Posted on 11/01/2022 9:25:13 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
It seems like that Toyota still doesn’t get it: people want electric cars, not hybrids. Despite all the evidence pointing to the inevitable rise of electric vehicles in the automotive industry, Toyota insists on sticking with hybrids, saying: “It’s our strategy and we’re sticking to it.” Well, Toyota, you may end up being left behind as nearly every other automaker, nation, and organization moves toward sustainable, all-electric vehicles.
Toyota is one of the few automakers that hasn’t yet realized what the future holds. Electrician called for the transition to electric cars to happen much faster than most predicted, and so far the pace of electric car adoption continues to accelerate.
Few industries are experiencing as rapid growth as electric vehicles. In 2021, sales of electric cars doubled to a record 6.6 millionaccording to the International Energy Agency, claiming almost 10% of the market!
By comparison, nine years ago, only 120,000 electric cars were sold worldwide. More than that are now being sold every week, and the pace is only expected to accelerate from here.
The latest data reveals that the electric vehicle market was valued at $287 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2028, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 24.3%.
Governments in all major regions are implementing mandates and incentives for electric vehicles to help reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. For example, the US aims for a 50% electric car market share by 2030, while Europe has proposed a total ban on fossil fuel cars by 2035. California — and now New York – does. Despite this, Toyota maintains its hybrid strategy going forward. Toyota Dealership Source: Toyota
Even with all this information, Toyota has been much slower to adapt, and for this reason ranks last in terms of its decarbonization effort.
A a recent study from Greenpeace found Toyota ranked last in the top ten automakers after failing to generate even 1% of sales in zero-emissions vehicles, not hybrids.
More importantly, the study found that Toyota had the least developed supply chains to support a sustainable future. A climate activist from Greenpeace Japan even stated:
The time of hybrids, I think, is over.
And in this they are right. Hybrids are only good as a bridge to fully electric cars. In my opinion, they are inefficient and not optimized for either gas or electricity. However, that being said, since then, Toyota has started mass-producing hybrids releasing the Prius in 1997.
U an interview Speaking to reporters Thursday, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda reiterated the automaker’s strategy of keeping hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles in its lineup, likening the company to a department store.
The Japanese automaker’s leader also weighed in on new zero-emissions mandates and called for an end to sales of gas-powered cars, saying it would be “quite difficult” to achieve, saying:
Playing to win means playing all the cards in the deck, not just the selected ones. So that’s our strategy and we’re sticking to it.
Fair enough, but what happens if no one needs those other cards (machines)? Or, more importantly, if these cards are no longer available due to regulation?
Toyota claims, “We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” but they may end up being the ones left behind.
This is the same record repeated with Toyota. After growing to become the world’s largest automaker by offering hybrid technology, the company doesn’t want to conform. They wholeheartedly believe in their hybrid strategy.
Meanwhile, technology has come a long way in that time, and companies like it Tesla prove that the future belongs to all-electric vehicles.
Exclusively selling electric cars, Tesla claims it’s the Model Y on his way will bring in the most profit of any car this year and will likely be the best-selling car next year.
Almost every other automaker you can think of, both new and legacy, is planning an all-electric lineup. Will Toyota come? As the industry (and the world) continues to move toward a clean, sustainable future, Toyota may soon be rethinking its hybrid strategy.
There was never any doubt but that the gasoline-electric hybrid (like the BMW i8) was the better option because you’ve still got electric motor torque (=ferocious acceleration) but the battery only needs weigh half as much and the charging station is in your trunk.
What about the salt water problem? As in, when electric cars meet salt water, they blow up! Several hundred miles of cars backlogged because four or five Dem-bulbs bought an electric car that’s now on fire trying to escape a big hurricane is in our future.
Very true. For a rural user that lives 6 or 7 miles out of town a plug in 40 mile range hybrid is the way. I have a 2012 Volt plug in. I average 30 to 40 miles a day and the ev portion is used for almost all my needs
When I do go over the gas sipper 35mpg ice picks up the slack. Not a lie. Since May when I got it I have logged just over 3000 miles with gas purchase of under 3 gallons and 120 volt plug in charging overnight of about 8 or 9 kWh at .13 per kWh cost. It works great for me.
Hybrids are the best solutions at the moment. Especially if they can recharge the battery driving as well as being able to plug in.
I read that Massachusetts residents are paying triple for electricity virtually overnight. Mark my words... EV adoption will cost everyone a ton of $$. It won’t be cheaper to charge your EV for long.
Who wants full electric cars? They are jokes.
Never owned a Toyota, but they are smart making the hybrids.
If you can find a Toyota Hybrid, I'd recommend it.
As it is snowing outside, I'll be parking it soon and driving my Hummer H3 which gets 14/18 MPG when it runs. (Seems to require repairs every time I drive it but it does have 276K miles on it so I should be patient.
RE: I like Toyota’s plug-in hybrid strategy...short-range/short trip (40 miles or so) EV capability plus good old gasoline for those trips to Vegas! (RAV4 Prime & Prius Prime so far).
It’s not like Toyota does not have EV technology. THEY DO. They’re just not emphasizing it in their current marketing.
That might change in the USA as the governments ( e.g. California and New York and those other bluse states soon to follow ) FORCE them to advance the pure EV technology sooner.
Can’t go wrong with a Toyota or Honda , especially if made in Japan . I have owned both exclusively since 1976 . Hybrids abound here in Japan . Also , hydrogen cars on the rise . Hydrogen station just down the street from me .
Toyota is the only one with common sense. They are not going all in on all electric cars. They know there aren’t enough natural resources on the planet to support electric cars, further, there is not enough infrastructure nor grid to support the demand. They are hedging their bets.
Huh?
Yup.
The author is an idiot and thinks he speaks for the world, but it’s only for a tiny minority of people who love short distance vehicles.
Yup. When the lights dim, Toyota will still be in the automobile business.
It seems like that Toyota still doesn’t get it: people want electric cars, not hybrids …It seems like the anonymous cowardly “user” at Moto News Today still doesn’t get it: people don’t want electric cars, and only a tiny fraction want hybrids.
Solutions to what?
I don’t even want a hybrid.
But if it’s a choice between all-EV and hyrid,
hybrid it is.
****
Tesla makes some pretty good cars. Rip out the 2000-ton $26,000 battery and the motor it supplies and put in a 20-gallon tank and a decent V-6, it would be a Really Great Car.
CORRECTION: 2000-lb.
1-ton.
Thank you.
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