Toyota BEVs take to the roads of Wales in the EV Rally Cymru
- Toyota supports the EV Rally Cymru as sponsor and participant
- Toyota C-HR+ electric SUV to take part in the two-day event (21 – 22 October)
- Toyota’s Deeside engine plant is the final destination on a route covering the length and breadth of Wales
Toyota is a sponsor and participant in the third EV Rally Cymru, a two-day challenge that will test the performance of electric vehicles on roads the length and breadth of Wales.
The event is designed as a “mythbuster,” giving a very public demonstration of the real-world efficiency and viability of more than 25 EVs – including cars, vans, trucks and trailers.
The competitors will set off from Cardiff on 21 October and pass through nine checkpoints where each vehicle’s miles-per-kilowatt-hour performance will be logged. The 385-mile route covers all types of roads, from motorways to rural lanes. It includes an overnight stop in Aberystwyth before finishing at Toyota’s engine plant in Deeside where the final efficiency results will be declared.
As an official vehicle partner to the event, Toyota is supplying bZ4X SUVs to the organising team. It is also taking part in the rally, entering a Toyota C-HR+, crewed by Richard Seymour – a former member of the Toyota (GB) PR team and economy driving expert – and content creator Rod Kirkpatrick.
Their car, a Design grade model running on 18-inch wheels, is equipped with a 77kWh battery that supports an official driving range (WLTP) of up to 377 miles with an energy consumption figure of 4.64 miles/kWh.
The teams’ achievements and experiences throughout the rally will be shared across social media, with the principal hashtags #evrally #cymru and #collaboration.
Emma Johnson, Toyota (GB) Director, Brand and Customer Experience, said: “The EV Rally Cymru lets us showcase our electric vehicles in real world conditions and help customers learn more about them. We know people have many questions when considering buying an EV, so this gives us another opportunity to show them all the details and demonstrate key points such as how easy the charging process is.”
“We are also keen to increase awareness of our multipath approach to powertrain technology. Toyota believes that not one single powertrain can be the right solution for every customer but that hybrids, plug-in hybrids, EVs and hydrogen all can play their part in carbon reduction.”
Toyota currently has 10 EVs in its UK model range, including cars, vans, people carriers and the newly launched Hilux BEV pick-up. In its wider efforts to reduce carbon, its Deeside engine plant in North Wales has recently become the first Toyota manufacturing centre in Europe to start carbon-neutral production.
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