Posted on 06/22/2023 7:25:08 AM PDT by Red Badger
The automotive juggernaut unveiled new battery tech and new battery-powered vehicle plans.
Toyota has big plans to bring new, improved tech — and, perhaps, a sharper focus — to the electric vehicle market. It suggests a shift from the auto juggernaut’s previous position, which took a more skeptical approach to converting to fully EVs, instead pursuing a mix of fully-electric, hybrid, and hydrogen cars.
The maker of the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid, says it will continue to offer a range of powertrain options, but it also announced a suite of new technologies designed to help the company fully join the fight for the EV market. This includes AI-assisted aerodynamic design, “Gigacasting” manufacturing like the kind used by Tesla, and — most crucially — “next-gen” EV batteries.
Toyota claims it will soon crank out EVs capable of going over 600 miles on one charge by 2026 — double the average range of new EVs hitting the road today. By 2028, the company’s aim is over 900 miles, per InsideEVs.
“That is stunning,” Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive, told Axios. (Cox Automotive and Axios are owned by the same parent company.)
Concern over driving range is one of the three biggest barriers preventing people on the fence from going fully electric, Krebs noted.
Toyota has announced a suite of new technologies designed to help the company fully join the fight for the EV market, including AI-assisted aerodynamic design, “Gigacasting” manufacturing, and — most crucially — “next-gen” EV batteries.
New battery tech: First on Toyota’s innovation docket is an optimized version of the lithium-ion battery that currently dominates the electric car market, InsideEVs reported. The 600-mile per charge battery will power a new model from Lexus, the luxury brand owned by Toyota.
Two new bipolar lithium iron phosphate batteries will launch next. The first, scheduled for 2026-27, is expected to reduce costs by 40%, InsideEVs reported; the second will be an advanced version with 10% more range, slated for production in 2027-28.
Finally, Toyota announced plans for a solid-state battery with a range of over 900 miles on one charge, hoping to hit the road in five years.
Solid state, fluid future: Solid-state batteries hold promise — and pitfalls — for electric vehicles. As Motortrend explained, solid-state batteries differ from the kind currently dominating the road in a crucial way: the separator, which keeps two crucial battery components separated, is the same medium that the current flows through. Traditional batteries use separators that allow for a liquid electrolyte medium to pass through it, instead.
This makes the batteries more stable, faster charging, and able to generate more juice with less weight. However, solid-state batteries are also material intensive, have some of the same material-modifying issues current batteries have, and — perhaps the real killer, right now — are more expensive to make.
Toyota claims it will be releasing batteries that will extend the rang up to 900 miles by 2028 — but the automaker has made similar claims before.
All of which could color Toyota’s new EV dedication.
“Whenever anyone said, ‘Oh, Toyota’s lagging on EVs,’ I always cautioned them: You don’t know what’s going on in their labs,” Krebs told Axios. “What’s pretty clear now is they’re going public with some of the work they’ve been doing.”
But, as Elektrek pointed out, Toyota’s been going public with what they’ve been doing for a while now; back in 2014, the company claimed a solid-state battery would be on the road by 2020.
True that. Not an issue here in Alabama except for the fact that I had to increase my home owners coverage to replace the solar equipment as well (along with other energy improvement appliances like a variable-speed heat pump and variable speed air handler, and a hybrid water heater). So we have no solar rider per se on the insurance policy, but I couldn't ignore the extra premium needed just by virtue of increasing replacement cost.
By the way, this project was a life lesson in general. We probably all need to review our home owners insurance and make sure our coverage amount is enough to replace the home after years of inflation has increased the cost since we first got the policy.
A related issue (assuming rooftop solar is one's only option and not solar panels on the ground) is the type of roof. My solar panels have a 25-year warranty. Thus if I was replacing a shingle roof every 10 years, the roof replacement cost would increase by the cost of removing the panels then re-installing them after the roof was replaced. But because I just happened to have installed a metal roof the last time my roof needed replacing (for about 15% more the cost vs another shingle roof), I'm assuming my metal roof will outlast the solar panels.
There's a host of other variables one has to look at before doing this project to make sure it fits your situation. Like shade, or panels on the roof is it facing south?, do you and your wife work during the day and, therefore, do most of your power consumption in the evening and have multiple appliances running at once, etc. Most of our power consumption being done in the evening means larger battery cost, which may make it not worth it. Or if most of your power consumption is done bursty (all appliances running at once when you get home from work to catch up on the day's chores, while it's still 98F outside and your AC has to run a lot, etc) means you'd have to spend more to increase inverter capacity and it might not be worth it.
Part of the beauty of decentralized solar vs the way the Dims push it, which is the grid depending on solar, is that with decentralized solar each homeowner can examine his own needs and wants to see if solar is good for him. Looking at it from that perspective, if the Dims would stop their mandates and incentives, then solar would add a free market element vs always buying all of your power from the same source (the utility, which has been overregulated all my life, especially recently with the Dims' war on energy). If enough of us in the south went solar, then the utility might have to improve their product to compete. (Much like our conservative argument for school choice is that a hopeful end result is even public schools would improve to compete.)
I thought Toyota was all in on Hydrogen, at least in Japan?
I guess the US subsidy $$ are just too great to pass up
The cost of replacing a roof here in Florida is........well,..........through the roof!...............
And double the house fires
Only because the fascist rats are going to force us to. The people want to keep their ICE vehicles but f them they/we don’t get to choose.
Yep, EVs are going to require nuclear power generation. Unfortunately the left, as part of its Cold War political agenda, derailed nuclear power through decades of propaganda designed to create public fear. Now they want EVs but they’re screwed because they took nuclear off the table. I’m expecting them to do a complete reversal on nuclear power in the next few years. Once that happens there will be a proliferation of modern nuclear plants which will solve the basic energy supply problem.
If you can charge it. When they’ve shut down all the coal, oil, gas and nuclear plants and the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, you’re in deep doo-doo.
Then we’ll use doo-doo.................
“New battery tech: First on Toyota’s innovation docket is an optimized version of the lithium-ion battery that currently dominates the electric car market, InsideEVs reported. The 600-mile per charge battery will power a new model from Lexus, the luxury brand owned by Toyota.“
Will it burn as fiercely as the current model?
Efficient as in most cost effective for the average person. Not some theory in a lab.
...and what seasonal conditions?
No, we are not.
It is a bait-and-switch program. We will be "mandated" to phase out IC vehicles, but we will not generally be able to afford the EV's that are supposed to replace them. Operation of personally owned transportation will be restricted to the elites.
The rest of us will take public transportation to wherever the authorities permit us to go.
That is what the plan looks like to me.
"We have got to force people out of their cars"
(Lisa Morzel, Boulder City Councilwoman)
“I can see everybody will be buying gas powered generators pretty soon.................”
Until the left bans gas.
That’s where we are headed. The new Corvette has a hybrid option but the battery is only good for 35 miles. With 4X capacity, that buffer battery gives a 130 mile battery only range. so even the corvette becomes a practical EV
They will run on methane.
Will the left ban farts?...............
“A true hybrid. A small battery pack to power one, two or four motors, with a small highly efficient ICE engine whose only purpose is to charge the battery.”
I think you are correct. That way you are not lugging around heavy, expensive batteries. Perhaps using a hydrogen generator. Unfortunately, our masters have already selected what they think is best.
Gas will become even more expensive. Then eventually they'll restrict it.
I don’t believe this
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.