Tesla Model 3

The Model 3 marks the beginning of Tesla's mass-market assault, and the first attack comes from the price. The Model 3 will be available for just $35,000 -- before federal and state tax rebates. Yes, most of you will be able to get this car for somewhere less than $35,000, even at launch. Unlike the Model X and Model S before, there won't be a pricey, premium launch edition Model 3. If you want the bare-bones EV experience you're welcome to it from day one.

Range, and the Model 3 will do at least 215 miles on a charge for the base model. If that weren't good enough, the Model 3 will have access to all of Tesla's increasingly convenient spate of Supercharger stations for battery top-ups that are both fast and free. In fact, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promises to double the number of Superchargers from the current 3,600 to 7,200 in the next year. At a Supercharger, a Model 3 will be able to get an 80 percent charge in less than 30 minutes.

The Tesla Model 3 is currently scheduled to go into production toward the end of 2017. Yes, that's about 18 months away -- assuming everything goes according to plan. If Models S and X are anything to go by, it could be a fair bit longer.

That's plenty of time for the Chevrolet Bolt to sweep in and upturn the market, another EV with 200 miles of range available for around $30,000 after rebates. But, where the Model 3 appears to be a low, dramatic performance car, the Bolt is very much a practical economy car.

Tesla Model 3 exclusive leaked specs: 0-60 under 4 sec fast and 300+ mile range options (Update: Base 6 sec 0-60 and 215 mile range).

Toyota FT-Bh

Toyota is exploring how far it can push the boundaries of fuel efficiency with a car that previews the next-generation Yaris. 

The company has revealed the FT-Bh concept, and advanced vehicles project manager Koji Makino told: “I hate exotic materials. Do you buy your Yaris or Aygo in carbon fibre? No: these materials make cars too expensive.”

Extremely low weight, great aerodynamics and a hybrid engine allow this four-seater to claim 134.5mpg and 49g/km CO2 emissions. Add plug-in capability and the CO2 figure drops to only 19g/km.

The production FT-Bh has a proposed retail price of £15,000 and will be made of steel. The target weight is 768kg – that’s 270kg less than a Yaris – and the 1.0-litre, two-cylinder petrol engine weighs only 60kg.

The engine drives a compact version of the new Yaris hybrid’s petrol-electric system, but with an advanced lithium-ion battery. The aerodynamic body has a drag coefficient of 0.235. Cameras replace the mirrors, there are no regular door handles, plus the car has small, efficient air intakes and an aerodynamic rear undertray.

Inside, the FT-Bh is heavily insulated to reduce the energy required to heat up and cool down the cabin. Half the trim is made of plant materials, while the other half is man-made. “Less interior, less thermal capacity, so less to heat up and cool down,” said Makino.

Heat management is a key part of the FT-Bh’s technology. It maintains cabin temperatures with heat-reflective glass and matt white heat-reflective paint.

Even the dashboard is minimised to reduce weight and electricity consumption: it uses an LED-style display made of electrically conductive paper. “As we can’t reduce the weight of the driver, we have to reduce the weight of everything else,” added Makino.