E-Palette autonomous shared mobility. Source: Toyota
Toyota will unveil two all-electric cars that will go on sale in the US by 2022, and says it aims to offer autonomous mobility services within two to three years.
Its EV plans include a pure electric SUV, although whether this is the mid-sized EV that Toyota said in December was nearly in production is unclear.
The Japanese automaker will also introduce a new plug-in hybrid car, the new report from Reuters said on Thursday (Australia time).
As a leader in non-pluggable hybrid vehicle field, Toyota has appeared to be dragging its feet in the transition away from hydrocarbon fuels.
In 2017 it promised to roll out 10 all-electric vehicle models by the early 2020s, according to Fortune magazine, but they are yet to appear.
Toyota North America VP for sales Bob Carter said the new vehicles flagged this week are “the first of many,” according to Reuters.
“Electrification is the future of this industry,” he was quoted as saying. “There is no doubt about that. The only debate we have is that rate of change.”
The new report via Reuters says that the Japanese auto giant will now target 40% of sales in the US to be either hybrid or electric by 2025, and 70% by 2030.
It comes shortly after the announcement by the new Biden administration that it would target an electric vehicle transition of the entire US government fleet, an announcement that also saw GM quickly issue a bold statement to move away from vehicles with tailpipe emissions by 2035.
In Australia, Toyota’s 2020 sales were dominated by hybrid sales, with as many as seven in 10 RAVs and Camrys, and half of all Corollas, sold with hybrid drivetrains.
Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley told Motoring in January that while a 2025 timeline has been previously given for a launch of battery electric vehicles locally, the automaker’s local arm is “always evaluating our electrification strategy and products that become available globally.”
Toyota is also currently testing autonomous E-Palette shuttles at its “sustainable Woven City” in the city of Susono in Shizuoka, and says it will aim to offer the electric self-driving shuttles as a service in various markets in the early 2020s.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the Japanese carmaker said that it is applying a “just-in-time” philosophy to its autonomous E-Palette shuttles to allow them to ferry passengers, or deliver goods when and where they are needed.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.
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