Toyota EV2

At the 1973 Tokyo Motor Show, five Japanese manufacturers united to showcase a complete range of electric vehicles, spanning everything from compact city cars to full-size buses.

The initiative originated in 1971, when Japan’s Agency of Industrial Science and Technology launched a five-year program backed by a ¥5 million budget.

Operating under MITI—the influential Ministry of International Trade and Industry that played a key role in Japan’s early automotive development—AIST tasked five major automakers with creating five distinct electric vehicles, designated EV1 through EV5.

Toyota’s EV2 was a compact city-focused car, and when it debuted, the company emphasized that it still viewed conventional reciprocating engines as the long-term future of mainstream transportation, with electric vehicles serving primarily as supplementary options for urban and suburban driving.

The EV2 was 7.7 inches shorter than a Fiat 500, yet notably tall due to its 16 lead-acid batteries—arranged under the floor in a steel frame and delivering 192 volts. A single thyristor chopper-controlled electric motor, weighing around 100 pounds and capable of spinning up to 10,000 rpm, sat parallel to the rear axle and powered the rear wheels through a 3-speed automatic transmission.

For 1973, the car’s control system was remarkably advanced. A computer coordinated inputs from a speed sensor, accelerator-angle sensor, and motor-current sensor to manage acceleration and cruising speed. It even modulated braking to replicate the feel of a hydraulic setup.

Thanks to an FRP body that helped lower the center of gravity, the EV2’s total weight was 1,375 kg (3,030 lbs). Performance figures included a 94 km/h (58 mph) top speed, a 0–30 km/h time of 3 seconds, and a range of 180–200 km (112–124 miles).