Toyota Europe boss says the automaker will be ready for 100% EVs from 2035
The question on everyone’s mind is – when exactly is Toyota going all electric? Toyota Motor Europe’s chief operating officer recently gave some insights into when the automaker could be planning to sell 100% EVs.
After establishing itself as a pioneer in hybrid technology with the introduction of the Prius in 1997, Toyota has fallen behind in fully electric vehicle tech.
With newly elected CEO Koji Sato at the helm, Toyota has accelerated its EV strategy with a series of announcements over the past few weeks.
Although Toyota is sticking with a hybrid strategy, including PHEVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs), the Japanese automaker has recognized the urgency of having fully electric models in its lineup.
Toyota revealed it would develop its own dedicated EV platform to power its next-gen electric vehicles. The platform, set to be launched in 2026, corresponds with its newly announced EV battery tech plans.
By 2027, Toyota aims to have two next-gen EV batteries – a performance and popularized version. Compared to the battery used for the bZ4X, Toyota says its next-gen batteries will increase driving range by 20%, with a 20% to 40% cost reduction.
The news came shortly after several Toyota shareholders said they planned to vote to oust chairman Akio Toyoda over the automaker’s failure to set a date to go all-electric.
Is Toyota going 100% EV in Europe by 2035?
During an interview at Automotive News Europe Congress, Toyota Europe COO Matt Harrison explained the automaker does not support the Euro 7 standard proposed by the EU to slash harmful emissions.
The Euro 7, part of the European Green Deal, is the EU’s latest vehicle exhaust emissions standard designed to support ultralow emissions with stricter regulations.
Harrison said he expects the new regulations to be “something more realistic” or toned down. The current standards require automakers to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 2001 as a base level.
Toyota Europe’s leader forecasts Toyota’s EV share in Europe to rise from 0% in 2022 to 15% in 2025 and 55% in 2030. Harrison added:
We will be ready to sell 100 percent BEVs from 2035.
As far as localizing production in Europe, Harrison claimed, “There’s no point in localizing until we’re at the right scale, and at 15 percent in 2025, we wouldn’t be there yet far.” He added the Japanese automaker has no plans to produce EV batteries in Europe in the near term. However, in the future, it could be a possibility.
Electrek’s Take
Don’t get too excited. Toyota’s Europe leader is essentially claiming if they are forced to go 100% electric by EU regulations, it will be ready.
From Harrison’s comments, it still doesn’t sound like Toyota is thrilled about the idea of going all-electric, but it is acknowledging it as a possibility. Either way, 100% electric by 2035 is still late to the game, and if Toyota doesn’t begin moving production capabilities to support EVs, it could risk falling further behind.
Toyota is targeting 1.5 million in EV sales by 2026 with 10 new models, which would amount to roughly 14% of sales (based on 10.5M in 2022).
While many automakers are already achieving double-digit or 100% EV sales, Toyota continues investing in inferior hybrid and fuel cell technology, which will likely delay its transition further.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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