The Toyota C+Pod is an electric car from Japan which has actually been present in Indonesia since last year. But this micro car can only be enjoyed by the public with a rental system in Bali and Medan, North Sumatra.
PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) does not mass sell vehicles without fuel oil (BBM). Even though the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) on 25 December 2021 previously announced that the C+Pod would be marketed worldwide.
It's actually interesting if the C+Pod is sold at authorized Toyota dealers using the Spot Order system. So that people can have a choice of a small electric car for their daily mobility needs in the city.
Especially if the price is below IDR 300 million, considering that in this segment there is only Wuling Air ev, which turned out to be a huge success in the market.
The dimensions of the Toyota C + Pod are small but roomy inside
Even though it's only for tourists in Bali and Medan, they finally got the chance to try this electric car with a capacity of two passengers.
The test location is in the XEV Center test track area owned by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) in the Karawang area, West Java.
Dimensionally, the C+Pod is smaller than the Air ev, because the body length is less than 2.5 meters and the wheelbase is also less than 1.8 meters.
But the sitting position as a driver or passenger is quite comfortable, because it only has a two-seater configuration, so the legroom of this car can be roomy.
The large glass in front also provides a wide viewing area, unfortunately the side window is still a manual opening model which is quite inconvenient if you have to raise or lower it.
Driving Impressions
To start driving with the C+Pod, you must first press the brake pedal, then press the blue Start/Stop Engine button under the dashboard center console.
There is no gear lever or rotary knob to change gear position, but its role is in the form of three buttons in the center of the dashboard represented by the letter "R" for reverse, "N" for Neutral, and "D" for advancing.
So press the D button then take your foot off the brake pedal and step on the gas pedal, then you will go with the Toyota C + Pod.
This car is equipped with a permanent magnet electric motor that can produce 9.2 kW of power or the equivalent of 12.5 PS with a peak torque of 56 Nm.
It's nothing special, but it's enough if you only use it at close range, such as picking up children from school, going to the supermarket, or just going to the office which is not too far from home.
But it should be noted, even though the sitting position is comfortable, the steering wheel of this car feels a bit heavy, even though the tires used are only 155/70 R13.
But the suspension slams quite soft, just right for use for daily mobility. Even so, the C+Pod has a battery that can make the car go as far as 150 km on a single charge.
It's far inferior to the Air Ev, whose battery can go up to 300 km on a single charge from 100% to completely empty.
But if this car is used to go back to the office which is 10 km away, with traffic jams, then the car can be charged every 5-6 days.
