Toyota wants its EVs and itself to lead the charge toward a better and more sustainable driving experience.
The Japanese automaker recently announced it is planning to introduce a high-performance EV battery to its next-gen EVs by 2026 as part of its new technology roadmap, allowing it to put its EVs ahead of the competition once they're released.
Toyota is one, if not the only, automaker to trail behind other major automakers in electrifying its vehicle lineups for the future.
Toyota Next-gen EV, Battery Details
Toyota displays the 2023 bZ4X at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place convention center on February 10, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
A handful of Toyota's higher-ups revealed the company's plans for its electrification plans in its recent technical briefing session called "Toyota Technical Workshop," under the theme "Let's Change the Future of Cars." According to the company's statement, it announced various new technologies to support its transformation into a mobility company, such as new solid-state battery technology.
Takero Kato, Toyota BEV Factory President, mentioned in the briefing session that Toyota will roll out next-gen EVs globally and as a full lineup in 2026. These vehicles will adopt new batteries that Toyota believes will be its ticket to becoming a world leader in battery EV energy consumption.
According to a report from Electrek, these batteries are allegedly capable of quicker charging and an effective range of around 620 miles (1,000 km), putting the company's vehicles ahead of the competition. Additionally, the company revealed its research and development of its solid-state battery technology is gaining enough progress for it to be commercialized between 2027 and 2028.
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Toyota believes a solid-state battery-powered EV would have an effective range of nearly 750 miles (1,200 km) within a 10-minute charge time - 5 mins. faster and further than Tesla's Superchargers, per Tech Crunch.
For those unaware, Tesla's Superchargers, also known as the Tesla V3 Supercharger, support peak charging rates of up to 250kW per car, allowing drivers to charge a Tesla Model 3 Long Range to reach as far as 75 miles in only five minutes, per Tesla.
Furthermore, Kato revealed that Toyota aims to produce about 1.7 million vehicles by 2030, along with achieving sales of 1.5 million EVs per year by 2026 and selling 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030, per CNBC.
Toyota's New Direction
This push in electrifying Toyota's vehicle lineup is the first effort the company made to achieve such a goal under its new CEO, Koji Sato. You may recall that the company, under Sato, vowed to "accelerate" the development of battery-powered EVs through a new approach that includes the invention of next-generation Lexus vehicles by 2026.
To do so, the company has to increase production capabilities to the point it can rival Tesla's. The automaker also stated it would slash costs using Giga casting, a method Tesla invented that relies on vehicle complexity-reducing aluminum casting machines that also cut factory investment.
However, the company didn't say if it would increase its investment in its electrification efforts to turn its plans into reality.
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