Toyota FT-Se Electric Sports Car Has Dual Motors And All-Wheel Drive

The chief engineer says it will rival the electric Porsche Cayman and estimates it'll hit 60 mph in three seconds.

Toyota FT-Se concept

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 30, 2023 at 6:31am ET

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When Toyota unveiled the FT-Se at the Japan Mobility Show, all we got were some photos of a sweet little sports car with two seats and no combustion engine. Hideaki Iida, the project manager for the Gazoo Racing Design Group and the man who penned the concept, told our sister site InsideEVs that a production version could arrive after 2026. Other sources within the company alluded to our colleagues that it could have a simulated manual gearbox.

Now, more pieces of the puzzle are falling into place thanks to Top Gear magazine. The FT-Se has dual motors with one driving the front axle and the other the rear wheels for an AWD setup with a rear-biased behavior. These motors draw their juice from a "special" third-generation battery pack, for which cooling is going to pose a challenge during a planned Nürburgring hot lap.

Toyota FT-Se Concept

Toyota FT-Se concept

The Green Hell is one of the longest racing tracks in the world as the Nordschleife layout is 12.94 miles (20.83 kilometers) long. The layout used for the 24-hour endurance race is even longer, at 15.7 miles (25.3 kilometers). The FT-Se's chief engineer Fumihiko Hazama told TG the company already has a target lap time in mind that he doesn't want to divulge for now.

"Cooling the battery around the Nürburgring will be very difficult. It's hard driving around a long course which makes the battery temperature higher. Cooling will be important for this car’s performance. For its speed."

He estimated it'll do 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in three seconds, so a 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint could drop below the three-second mark. Flat out, it's projected to reach 155 mph (250 km/h). Although the car's weight remains a mystery, Hazama gives us hope it won't be a porker. Mounted low in the center of the car, the new battery pack is said to be lighter than what's currently in use.

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The body will use a combination of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), aluminum, and steel. Ideally, the goal is to make the FT-Se "light and stiff at the same time" while integrating some clever aero trickery, including a big diffuser for extra downforce.

As to the model's positioning in the range, Hideaki Iida told InsideEVs the sports car is not linked to an MR2 revival or an electric Supra.

See Other Sports Cars That Debuted At The 2023 Japan Mobility Show:

The Honda Prelude Is Back [UPDATE]

The Rotary-Electric Mazda Iconic SP Concept Could Save the Sports Car

Source: Top Gear

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