Fresh off its first ever loss, Toyota sure hopes it can interest you car-driving commuters to ditch the gasoline engine and drive a clown car. It’s calling it the “urban commuter,” and it’s designed to get you to and from work in your humdinger of a city, powered only by a battery. A battery!

The car, whose concept name is the FT-EV, will debut at this week’s North American International Auto Show. (I think Matt Burns will be there, reporting on car-tech stuff.) It looks like one of those Smart cars, but is merely a modified iQ.

If all goes according to plan, it’ll be available here in the U S of A by 2012, the year the world is scheduled to end.

Toyota won’t say just how far it’ll travel between charges.

Yes, Matt will probably get more pics and “information” at the show.