Despite Toyota's CEO having some harsh words to say about electric vehicles, the automotive giant continues to make advances in the technology. The Toyota Prius is also being used as a platform to win the race to self-driving cars ahead of Tesla. The Japanese marque is showing no signs of slowing down and is now working on new ways of making Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) more attractive to individuals. With this in mind, Toyota has just launched a brand new vehicle in Japan called the C+pod, and as its name suggests, it's very small. Think battery-powered Kei car, and you're on the right track. Interestingly, however, this new vehicle is not meant for public use just yet.

The car launched on Christmas Day and was made available to "corporate users, local governments, and other organizations that have been exploring new options to drive the popularization of BEVs." The vehicle will eventually be offered to the public too, with a launch date set for sometime in 2022. The idea behind this two-seater is to offer a mobility solution that makes a very small impact on the environment and uses as little energy as possible. It's meant to be only as big as absolutely necessary, thus keeping costs and emissions to a minimum and also making it easier and more affordable for the average individual to get into an EV.

New services exclusive to BEVs will also be offered, one of which is called Toyota Green Change. This is a joint project developed with Chubu Electric Power Miraiz Co. "to offer a single point of contact for corporations seeking support when constructing optimal charging facilities or developing electricity plans for BEVs, such as CO2-free power." Toyota says that the C+pod will only manage around 93 miles of range, but the vehicle is a small part of a bigger project that aims to make owning an electric vehicle more accessible for the masses. With the brand also promising a game-changing new battery soon, Toyota is doing all it can to make electric vehicles better than ever.