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Toyota FT-EV concept electric city car photo: Toyota
Toyota rules the hybrid world with the Prius, the best-selling hybrid on the planet. It's the car that changed our minds about hybrid technology. But Toyota is far behind in the race to get a PHEV plug-in electric car to market.
That's the word from two of the world's top business publications -- the New York Times and the Wall St . Journal. In two separate articles today, they report Toyota is scrambling to catch-up with other Japanese car-makers. Or maybe not.
The New York Times says Toyota does not want to place its bets -- and its considerable reputation -- on the unproven technology of a plug-in electric PHEV. But that's exactly what Toyota did a decade ago, when it introduced the Prius. The 2010 Prius is the third generation and the best one yet, with more power and better miles per gallon.
I have always said this -- Toyota lost thousands of dollars on each Prius it brought to market those first years. Besides being a brilliant car, it was a brilliant marketing strategy, because Toyota earned gazillions in headlines and prestige. I have always believed the knock-your-socks-off Prius -- and yes, of course, the Lexus, too -- solidified the Toyota reputation for quality and innovation. But that was then.
Today, Toyota is letting Mitsubishi and Nissan get the headlines and the reputation for quality and innovation with their little plug-in electrics, the Mitsubishi MiEv and the Nissan Leaf -- here's what Auto Review Examiner John Matras says about the Nissan Leaf. Even the announcement that the GM Volt will get 230 miles to the gallon left Toyota in the dust.
Toyota showed its little FT-EV electric city car concept at the New York Auto Show, but since then, there's been hardly a word about it. It's pretty much vanished off the radar screen.
So what is Toyota doing? The Wall St. Journal reports Toyota is thinking about buying batteries from Sanyo as well as from Panasonic. But they would not be to power a plug-in electric car -- these powerful Lithium Ion batteries would be for Toyota and Lexus hybrids, including the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid and the all-new 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid luxury sedan.
Comments
Li-Ion Batteries from Sanyo, to power Toyota and Lexus Hybrids? No, Toyota is in negotiations w/ Sanyo on NiMH batteries. None of its current hybrids (including the prius) use Li-ion technology. It may be coming, but Toyota will develop that technology w/ it partner, Panasonic (PEV).
The RAV4-EV was hitting upwards of 140 miles on a full charge, and that was with NiMH batteries. Either Toyota really does believe hybrids are the future, but nothing more advanced than that. Or, Toyota has a real Ace up the sleeve that they're aren't even hinting at.
I agree with Toyota has a real Ace up the sleeve that they're aren't even hinting at. My husband is a Engineer with Toyota you wont believe what they have in stor for America all I have to say is watch out.
The problem with the RAV4-EV is the one that still exists with current electric vehicles -- the cost and weight of the batteries. If memory serves, the electric RAV4 cost more than $40,000, while a conventional RAV4 was under $18,000.
RAV4-EV had an MSRP of $42K, but state and federal incentives took the price down to about $29K. Power of the economy of scale could bring the price of a RAV4-EV down even lower. Less than 1,600 were produced.
Toyota will be fine with their Prius Hybrid. What people don't realize about plug-in EV automobiles is the massive expenses needed for their electricity. With the Governments Cap and Trade program, the prices of electricity will skyrocket (those are Obama's words). This is the same electricity that will be needed to plug in these vehicles. Another aspect of EV automobiles is where do you put the plug? Well the answer is in a garage. These vehicles will need mandatory garage space, which in cities is one enormous expense. So you have to factor in these prices when you talk about miles/gallon of gas powered automobiles. The Chevy Volt is estimated at 200 miles/gallon, however when you recalculate the added expenses for the electricity, those numbers drop significantly.
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