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Despite a slow start, Toyota plans to accelerate electric vehicle output over the next several years. The Japanese automaker aims to triple EV production of Toyota and Lexus brand models in 2025 as mass production begins.

Toyota to triple EV production in 2025

According to a new report from Nikkei, Toyota is now aiming to produce 600,000 electric cars in 2025, tripling the expected 2024 output of 190,000 units.

Toyota intends to sell 1.5 million EVs by 2026 with ten new all-electric models, including SUVs, crossovers, small cars, luxury, and commercial. By 2030, the automaker plans to sell 3.5 million EVs or about one-third of its global volume.

The report notes Toyota has already notified several of its major suppliers of its planned EV production ramp over the next few years.

Last year, Toyota and Lexus sold a total of 24,466 fully electric cars, representing just 0.26% of overall sales.

The trend has continued this year with a little over 7,400 units sold through the first seven months of 2023, still less than 1% of overall sales. In the US, Lexus has sold 2,068 units of its first EV, the RZ electric SUV. Meanwhile, through the first half of the year, Toyota sold 3,659 units of its sole electric car, the bZ4X.

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Toyota bZ4X (Source: Toyota)

Stepping up in the EV era

Over the past several weeks, Toyota has revealed a few new technologies and other innovations designed to help it compete with EV leaders like Tesla and BYD.

At a technical workshop in June, we got a glimpse of Toyota’s next-gen EV batteries, design improvements, and manufacturing upgrades to cut costs and boost efficiency.

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Toyota three-row electric SUV concept (Source: Toyota)

More recently, the company revealed its next-gen EV battery roadmap. The plans include advanced electric models due out in 2026 with nearly 500 miles (800 km) range, aligning with Toyota’s new production ramp plans.

Earlier this week, Toyota showed off its future EV production line, including Giga casting technology, self-propelled assembly lines, and robots to transport finished vehicles, all designed to help it cut costs and increase output in the wake of the industry shakeup.

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Toyota bZ compact SUV concept (Source: Toyota)

New Lexus brand boss Takashi Watanabe claimed the brand will spearhead Toyota’s next-gen EV offensive. Watanabe said it will “humbly look at and learn from” Tesla’s manufacturing success as it looks to compete in the coming electric age.

Electrek’s Take

We’ve heard this story many times before that Toyota is ramping up EV output. But, this time, it may be different.

Leaders at Toyota and Lexus are expressing urgency to keep up as electric vehicle sales continue climbing globally. If the automaker wants to remain competitive as the industry transitions, it will need to stay ahead of the pack, and so far, it’s well behind.

The new innovations will help Toyota compete, but waiting until 2026 could cost it. By then, there will be even more advanced batteries, designs, and manufacturing processes.

Furthermore, with only one-third of planned vehicle sales being purely electric by 2030, Toyota is already setting itself up for failure.

Many automakers are already achieving double-digit or 100% EV sales. Meanwhile, Toyota aims for around 33% EV sales share by the end of the decade.

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DHL picks Mercedes eSprinter as it expands its electric van fleet

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DHL picks Mercedes eSprinter as it expands its electric van fleet

DHL Express has more than 10,000 eSprinter vans in its global delivery fleet, but none of those have been deployed in North America – until now, that is! The company recently added 45 new Mercedes eSprinter panel vans, and they’ve got plans for plenty more!

While Mercedes offers its eSprinters with a promised 206 mile estimated range, DHL says it’s consistently seen them exceed 240 miles in stop-and-go delivery duty, making them the longest-range battery electric vehicles in DHL’s US fleet.

This extended capacity makes them ideally suited for urban logistics while expanding their potential use in longer delivery routes. The eSprinter vans also offer the same massive cargo capacity as their diesel-powered brothers, making them efficient last-mile delivery solutions that don’t compromise on payload or operational reliability.

And, of course, the eSprinter will do all of that without the noise, vibration, and harmful carbon emissions of diesel.

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“Electrifying our fleet is one of the most visible and impactful ways we are moving toward a more sustainable future,” explains Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express, US. “The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter brings an extended range and proven cargo capabilities that allow us to serve our customers with zero emissions, while also advancing our global goal of more sustainable logistics. These vehicles not only strengthen our operations in major US cities but also set the stage for future electric fleet growth across the Americas.”

The 45 eSprinters will see deployment in Chicago, Indiana, and Pittsburg, and will act as a first step DHL’s global Sustainability Roadmap, which will see the company electrify 66% of its last-mile US delivery fleet (and some of its long-haul fleet operations) by 2030.

Electrek’s Take


DHL reaches 50 electric truck milestone with Orange EV, plans to double down
Orange EV; via DHL.

In addition to these 45 vans, DHL is electrifying its European and Asian delivery fleets, ramping up its sustainable aviation fuel use, and even exploring electric semis, eVTOL and hybrid aircraft deliveries, and more.

In short, they’re doing the right thing – or seem to be, anyway. Whether or not that commitment to decarbonization will win them more American customers remains to be seen.

SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL, via PR Newswire.


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Enphase debuts a new US off-grid solar and battery system

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Enphase debuts a new US off-grid solar and battery system

Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.

A full off-grid setup

The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.

If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.

The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.

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Smarter control and connectivity

Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.

Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.

Why it matters

As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.

“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.

Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Environment

Global offshore wind surges ahead as Trump sinks US progress

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Global offshore wind surges ahead as Trump sinks US progress

Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.

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