Toyota has been a laggard when it comes to electric vehicle (EV) adoption, but on Tuesday the Japanese automaker unveiled plans to enhance the range, performance, and affordability of its future EVs through the introduction of high-performance, solid-state batteries and other technologies. The announcements were made ahead of the Japanese automaker’s annual shareholder meeting.
According to Takero Kato, Toyota’s BEV factory president, the company has set an ambitious goal of adding solid-state batteries to their EVs as early as 2027. The automaker also aims to produce a high-end EV equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a targeted range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) by 2026. Their EV with the solid-state battery would have a range of 1,200km (746 miles), and be able to fully recharge in just 10 minutes, Toyota said. (via Reuters)
Toyota also intends to implement various other cost-reducing technologies for its EVs and batteries. Taking a page out of Tesla’s playbook, Toyota plans to adopt a “self-propelling” assembly line and add Giga casting to streamline production processes and lower manufacturing expenses.
To support its ambitious goals, Toyota established a BEV Factory in May, with the aim of producing around 1.7 million vehicles by 2030. This factory will contribute significantly to Toyota’s goal of selling 3.5 million EVs annually by the same year.
In April, Toyota sold just 8,584 EVs worldwide, including those under its luxury brand Lexus. While this level of sales is far behind their goal, and far behind the likes of Tesla, they accounted for more than 1% of the company’s global sales within a single month for the first time.
