Toyota CEO admits it will need to act urgently to keep up in the Chinese EV market
After revealing a slew of new fully electric vehicles aimed at reconnecting with its customer base in China, Toyota’s recently appointed CEO, Koji Sato, says more needs to be done to keep up with the competition.
Anyone following the rise of electric vehicles over the past several years knows Toyota has arguably been the biggest laggard.
After the 66-year-old grandson to the company’s founder, Akio Toyoda, stepped down as CEO in January – one of the most prominent critics of going all in on EVs – many believed the company would change its mindset.
Toyoda has been replaced by former Lexus chief branding officer Koji Sato, who took over the reins of the world’s largest car seller this month.
Sato explained in February under his leadership, Toyota would increase fully electric vehicle efforts with a new business structure and strategy. He added:
Now that the time is right, we will accelerate BEV development with a new approach.
The new strategy includes introducing ten new battery-electric models by 2026, allowing for 1.5 million EV sales annually.
With this in mind, Toyota has struggled with its electric vehicle rollout thus far as it continues to lose market share in key regions. In China, the fastest-growing EV market, Toyota only sold 3,844 units through January, representing a dismal 0.25% of overall sales.
Toyota aims to keep up in China’s expanding EV market
Toyota slashed prices on its first EV introduced in China (and globally), the bZ4X, by up to 15% earlier this year to remain competitive.
The move came after market leaders like Tesla and BYD cut prices in the region, leading to several EV manufacturers following suit in order to keep up.
More recently, Toyota has seen some traction in China. The automaker unveiled its first electric sedan, the bZ3, co-developed with BYD, in October, which generated over 5,000 orders on its first sales day.
Toyota introduced plans to bolster its lineup with two new fully electric models earlier this week.
The first is an electric sport crossover, deemed the bZ Sport Crossover, designed to attract younger and Gen Z buyers in China. It’s second, the bZ FlexSpace concept is designed with families in mind with a focus on utility and ease of use.
During an interview with the media in Tokyo Friday, Sato admitted the automaker must act urgently if it wants to keep up in China’s rapidly evolving EV market, according to Reuters. He said:
We need to increase our speed and efforts to firmly meet the customer expectations in the Chinese market.
Sato added after seeing the impact at the Shanghai Auto Show, he sees China becoming “an advanced market for EVs.”
Although Sato acknowledged the company was producing a small number of EVs compared to other automakers in China, he said it would take a phased approach.
The first step includes improving battery electric vehicle tech and then ramping up production.
Electrek’s Take
Toyota’s urgency to remain competitive in China’s EV market comes after the automaker saw its first sales decline in the country last year in over a decade.
Although Japanese automakers, led by Toyota, account for nearly 20% of the overall Chinese auto market, they represent less than 0.35% of EVs.
China is moving quickly toward fully electric vehicles. Meanwhile, Toyota has been behind the ball. And it’s not only in China. Toyota only sold 24,466 EVs total globally last year, accounting for just 0.25% of its 9.5 million vehicle overall sales.
While Sato insists on taking a phased approach, EV startups and legacy automakers in the region like BYD, Tesla, NIO, XPeng, Geely, and others continue taking market share.
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JackRabbit, the maker of pint-sized electric microbikes, is back with a new product designed to quickly recharge their batteries from pure, uncut photons mainlined into an e-bike directly from the sun. In true independent charging form, the Solar Charging Kit from JackRabbit keeps riders rolling even when there’s not a convenient AC outlet in sight.
Unveiled this week, the Solar Charging Kit consists of a single folding solar panel and a tiny voltage converter that is configured to output 42.0V, which is the exact voltage required by JackRabbit’s little e-bike batteries. There’s also an added USB-A and a USB-C charging port for powering other devices in addition to charging JackRabbit batteries.
“This Solar Charging Kit plugs directly into your bike,” explained the company, “letting you recharge without needing an outlet, but with a speed comparable to the charger that comes with the OG/OG2 (42V, 2A).”
That would mean the panel outputs around 80W of solar power, which the company says can recharge its batteries in just three hours. That fairly quick recharging speed is helped by the fact that JackRabbit’s batteries are a mere 151 Wh, or around a third of the size of most e-bike batteries.
If that sounds small, then you’re right – it is. But JackRabbit is all about going micro, offering barely 25 lb rideables that are easy to store and bring on adventures, even when they aren’t actually being ridden.
With small batteries that fit under the 160Wh limit for many airlines in the US, the batteries can be quickly charged and taken to the widest number of locations. And for riders that want to go further than a single 10-mile (16-km) battery will allow, extra batteries are small enough to fit a pants pocket. The company also offers much larger Rangebuster batteries, though they won’t pass by TSA and make it onto an airplane in your personal item.
It sounds like the Solar Chargking Kit should be able to charge up JackRabbit’s large RangeBuster batteries, though likely in more than three hours.
The $349 Solar Charging Kit is a bit pricier than building something similar yourself, but it’s also safer and more convenient than hacking together your own battery charger since it’s designed to work with JackRabbit’s batteries right out of the box.
Technically it’s only inteded for JackRabbit’s micro e-bikes (themselves technically seated scooters, even if they look and feel more like a typical bike), but it’d probably work for just about any 36V e-bike that requires 42.0V to charge.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen solar charging kits for electric bikes, and it’s a trend that is certainly appreciated by outdoors and camping enthusiasts, festival goers, or anyone who finds themself and their bike spending extended periods in the great, sunny outdoors.
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Solar generated 11% of EU electricity in 2024, overtaking coal which fell below 10% for the first time, according to the European Electricity Review published today by think tank Ember.
EU gas generation declined for the fifth year in a row, and total fossil generation fell to a historic low.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
The European Electricity Review published today by global energy think tank Ember provides the first comprehensive overview of the EU power system in 2024. It analyzes full-year electricity generation and demand data for 2024 in all EU-27 countries to understand the region’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
Wind and solar continue their meteoric rise in the EU
The EU power sector is undergoing a deep transformation spurred on by the European Green Deal. Solar generation (11%) overtook coal (10%) for the first time in 2024, as wind (17%) generated more electricity than gas (16%) for the second year in a row.
Strong solar growth, combined with a recovery of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to nearly half of EU power generation (47%). Fossil fuels generated 29% of the EU’s electricity in 2024. In 2019, before the Green Deal, fossil fuels provided 39% of EU electricity, while renewables provided 34%.
Solar is growing in every EU country and more than half now have either no coal power or a share below 5% in their power mix. Coal has fallen from being the EU’s third-largest power source in 2019 to the sixth-largest in 2024, bringing the end into sight for the dirtiest fossil fuel. EU gas generation also declined for the fifth year in a row (-6%) despite a very small rebound in power demand (+1%).
The EU is reaping the benefits of reduced fossil fuel dependency
The surge in wind and solar generation has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its exposure to volatile prices since the energy crisis. Ember’s analysis found that without new wind and solar capacity added over the last five years, the EU would have imported an additional 92 billion cubic meters of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes of coal, costing €59 billion.
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” continued Rosslowe. “Delivery needs to be accelerated particularly in the wind sector, which has faced unique challenges and a widening delivery gap. Between now and 2030, annual wind additions need to more than double compared to 2024 levels. However, the achievements of the past five years should instil confidence that, with continued drive and commitment, challenges can be overcome and a more secure energy future be achieved.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe said: “This milestone is about more than just climate action; it is a cornerstone of European energy security and industrial competitiveness. Renewables are steadily pushing fossil fuels to the margins, with solar leading the way. We now need more flexibility to kick-in, making sure the energy system is adapting to new realities: more storage and more smart electrification in heating, transport and industries.”
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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