Toyota (Finally) Unveils Big EV Plans

[E365]

Not much for specifics, but 30 EVs by 2030. Still working on solid state batteries.

Plans Lexus to be 100% EV by 2030 in North America, Europe and China.

EV Pickup Concept

https://pressroom.toyota.com/akio-t...neutrality-through-battery-electric-vehicles/

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g38515115/toyota-lexus-future-evs/

https://www.motortrend.com/news/toyota-ev-pickup-truck-tacoma-tundra-preview/

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I just read this story on Motortrend......

Hopefully I can still be rocking my 2016 4Runner in 2030!

 

[Pelican]

Latest technology! Scientists have discovered a new way to start a fire!
Matches...No longer needed
Flame....No longer needed
Instead if you rub two wooden sticks together you get 1st smoke and then an amber
that you can then place on tinder which gives a flame that can light wood.
Now all the greens will be happy, isn't science wonderful!!

 

[CKN]

Latest technology! Scientists have discovered a new way to start a fire!
Matches...No longer needed
Flame....No longer needed
Instead if you rub two wooden sticks together you get 1st smoke and then an amber
that you can then place on tinder which gives a flame that can light wood.
Now all the greens will be happy, isn't science wonderful!!

You are under estimating Toyota...that is very foolish......

 

[Passport1]

Big yawn;

They look like they ought to come packaged like these from decades ago;

 

[Wylie6G72]

Those flat-bottomed wheels look like fresh tech, too.

 

[wag123]

They must be very close to breakthroughs in solid-state battery development and production.

 

[E365]

 

[Cujet]

They must be very close to breakthroughs in solid-state battery development and production.

Not from what I hear. The operational issues (such as required high operational temperatures 180f, and short operational life) remain. Toyota is planning on a 2030 SSB rollout. The limited production is still 4 years away.

Toyota simply announced a multi billion dollar investment in SSB development. They also hold a large number of SSB patents. Nothing earth shattering yet with regard to SSB’s

 

[tombalas]

You are under estimating Toyota...that is very foolish......

But.... Toyota may be in for the same fate as other Japanese juggernauts that once seemed unstoppable. Just look at what happened not too long ago to consumer electronics giants such as Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi etc etc. They were huge and powerful too until the competition from Silicon Valley and Korea came out of nowhere and simply pushed them aside. That Toyota seems to be so far behind the pack when it comes to electric cars may be a bad omen for them.

 

[ad244]

 

[CKN]

But.... Toyota may be in for the same fate as other Japanese juggernauts that once seemed unstoppable. Just look at what happened not too long ago to consumer electronics giants such as Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi etc etc. They were huge and powerful too until the competition from Silicon Valley and Korea came out of nowhere and simply pushed them aside. That Toyota seems to be so far behind the pack when it comes to electric cars may be a bad omen for them.

OR-they are not going to make the mistakes of Tesla with the Model 3 and GM with the Bolt. Between those two models there are PLENTY of mistakes that have been made. Granted-in GM's case they may have been at the supplier level but joe public doesn't know nor care about that. BTW-Toyota has so much cash in reserves (87 billion) they can afford many mistakes-just as an aside....you have to be total idiots to lose this much money.

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/TM/toyota/cash-on-hand

 

[LowMilesLesabre]

Mistakes are the price of admission in any technical field and have always been a part of the process of innovation. Edison himself stumbled many times before patenting a lightbulb that could actually work.

 

[ad244]

Mistakes are the price of admission in any technical field and have always been a part of the process of innovation. Edison himself stumbled many times before patenting a lightbulb that could actually work.

No he just stole the ideas of others.

 

[DougR]

I've owned a Corolla, Celica, Avalon and now a 4Runner. All of them have been great vehicles. I look forward to buying either a Toyota hybrid or BEV after it's been in production 2-3 years.

 

[PandaBear]

Not from what I hear. The operational issues (such as required high operational temperatures 180f, and short operational life) remain. Toyota is planning on a 2030 SSB rollout. The limited production is still 4 years away.

Toyota simply announced a multi billion dollar investment in SSB development. They also hold a large number of SSB patents. Nothing earth shattering yet with regard to SSB’s

But.... Toyota may be in for the same fate as other Japanese juggernauts that once seemed unstoppable. Just look at what happened not too long ago to consumer electronics giants such as Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi etc etc. They were huge and powerful too until the competition from Silicon Valley and Korea came out of nowhere and simply pushed them aside. That Toyota seems to be so far behind the pack when it comes to electric cars may be a bad omen for them.

In theory, if they have a problem with SSB they can also buy from Panasonic to get these cars out the door at the same volume like other car companies. As long as they are not the only one not having something to sell they will be fine as a company, won't do worse than Chrysler or others.

I wouldn't be surprised Nissan and Mitsubishi are done, but I think Toyota and Honda are going to do ok for a while (maybe Mazda and Subaru too). Panasonic basically gave up on consumer electronics but focus on industrial, Sony basically is now Playstation and movie studio, Sanyo merge with Panasonic, Hitachi is a construction equipment company. The point is, not much money to be made in consumer electronics or laptop, the money is where they are still at and still doing ok in those fields.

 

[supton]

View attachment 81073

Call me crazy but isn't this the antithesis of why we wanted BEV in the first place? I mean, if all this did was crawl around off road, no biggie: but this thing has got to guzzle the electrons if put onto the road & put up to highway speeds.

I get it, I get it, no one vehicle meets everyone's needs, freedom of choice and all, OEM's gotta chase what sells. Just strikes me as a bit of a oxymoron.

 

[wag123]

That Toyota seems to be so far behind the pack when it comes to electric cars may be a bad omen for them.

You sure do have that wrong. Toyota is far ahead of everyone else. For example, they are manufacturing and selling the only production hydrogen fuel cell powered EV in the world, and it is now on it's second generation. They currently hold almost 30000 patents on technology related to Hybrids, EVs, batteries, drive systems, vehicle subsystems, and related electronic hardware/software/control systems. Toyota started Hybrid development in the 1980's, fuel cell development in the early 1990's, and solid-state battery development in 2000, long before any other auto manufacturer even started to think about it. They have been issued more patents on solid-state batteries then all of the other players in the field, COMBINED. ALL of the EVs on the market are using technology invented, developed, perfected, and patented by Toyota. Toyota and Matsushita together own Panasonic EV Energy Co., Ltd., the largest producer in the world of batteries for EVs and (until recently) the sole battery supplier to Tesla. Together they also established a new company called Prime Planet Energy and Solutions to develop and manufacture new EV battery technologies. They are NOT behind with their technology, just battery EV production, because they believe that current battery EVs aren't ready for marketing to the masses. A lot of this production restraint is related to current Li-Ion battery technology, which Toyota finds seriously lacking. When they eventually come to market with their line of EV's you can be sure that they will blow the competitors away. Toyota is a VERY profitable company and has VERY deep pockets. Never, ever underestimate them! You can be sure that their competitors don't.

 

[JeffKeryk]

You sure do have that wrong. Toyota is far ahead of everyone else. For example, they are manufacturing and selling the only production hydrogen fuel cell powered EV in the world, and it is now on it's second generation. They currently hold almost 30000 patents on technology related to Hybrids, EVs, batteries, drive systems, vehicle subsystems, and related electronic hardware/software systems. Toyota started Hybrid development in the 1980's, fuel cell development in the early 1990's, and solid-state battery development in 2000, long before any other auto manufacturer even started to think about it. They have been issued more patents on solid-state batteries then all of the other players in the field, COMBINED. ALL of the EVs on the market are using technology invented, developed, perfected, and patented by Toyota. Toyota and Matsushita together own Panasonic EV Energy Co., Ltd., the largest producer in the world of batteries for EVs and (until recently) the sole battery supplier to Tesla. Together they also established a new company called Prime Planet Energy and Solutions to develop and manufacture new EV battery technologies. They are NOT behind with their technology, just battery EV production, because they believe that current battery EVs aren't ready for marketing to the masses. A lot of this production restraint is related to current Li-Ion battery technology, which Toyota finds seriously lacking. When they eventually come to market with their line of EV's you can be sure that they will blow the competitors away. Toyota is a VERY profitable company and has VERY deep pockets. Never, ever underestimate them! You can be sure that their competitors don't.

How many states is the Murai sold in? How profitable is it? How many fueling stations are there?
No doubt Toyota is an amazing car company. The make the best hybrids; they have sold like hotcakes in CA.
Heck, I have purchased 4 myself.

They have built zero pure EVs. They have deep pockets, for sure. But those deep pockets will need to be distributed between ICE and EV.
It is not as simple as some make it out to be. Ask the mighty Porsche Audi and GM.

"Wait for the big boys to get in."
Don't get me wrong, you make good points and I wish Toyota well. Personally, I believe they are the biggest threat to Tesla.

 

[PimTac]

How many states is the Murai sold in? How profitable is it? How many fueling stations are there?
No doubt Toyota is an amazing car company. The make the best hybrids; they have sold like hotcakes in CA.
Heck, I have purchased 4 myself.

They have built zero pure EVs. They have deep pockets, for sure. But those deep pockets will need to be distributed between ICE and EV.
It is not as simple as some make it out to be. Ask the mighty Porsche Audi and GM.

"Wait for the big boys to get in."
Don't get me wrong, you make good points and I wish Toyota well. Personally, I believe they are the biggest threat to Tesla.

Toyota has been busy with other things. They are no longer a car company.