According to new reports, Toyota could be headed back to the drawing board after announcing an electric vehicle strategy. An internal group at Toyota is working on plans to improve its current e-TNGA flexible EV platform or develop a new EV architecture.
The bZ4X is powered by the e-TNGA platform and will be used in the upcoming Lexus RZ 450e.
The Toyota Crown hybrid sedan and a compact electric cruiser are two EV projects that have been put on hold. The existing strategy called for 30 new all-electric vehicles to ship by the year 2030.
According to the sources, Toyota is dealing with an EV manufacturing process that is too slow and expensive compared to other manufacturers that have been making electric cars for a long time. According to sources, Toyota's engineers considered the all-electric version of the RAV4 SUV to be no threat, despite the fact that the company co-developed it with the electric car company. After selling off its stake in the project, it began development of its own platform.
When we reviewed the bZ4X this summer, we found that it didn't have the key features of competing EV's, like true one-pedal driving and faster charging speeds. The bZ4X was put on hold due to a recall for loose hub bolts that could cause a wheel to detach while driving. Adding washers to the hub bolts was the solution to the problem.
Toyota was an early leader in hybrid technology with vehicles like the Prius, but more than two decades later, the Japanese company has fallen behind, focusing on logistically difficult hydrogen fuel-cell cars like the Mirai and lobbying to slow down the adoption of electric vehicles in the US
But while Toyota has been content to rest on its laurels with the Prius, the rest of the industry has lapped it several times. Companies like Nissan, General Motors, and Volkswagen have been selling pure battery-electric vehicles for years, while also revealing their plans to phase out gas cars completely. Toyota’s failure to embrace EVs is not a new concept; The New York Times noted as much in this article from 2009.
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