the bZ4X will have a solar recharging system. This means that the car can be regenerating charge even when it is stationary. That makes the bZ4X even more convenient to drive!

The bZ4X will be similar in size to the very popular Toyota RAV4 but will obviously be all-electric. In addition to the bZ4X, Toyota plans to release many cars and even an electric pickup truck.

The bZ4X is being touted as an SUV, but more of a crossover SUV. Though the idea is still technically a concept, the bZ4X looks enough like the RAV4 to entice fans to convert to electric.

What is the all-wheel drive system?

Toyota and Subaru have been working together a lot lately to bring drivers even better cars. The new all-wheel-drive system is said to combine the reliability of Toyota and the off-roading capabilities of a Subaru.

The platform, called the e-TNGA electric vehicle platform, has been in the works for quite some time. The bZ4X is supposed to be a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup but is rumored to be getting a single-motor version as well.

While this is a fairly new concept for Toyota and Subaru, it will likely be the base for most future electric vehicle models.

This is just the start for Toyota!

Many brands worked overtime to get ahead of the electric vehicle trend, but Toyota was lagging. With this announcement, it seems the brand was ironing out all of the details behind the scenes.

With a huge lineup in the works, Toyota will be busy for the next few years. By 2025, the brand hopes to have a total of 70 electric vehicles. The rest of the 15 bZ BEV models also have a release date by 2025.

Toyota has been focusing on “mobility for all,” which means electric vehicles within every driver’s budget. With Toyota and Subaru working together on these new vehicles, we can expect many solid cars shortly.

Though China and Japan will likely see the bZ4X before the U.S. does, we should anticipate seeing it sometime in 2022.