Toyota Corolla EV: Electric Corolla by Turkish DMA

Toyota Corolla EV Electric Car by Turkish DMA Motors 

 Coming to life with a whisper rather than a vroom, Turkey's “first electric car” made its debut to the press, with a trio of grinning executives driving the sedan through a sprawling İstanbul conference hall.
At first, members of the press tried to follow, unsure of whether the car would circle back or if the executives, already tired of answering questions, had decided to make a run for it. Eventually the car plodded back, though the confusion over the car was just beginning.

Toyota Corolla EV: Electric Corolla by Turkish DMA

Billed by Derindere Motor Cars (DMA) as Turkey's first commercially available electric vehicle, the car showcased on Tuesday has been in development by the Toyota subsidiary for six years, and, according to DMA Board Chairman Önder Yol, is “a serious step forward for green technologies and Turkey's automotive industry.”
Well, for those parts that were designed or made in Turkey, anyway. The lightweight HVH 250 engine is supplied by US-based Remy International, and is already used in a number of other plug-in electrics and hybrids, including some of Mercedes' green sedans. The lithium ion batteries come from Japan and were repurposed from Toyota's other hybrid lines. The car, built on the body of Toyota's Corolla sedan, even lacks its own name, carrying the Corolla logo instead.

Toyota Corolla EV: Electric Corolla by Turkish DMA

That raises the more important question: What exactly is revolutionary about this electric car? “The control system has been completely designed from scratch, and it is controlled by a single, efficient brain,” said chairman Yol when asked what DMA is bringing to the table. It sounded like evasion to some journalists. “Is this some kind of joke or scam?” muttered one reporter.

To be fair, DMA's nameless car does have good things going for it. The battery has an in-city range of 280 kilometers (175 miles), and can be recharged with a simple adaptor system that fits into a standard electrical outlet. It costs just TL 6 ($4) to power up the battery, say company officials. Not bad in a country where gas is at a Europe-wide high of TL 5 a liter (over $10 a gallon). Charging the battery takes around eight hours.

But those advantages are met by the traditional disadvantage of electric vehicles: purchase price. At TL 120,000 ($68,000), buying DMA's car means surrendering a jaw-dropping sum for most Turks. Buyers have been slow to purchase hybrids and loathe to take on electric cars in Europe and the US, despite tax breaks and higher eco-consciousness. In Turkey, per capita income is a fifth of that in the US, and no subsidies help coax buyers into new technologies. And when Turks spend on cars, they tend towards luxury, not save-the-planet schemes, says Berkan Bayram, an editor of auto magazine Electric and Hybrid Cars. “They want something fast and German,” he says, conjuring up images of BMWs tearing past edelweiss meadows in some Alpine valley. The Remy engine is no lawnmower, he says, but the price makes it a difficult sell.

DMA is also betting against the strategy of global car giants, including its parent company Toyota. While Toyota has pioneered hybrid technology, it has remained cool on pure electric. Nissan has spent $5 billion on developing electrics to date, but this month former electric advocate and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said the company would be looking to hybrids and hydrogen cells in the future.

Toyota Corolla EV: Electric Corolla by Turkish DMA

DMA Chairman Yol thinks otherwise. “I don't believe in the future of hybrid; honestly, it makes things more complicated,” he says. “Battery technology can change with the right investment, and you will see batteries in three to four years which can support a 1,000 kilometer range,” he said.
Perhaps by then DMA will have a name for its creation. The company says it hopes to sell 1,200 electric cars next year.