Report: Toyota Long-Range EV Set to Arrive in 2022
An upcoming electric car from Toyota will feature a new type of battery that charges faster and significantly increases driving range.
The report comes from Japanese daily newspaper, Chunichi Shimbun, which claims Toyota’s long-range EV will ride on an all-new platform and use all-solid-state batteries, which can be recharged in just a few minutes. Electric vehicles currently use lithium-ion batteries, so it will be interesting to see if Toyota manages to push all-solid-state batteries to mainstream production. Although Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi said the company would not comment on specific product plans, she did say the company aims to commercialize all-solid-state batteries by the early 2020s.
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While Toyota has developed a reputation for making hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles, namely with its Prius family, it chose to develop the hydrogen-powered Mirai instead of a dedicated electric vehicle. The automaker doesn’t even offer an EV in its current lineup now that the RAV4 EV has been discontinued.
The company is reportedly planning to begin mass producing electric vehicles in China as early as 2019. That model, however, will be based on the new C-HR crossover and will use lithium-ion batteries.
[Source: Reuters]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Well, it is timed to arrive shortly after all the Mirai leases come to an end. It will be a good way to distract attention away from the failure of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The downside is that they will have to race to catch up to VW and GM, and will be hopelessly behind Nissan/Renault and Tesla.