What on Earth is going on at Toyota? It was bizarre enough that the company that introduced the ground-breaking Prius (and has since sold over 15 million hybrids) had in recent years pursued a flat-earth strategy, bad-mouthing EVs at every opportunity and lobbying hard against government climate measures. Then came the news that the world’s… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "bZ4X "
Toyota bZ4X to use new eAxle from AISIN, BluE Nexus and DENSO
Electric drivetrain manufacturer AISIN has teamed up with BluE Nexus and DENSO to develop an eAxle for the new Toyota bZ4X. Japan-based BluE Nexus is an electric drivetrain module and electric systems company. DENSO is an automotive component supplier that AISIN says has “developed and produced more than 20 million inverters since the launch of… Read more »
2023 Toyota bZ4X: Japan’s largest carmaker joins the EV race
Facing off against compact crossover EVs from Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Volkswagen, and of course Tesla, the Toyota badge on the nose of the bZ4X may be enough for many buyers. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X electric SUV made its public debut Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show, one of several EVs unveiled at a… Read more »
EVs reach 90% market share in Norway as the overall auto market falters
The days of ICE vehicles in Norway are numbered. Some years ago, the government set a goal of 100% electric sales by 2025, and that goal is well within sight. In the month of February, plug-in vehicles took 92.1% of the market, up from 90.1% year-on-year. Battery EVs took a 90% share, as recent tax… Read more »
AMCI’s real-world testing offers a metric to compare EV charging speeds
Reading PRs for new EVs, one might get the impression that charging speed is the most important metric there is. Unfortunately, automakers’ charging speed promises don’t amount to much. How fast a particular EV charges on a particular day depends on so many factors—battery state of charge, preconditioning, even ambient temperature—that the charging times quoted… Read more »
What is this EV mandate that auto dealers are kvetching about?
Since the advent of modern EVs, auto dealerships have been seen as an impediment to faster EV adoption—and that image doesn’t appear likely to change any time soon, even though annual US EV sales cracked the one-million mark in 2023. Over 3,800 US auto dealers recently signed on to an open letter to President Joe… Read more »
Toyota undertakes vehicle-to-grid research project with San Diego utility
Toyota is collaborating with utility San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) research, using a Toyota bZ4X EV. The project will explore bidirectional charging technology that enables battery EV owners to discharge electricity from their batteries back to the grid. As Toyota points out, understanding the needs of BEV owners, their charging habits,… Read more »
Advertising watchdog bans Toyota and Hyundai EV ads over charging time claims
Seemingly every press release about an EV or charging station includes a claim about charging time. “It can charge from X to X% in X minutes…” This is understandable, because it’s the first thing most potential EV buyers ask about (once they become actual EV owners, the fixation on charging time tends to fade). However,… Read more »
Tesla Model Y teardown shows Toyota what it’s up against
The Tesla teardown is a staple of the EV literature. Teardown expert Sandy Munro has taken apart many a Tesla, with highly informative (and entertaining) results. Various legacy automakers have performed their own private teardowns—rumor has it that, when the Model 3 first appeared, a group of German automakers paid an enormous sum to have… Read more »
Will Toyota’s new CEO bring the company up to speed on EVs?
For the past few years, automotive pundits have been puzzling over the question of how one of the industry’s most innovative companies somehow failed to emerge from the 20th century. Toyota’s Prius was a historic vehicle, an important milestone on the road to electrification—and it’s sold a few million units to boot. More recently, alas,… Read more »