Toyota Unveils Electrification Plan That Might Finally Make Sense (And Teases BEV Truck)
By Phil Royle – Dec. 14, 2021
While a world leader in electrification for the masses via its gasoline hybrid vehicles, Toyota has been slow to commit to full battery-electric propulsion. In fact, it was less than a year ago that Toyota unveiled its first modern BEV concept, the bZ4X crossover. And while that concept housed an obviously production-ready exterior design hinting that the company had been working on this BEV for a while, the lack of technical specs for the vehicle reinforced the belief that Toyota was still getting its footing when it came to BEVs.
Since then, Toyota has continued to double down on electrification that doesn’t include a full lineup of battery electric vehicles. The reason? Probably jobs. Toyota president Akio Toyoda noted in October that a move to full battery-electric vehicle manufacturing by 2035 could result in the Japanese auto industry losing “the vast majority of our 5.5 million jobs.”
As we previously reported:
[Akio Toyoda] claimed some export markets’ requirements that vehicles sold there be zero tailpipe emissions could result in a de facto embargo of 5 million vehicles, and that Japan’s manufacturing capability could not realistically ramp up production of 2 million zero tailpipe-emissions vehicles (ZTEVs) by 2030, the date when many ICE bans are going into effect globally.
Given that, it’s curious that today, Akio Toyoda unveiled a combination of more than a dozen BEV concepts and near-production electric vehicles, and stated that Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, intends to transition to full battery electric by 2030 in Europe, North America, and China, and “aims” to complete the full-BEV transition worldwide by 2035.
Toyota’s proposed full BEV lineup is quite diverse, with everything from sedans to sports cars, SUVs, vans, and transit solutions.
Make no mistake, though, Toyota’s global corporate plan is to still pursue multiple avenues of carbon-footprint reduction.
“We believe that all electrified vehicles can be divided into two categories, depending on the energy that they use,” Toyoda explained. “One category is that of ‘carbon-reducing vehicles.’ If the energy that powers vehicles is not clean, the use of an electrified vehicle, no matter what type it might be, would not result in zero CO2 emissions.”
“The other category is that of ‘carbon-neutral vehicles.’ Vehicles in this category run on clean energy and achieve zero CO2 emissions in the whole process of their use. We at Toyota will do our utmost to realize such vehicles.”
Despite that, today’s announcement was about battery electrics, and Toyoda did reveal several interesting corporate aspirations. Per Akio Toyoda regarding an as-yet-named compact SUV targeted toward the European and Japanese market:
“The important thing is to what degree we can increase a vehicle's overall energy efficiency – in other words, how much less energy a vehicle needs to run. This is exactly the technology that Toyota has been refining for more than 30 years. Putting our best efforts into all aspects of these, with this vehicle, we are aiming for a power consumption of 125 watt-hours per kilometer, which would be the highest in the compact SUV class.”
Doing the math, Toyota is claiming an energy consumption target for this unknown compact SUV of 201 watt-hours/mile, which further converts to roughly 5 miles/kWh, or 20 kWh/100 miles.
For reference, the Tesla Model Y is the efficiency standard of the small crossover BEV market and boasts an impressive energy consumption rating of 26 kWh/100 miles, per the EPA, which is roughly the same as Lucid’s most efficient version of the Air sedan. So, while we know virtually nothing of the compact SUV Akio Toyoda is speaking of (other than it’s the little red SUV sitting front and center in the lead image of this story), the claimed efficiency target is impressive, and it shows that Toyota will likely value efficiency over things like battery size in some of its future BEVs.
Which makes sense. This is Toyota, after all.
The presentation also revealed Toyota’s intention to build an electric pickup, as it showcased what appeared to be a current model Tacoma with some Tundra headlight treatments and a covered grille – hardly an aerodynamically efficient design for a BEV, but these are early days for the company, and that is undoubtedly not a production-ready BEV pickup.
Could we be looking at Toyota’s first EV truck? And is that a mini BEV FJ Cruiser behind it?
Toyota also teased a small BEV styled like an FJ Cruiser, and said a Lexus BEV sports car with a 0-60 mph time of low 2 seconds and a 430-mile range (potentially via solid-state batteries) was in the works.
This could be the first BEV sports car from Lexus. (And we’re still digging that mini electric FJ.)
Regardless, the entire presentation boiled down to these two telling statements from Akio Toyoda:
“Specifically, we plan to roll out 30 battery EV models by 2030, globally offering a full lineup of battery EVs in the passenger and commercial segments.”
“Lexus aims to realize a full lineup of battery EVs in all vehicle segments by 2030 and to have battery EVs account for 100% of its vehicle sales in Europe, North America, and China, totaling 1 million units globally. And it aims for battery EVs to make up 100 percent of its global vehicles sales in 2035.”
Despite some of our past concerns, this corporate strategy from Toyota actually appears sound: Electrify the company’s high-end lineup (Lexus) with highly efficient BEVs that can be sold at a premium, allowing its mainstream brand (Toyota) to continue to profit from the sale of less expensive gasoline hybrids, with a smattering of BEVs where appropriate. And when BEV-to-ICE price parity happens – or there’s no country left that allows for the sale of internal combustion engines – Toyota can (presumably…hopefully) flip a switch and move quickly into a fully BEV world.
(Images courtesy Noriaki Mitsuhashi/N-RAK Photo Agency and Toyota)
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