It looks like Toyota is still not getting the message: people want electric vehicles, not hybrids. Despite all the evidence pointing to the inevitable growth of EVs in the auto industry, Toyota insists on sticking with hybrids, claiming, “That’s our strategy, and we’re sticking to it.” Well, Toyota, you may end up being left behind as nearly every other automaker, nation, and organization is moving toward sustainable, fully-electric vehicles.
Electric vehicle market growth across the globe
Toyota is one of the few automakers left in the industry that has yet to realize what the future has in store. Electrek has been calling for the transition to EVs to happen much quicker than most have predicted, and so far, the EV adoption pace continues intensifying.
Few industries are experiencing the rapid growth that electric vehicles are garnering. In 2021, sales of electric vehicles doubled to a record 6.6 million, according to data from the International Energy Agency, claiming almost 10% of the market!
In comparison, nine years ago, only 120,000 EVs were sold globally. More than that is sold each week now, and the pace is only expected to accelerate from here.
The latest data shows the electric vehicle market was valued at $287 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2028, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 24.3%.
Governments in all major regions are implementing EV mandates and incentives to promote fewer carbon emissions and protect the environment. For example, the US has a goal of 50% electric vehicle market share by 2030, while Europe has proposed an all-out ban on fossil fuel cars by 2035, much like California – and now New York – is doing. Despite this, Toyota is backing its hybrid strategy going forward.
Toyota dealership Source: Toyota
Toyota ranks last in decarbonization efforts
Even with all of this information, Toyota has been much slower to adapt and, for that reason, ranks last in its decarbonization efforts.
A recent study from Greenpeace found Toyota ranked last out of the top ten automakers after failing to generate even 1% of sales from zero-emission vehicles, not hybrids.
More importantly, the study found Toyota had the least developed supply chains to support a sustainable future. A climate campaigner from Greenpeace Japan even stated:
The time for hybrids, I think, has finished.
And they are right about that. Hybrids are only good as a bridge to fully-electric vehicles. In my opinion, they are inefficient and not optimized for either gas or electric. However, that being said, Toyota has been mass-producing hybrids since releasing the Prius in 1997.
Toyota sticking to its hybrid strategy despite calls for EVs
In an interview with reporters Thursday, Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, reiterated the automaker’s strategy to keep hybrids and fuel cell vehicles in its lineup, comparing the company to a department store.
The Japanese automaker’s leader also spoke on new zero-emission mandates and calls to end gas-powered vehicle sales, saying it would be “rather difficult” to achieve, stating:
Playing to win means playing with all the cards in the deck – not just a select few. So that’s our strategy and we’re sticking to it.
Fair enough, but what happens when nobody wants those other cards (cars)? Or, more importantly, if those cards are no longer an option due to regulation?
Toyota claims, “We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” yet they may end up being the ones left behind.
Electrek’s Take
It’s the same record on repeat out of Toyota. After growing to become the world’s largest automaker by offering hybrid technology, the company does not want to conform. They believe whole-heartedly in their hybrid strategy.
Meanwhile, technology has progressed significantly during this time, and companies like Tesla are proving the future is all-electric vehicles.
Tesla, exclusively selling EVs, claims the Model Y is on its way to generating the most revenue of any car this year, and will most likely be the top-selling vehicle overall next year.
Almost every other automaker you can think of, both new and legacy, is planning for an all-electric lineup. Will Toyota come around? As the industry (and the entire world) continues progressing toward a clean, sustainable future, Toyota may soon reconsider its hybrid strategy.
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The Kia EV4 is now on sale as the most affordable EV in Canada. Starting at under $40,000, the electric sedan is even cheaper than the Fiat 500e.
Kia launches EV4 as Canada’s most affordable EV
While Kia is delaying the EV4 “indefinitely” for the US, the electric sedan is now on sale in Canada. Starting at just $38,995, the EV4 is now the most affordable dedicated EV in Canada.
It’s even cheaper than the Fiat 500e, which previously held the title with prices starting at $39,995. The EV4 is Kia’s first global electric sedan and part of its new low-cost EV lineup.
Not only is it affordable, but the EV4 is also surprisingly efficient. Based on the E-GMP platform that underpins Hyundai’s IONIQ series and Kia’s other EV models, the EV4 is available with two battery options: a standard 58.3 kWh or long-range 81.4 kWh, delivering up to 552 km (343 miles).
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Like Kia’s latest EVs, the EV4 features its new Opposites United design with a redesigned “Digital Tiger Face” up front.
2026 Kia EV4 (Source: Kia)
Although it may look like a typical sedan, Kia says it introduces a “new typology” with a low nose, long-tail silhouette, and fastback style.
The interior includes Kia’s new connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment, featuring nearly 30″ of screen space. The setup consists of dual 12.3″ driver cluster and navigation screens in a curved panoramic display, plus an additional 5″ climate control. It also offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
2026 Kia EV4 GT-Line interior (Source: Kia)
Kia’s electric sedan even includes a built-in NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers. It can charge from 10% to 80% in about 28 minutes with the 58.3 kWh battery. The 81.4 kWh battery takes around 31 minutes.
The EV4 is available in five different trims: Light FWD Standard Range, Wind FWD Long Range, Wind Premium FWD Long Range, GT-Line FWD Long Range, and GT-Line Limited FWD/AWD Long Range.
The 2026 Kia EV4 (Source: Kia)
The Light variant is the only model with the standard 58.3 kWh battery. All other variants are powered by the long-range 81.4 kWh battery. Both battery options power a front-mounted 150 kW (201 hp) motor.
Kia’s electric sedan is the first to feature its latest i-Pedal 3.0, which now includes three levels of regenerative braking, a reverse i-Pedal function, and i-Pedal memory that retains driver settings on restart.
2026 Kia EV4 trim
Driving range
Starting Price
EV4 Light FWD Standard Range
391 km (243 miles)
$38,995
EV4 Wind FWD Long Range
552 km (343 miles)
$42,995
EV4 Premium FWD Long Range
515 km (320 miles)
$45,495
EV4 GT-Line FWD Long Range
488 km (303 miles)
$48,495
EV4 GT-Line Limited FWD Long Range
488 km (303 miles)
$51,995
2026 Kia EV4 prices and range by trim in Canada
The EV4 includes standard ADAS features, including Kia’s available Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA2), which uses speed limit information from the navigation system on controlled access roads and highways to automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed.
The 2026 Kia EV4 FWD is now available for order at dealerships across Canada. The AWD version is expected to go on sale later in 2026.
While the EV4 is now on sale as the most affordable EV in Canada, US buyers are missing out thanks to new tariffs and other policy changes under the Trump administration.
For those in the US, although the EV4 is sadly not available, Kia is currently offering over $10,000 off every EV in its US lineup. Interested in a test drive? You can use the links below to find Kia’s EVs in your area.
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Tesla has reported yet another crash involving its Robotaxi fleet in Austin to the NHTSA. The new data keeps the program’s accident rate alarmingly high compared to human drivers, even as the company prepares to remove human safety supervisors from the vehicles.
As we have been tracking in our previous coverage of the Robotaxi pilot in Austin, Tesla is required to report crashes involving its automated driving systems (ADS) to the NHTSA under a Standing General Order.
For months, we’ve seen these reports trickle in from Tesla’s small pilot fleet in Texas. In November, we reported that the fleet had reached 7 total crashes as of September.
Now, a new report filed by Tesla reveals an 8th crash occurred in October 2025.
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According to the filing, the incident took place on October [Day Redacted], 2025, in Austin. The valid report (Report ID: 13781-11986) lists the “Highest Injury Severity Alleged” as “No Injured Reported,” but details are scarce because, as is typical for Tesla, the narrative description of the crash has been redacted to hide proprietary information.
We have been highlighting how Tesla often abuses NHTSA’s capability to redact much of the information in the crash reports, especially the ‘Narrative’ section, which explains precisely what happened in the incident.
It’s possible that Tesla’s Robotaxis are not responsible for some of these crashes, but we wouldn’t know because Tesla redacts most information.
In this new filing for the accident that happened in October, Tesla went even further as it even refrains from answering some of the sections. Instead, it says “see the narrative,” which again is redacted.
Here’s the updated list of Tesla Robotaxi crashes:
Report ID
Incident Date
City
State
Crash With
Highest Injury Severity Alleged
13781-11986
OCT-2025
Austin
TX
Other, see Narrative
No Injured Reported
13781-11787
SEP-2025
Austin
TX
Animal
No Injured Reported
13781-11786
SEP-2025
Austin
TX
Non-Motorist: Cyclist
Property Damage. No Injured Reported
13781-11784
SEP-2025
Austin
TX
Passenger Car
Property Damage. No Injured Reported
13781-11687
SEP-2025
Austin
TX
Other Fixed Object
Property Damage. No Injured Reported
13781-11507
JUL-2025
Austin
TX
SUV
Property Damage. No Injured Reported
13781-11459
JUL-2025
Austin
TX
Other Fixed Object
Minor W/O Hospitalization
13781-11375
JUL-2025
Austin
TX
SUV
Property Damage. No Injured Reported
We do know that the crash involved “Other” as the conflict partner, and the vehicle was “Proceeding Straight” at the time.
Tesla Robotaxi Crash Rate
While a few fender benders might not seem like headline news, it becomes significant when you look at the math.
For comparison, the average human driver in the US crashes about once every 500,000 miles.
This means Tesla’s “autonomous” vehicle, which is supposed to be the future of safety, is crashing 10x more often than a human driver.
While Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet reportedly increased in November, with the number of cars spotted going up to 29, there’s no evidence that the Robotaxi mileage increased. In fact, the utilization rate indicates Tesla is running only a few vehicles at a time – meaning that mileage might have actually gone down.
And that is not even the scariest part.
The Supervisor Paradox
The most critical detail that gets lost in the noise is that these crashes are happening with a human safety supervisor in the driver’s seat (for highway trips) or passenger seat, with a finger on a kill switch.
These employees are trained to intervene and take control of the vehicle if the software makes a mistake.
If the car is crashing this frequently with a human babysitter trying to prevent accidents, imagine what the crash rate would be without them.
We have Waymo operating fully driverless commercial services in multiple cities with over 100 million miles of data showing they are safer than humans. They are not without their issues, but they are at least sharing data that is encouraging, including not redacting the NTHSA crash reporting.
Meanwhile, Tesla is struggling to keep a small test fleet in Austin from hitting things, even with professional safety drivers on board.
Removing the safety supervisors when your crash rate is already orders of magnitude worse than the average human seems reckless. It feels like another case of prioritizing the “optics” of autonomy over the actual safety required to deploy it.
If Tesla pulls the supervisors while the data looks like this, it’s no longer a pilot program. It’s a gamble. And it’s not just gambling on its stock price, it’s gambling with everyone’s safety.
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Hiboy’s Christmas Sale offers EV commuting solutions at up to 50% off + bonus savings codes – all starting from $150
Hiboy currently has a Christmas EV Sale in full swing right now, with up to 50% discounts on its various e-scooters and e-bikes – plus, the brand’s Black Friday bonus savings codes are still active. One budget-friendly model that still gives you significant commuting support is the Hiboy MAX Pro Electric Scooter at $566.99 shipped, after using the code DAS6 at checkout, beating out its Amazon pricing by $45. While it carries a $1,000 MSRP, you’ll more often find it cut down between $800 and $730 these days, with sale events having seen the price go as low as $567. With the extra savings code activated, you’re getting a second chance at the best price we have tracked, which only popped up during last month’s Black Friday sale. Head below to see the lineup of top picks from Hiboy’s Christmas Sale – and there is still time to get your orders in and receive them ahead of the big holiday.
While it may not sport the fanciest bells and whistles like some of the latest releases, Hiboy’s MAX Pro electric scooter is a more budget-friendly option that brings along some substantial traveling power for this low price. The 650W motor housed inside comes powered by a 48V battery for up to 46.6 miles of travel range at up to 22 MPH top speeds. There are three riding modes here (eco, drive, sport), alongside customizable cruise controls, and more. Other features include 11-inch pneumatic tires, both e-brakes and disc brakes, an LED headlight, sidelights, and a taillight, dual suspension, a one-click folding design, an integrated digital display, and more. There are even in-app smart controls for locking the scooter when not in use, and others.
Latest EcoFlow Xmas flash sale drops DELTA 3 Ultra Plus 440W solar bundle to new $1,799 low (Save $1,900), more
As part of its ongoing Christmas Holiday Sale, EcoFlow has launched the next of its 48-hour holiday flash sales with up to 60% discounts across four offers, one of which gives you the latest DELTA 3 Ultra Plus Portable Power Station with two 220W solar panels at $1,799 shipped, beating its Amazon pricing by $200. This bundle package has been on the market since late September with a $4,197 MSRP, though you can usually find it starting lower for $3,699 at Amazon. It launched with a discount to $1,899 and has been seeing price cuts in the time since that have dropped the costs back to that rate or higher at $1,999. This 48-hour flash deal, however, cuts things further than ever, giving you a $1,900 markdown off the going rate ($2,398 off the MSRP) and landing it at a new all-time low price.
Pass lawn mowing to ECOVACS’ Goat O1000 RTK robot while at a new $699 low for Xmas (Reg. $1,000)
Amazon is currently offering the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower for $699 shipped. Coming down from its $1,000 full price, we’ve been seeing regular discounts keeping the price down between $900 and $850, with October’s Prime Day event dropping things as low as $750. We did see it drop to $700 during a brief Black Friday/Cyber Monday window, while today’s deal beats that rate by $1, giving you $301 in total savings at the best new price we have tracked – plus, there’s still time to get it well ahead of Christmas!
Off-season savings take EGO’s 56V 15-inch rapid reload string trimmer down to $149 annual low ($50 off)
Amazon is now offering the best rate of the year on the EGO POWER+ 56V 15-inch Rapid Reload String Trimmer with 2.5Ah battery at $149 shipped. It’s coming down from $199 here today, which is where the price has been keeping for most of the time since June, with discounts having dropped prices to $179 and as low as $159 over the year. You’re now looking at 2025’s best price, courtesy of the $50 markdown that comes beaten only by a one-time Prime-exclusive cut to the $144 back in 2024.
Save up to $175 on Goal Zero’s compact Yeti 700 or 500 power stations at best prices in months from $375
By way of its official Amazon storefront, Goal Zero is offering its Yeti 700 Portable Power Station at $524.89 shipped, while the smaller Yeti 500 Portable Power Station is down at $374.89 shipped. Normally, these two stations would fetch $700 and $500 at full price, which is where they’ve mostly been keeping since March. While we have seen the price drop lower in the past, you’re still looking at solid $175 and $125 markdowns to the best prices we have tracked in the last eight months.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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