Toyota ushers in the propulsion transition - from E-Mini to E-Van

After recent bad press about its late entry into battery-electric mobility and aggressive lobbying against stricter CO2 limits, Japanese automaker Toyota is going on the offensive. "On the road to CO2 neutrality," the former hybrid and hydrogen pioneer wants to introduce 30 purely battery-electric vehicles worldwide by 2030, including light commercial vehicles. This is expected to increase global BEV sales to 3.5 million units. Europe is one of the key markets in this regard. The luxury subsidiary Lexus will transform into an exclusive e-provider in the region by 2030, and Toyota will offer only emission-free vehicles from 2035, according to the promise. 

“To meet this challenge, we need to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible and as quickly as possible,” explains Akio Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation.

We live in a diversified world and in a time when the future is hard to predict, Toyoda continues. Therefore, it is difficult to satisfy everyone with a single solution, justifying the company's previous "hybrid" strategy. That's why Toyota wants to offer its customers around the world as many options as possible.

In addition to hybrids, now also more BEVs and FCEVs

In addition to eco-friendly hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the mobility company is focusing on CO2-neutral fuel cells and, above all, electric cars. The beginning is marked by the compact SUV Toyota bZ4X. The electric SUV, jointly developed with Subaru and manufactured at the Motomachi plant, will already roll out to Germany and Europe next year, marking the starting signal for an all-electric model family. A mid-size and a large SUV with three rows of seats, as well as a small crossover, will complement the "bZ" series.

Strong Statement: An E-Crossover with 12.5 kWh/100 km Consumption

The manufacturer intends to leverage its existing experience in electrification. As range increases, batteries generally become larger, heavier, and correspondingly more expensive. Therefore, the automaker plans to improve the overall efficiency of its vehicles and aims for an industry-leading power consumption of only 12.5 kWh per 100 kilometers for the small crossover model. The battery technology will also be gradually further developed for this purpose. Investment in this area is being increased once again. Following the recent start of commercial production of bipolar nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), which consume fewer minerals and are more cost-effective with twice the power density, similar advancements in lithium-ion batteries are expected.