Featured Toyota sees the electric light

Panasonic is a big player in the Automotive Battery Market

Toyota and Panasonic Decide to Establish Joint Venture Specializing in Automotive Prismatic Batteries | Corporate | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website

Toyota and Panasonic Decide to Establish Joint VentureSpecializing in Automotive Prismatic Batteries | Automotive Equipment | Products & Solutions | Press Release | Panasonic Newsroom Global



Here is a company that is a Toyota/Panasonic combined venture into Energy Soutions - it is called Prime Planet Energy and Solutions
developing and manufactuing prismatic lithium-ion batteries | Prime Planet Energy & Solutions (p2enesol.com)

Toyota also has partnerships with LG ( soon to be publicly formalized), Panasonic, BYD Battery Research ( in China) and work under way in developing their own proprietary solid state battery. They also have a multi-billion-dollar Battery Manufacturing Plant in Noth Carolina that is being constructed as we talk.

I am sure companies like Tesla have also formed beneficial strategic alliances.

 

I guess the voodoo doll didn't work

Kidding aside - and focusing on the past couple decades of Toyota's stance on EV's .... perhaps it's not that Toyota has seen the EV light so much as it's effectively had it shoved down their throat - what with China (biggest market) saying no sales there, if no Electrics, & other countries similarly creating (or threatening) legislation that acts as the perverbial carrot/stick.
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The ironic thing is, despite the bz4X having a 'faster' peak charge, the Bolt sustains it's lower peak charge rate longer, and actually charges faster than the bx4z.

I'm guessing this is due to a combination of Toyota's inexperience with EVs and having to rely on inferior components.

Interestingly enough, there was a review of the bz4x on SavageGeese's youtube channel, and a discussion of same on Reddit. In there, the goose himself stated that his contacts within Toyota knew "they had a turd on their hands" with the bz4x, but it was all they had to tide them over for a few years. As soon as they have something better, the turd will be dropped.

 

Having worked for Toyota and had the opportunity to work in Engineering for a while and seen some of their research work - there are things that they have been working on for decades before they come to fruition - Their prior research and development assistance in Waterborne Automotive Paint and Powder Coating Automotive Painting Technology as an example- one can assume there are things they are working on now that you couldn't imagine in your most creative and wildest dreams.

Did you know Toyota Has their own Engineering School in Japan?
Toyota Technological Institute (toyota-ti.ac.jp)

Robotics | Toyota Research Institute (tri.global)

Did you know they have a Campus right here in the US?
TTIC

Did you know a College has a complete course of Technical Study funded and created by Toyota right here in the US
Toyota invests $1.7 million in Kentucky universities for engineering (courier-journal.com)

Who We Are | University of Kentucky College of Engineering (uky.edu)

Did you know Toyota has a Technical Trade institute right here in the US to turn out Skilled Technicians ready to go right work after graduation?
Technician Training

Did you know Toyota has built/building it own futuristic city to test autonomous vehicles and AI products?
CES 2020: Toyota is building a 'smart' city to test AI, robots and self-driving cars - CNN Style

 

This is all well and good. However, it comes down to what the business is doing, not what their engineers know.
Toyota’s track record with public facing advertising, statements and lobbying dollars has been … hostile/dismissive towards EVs (other than FCEVs).

I hope that Toyota really has seen the light, that they do put their know how and manufacturing prowess behind EVs.
I am hopeful, but skeptical.

 

I don't remember this specific 'self charging EVs' being said by Toyota.
Also by Nissan Nissan E-POWER Cars - Advice and Benefits | Nissan
Can you please give source?

 

Sorry about the PiP. I traded my Prime in on a Bolt EUV. Man, I really like that car. We took a 2900 mile trip to Michigan last fall. Yes, charging was kind of slow, but if you sync the meals and charges, it winds up not taking much more time than syncing meals and fill-ups in a gasser. You just have to plan and be patient. But since almost all our driving is local, this thing is a treat. And it's way more efficient than a BZ4X, not to mention cheaper to buy.

 

"Self-charging hybrid" is definitely not "self-charging EV", AFAIK

 

Of corse it's not self charging. It was a dishonest marketing gimmick to try to deflect sales away from Electric cars. Just like their multiple ads saying that Electric cars are for people that have 4 hours to waste.



Ironically that's about the same amount of time it can easily take for charging Prius PHEV's.
The good news is that they finally ousted their CEO that was leading the anti-ev charge (no pun intended)
Not to say the other manufacturers weren't involved in these kinds of shenanigans. But the other guys simply cut bait sooner w/ trying to kill EV's - & for varying reasons. Volkswagen comes to mind and their dieselgate fiasco.
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You mean they have improved the price?

 

Son inquired. 12 month wait. Needs plug-in in next two weeks. SOL. Actually considered a Kia EV. Why can Kia make enough and Toyota can't? Management.

 

@bwilson4web, what is your observed mi/kWh on your standard-range-plus Model 3? You have never answered it.

I average about 5.0 mi/kWh (× 33.705 kWh/ge ≈ 170 mpge) on my Gen 4 Prius Prime.

Useable BEV battery capacity (kWh) = 33.705 × BEV range (mi) / mpge

 

Those mi/kWh numbers (multiply mi/kWh by 33.705 kWh/ge to get the mpge numbers) are not bad at all. They seem comparable to what you would get with the Prius Prime.

Why did you do cross-country? What did you do in Vegas?