Toyota is still greenwashing after change in leadership
Toyota is still continuing its old ways of greenwashing and opposing electric vehicles, despite a change in CEO earlier this year from anti-EV stalwart Akio Toyoda to former Lexus chief Koji Sato, who had promised a more EV-friendly approach.
Toyota has a long history of opposing electric vehicles, both through lobbying and disinformation in its marketing. The company has consistently been the most obstructive global automaker when it comes to electrification and among the slowest to scale up its EV efforts.
Most of this opposition came under the previous CEO, Akio Toyoda. But earlier this year, Toyota seemed to finally recognize that these efforts were unproductive and replaced Toyoda with new CEO Koji Sato, citing Toyoda’s specific failure to adapt to the electric vehicle movement.
This gave some hope for Toyota, whose previous path threatened not just Toyota itself but potentially the entire Japanese economy, given its importance as the largest company in the country. That path has already seen it getting squeezed out of the world’s largest auto market due to a lack of EVs to sell.
Many organizations called for Toyota to change its path when Sato came into leadership. And there has been some movement. Sato seems to be making some moves to increase EV production, but then again, the company cut its already pathetic near-term EV sales forecast by 40% earlier this month. And just last month, Toyota did make an enormous investment into its planned US battery plant – $8 billion is nothing to scoff at.
But the better part of a year after Sato’s appointment, Toyota is still up to its same old marketing tricks, trying to confuse the public into thinking its gas guzzlers make it a leader in green technology.
Toyota does this through its marketing campaigns and material, which confuse conventional hybrids – which run 100% on gasoline and gain no energy from any other nonfossil, nonpolluting source – with electric vehicles, which can run on nonfossil sources. It also focuses on unrealistic distant-future solutions, which seem to exist only to push timelines back.
Public Citizen recently confronted Toyota at the LA Auto Show encouraging the company to electrify. We talked to East Peterson-Trujillo, Public Citizen’s Clean Vehicles Campaigner, about what Toyota and Sato have been up to in the last year, and they pointed out some of the greenwashing Toyota has still been up to.
For example, Toyota has changed its badging to say “HEV” in place of “hybrid” as it has said in the past.
To be clear, hybrids are not EVs. While it is industry/scientific parlance to refer to hybrids in this way (along with FCEV for fuel cell, PHEV for plug-in hybrid, and BEV for battery electric vehicle), it is not the way the public refers to them, and Toyota knows this and has made the change to cover up its inability to make EVs. The public thinks that “EV” means electric vehicle, specifically battery-electric vehicle, and the conventional hybrids that make up a majority of Toyota’s “electrified” vehicle sales are not electric at all.
And that brings up another problem. Toyota’s extensive use of the word “electrified” is another misleading claim it uses to confuse consumers. This word is used by other automakers as well, but Toyota has crafted an entire marketing campaign around it – which it launched in September, well after the change in CEO.
The marketing campaign is called “electrified diversified,” and it is Toyota’s attempt to push vehicles that are entirely powered by fossil fuels as if they are an important part of an automaker’s strategy toward carbon neutrality.
But, again, hybrid vehicles like the (non-plug-in) Prius run entirely on gasoline. There is zero energy that enters the car system that is not put there by limited and polluting fossil fuels, of the kind that contributes to millions of deaths globally per year. You cannot power a Prius on carbon-neutral energy, and a Prius is not zero-emission.
Toyota also has another campaign, “Beyond Zero,” which explicitly wants to “shift the conversation” from advocating for EVs to gas-guzzling hybrids instead.
Big picture, the “Beyond Zero” campaign aims to shift the conversation about electrification from the auto industry’s narrow focus on battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to a broader perspective that encompasses Toyota’s more ambitious — and some would say more realistic — portfolio approach to transitioning away from internal combustion engines. That includes hybrid EVs, plug-in hybrid EVs, fuel cell EVs and battery EVs.
-Toyota’s marketing BS
We’re not sure how going to a more polluting solution, hybrids, is somehow “beyond “zero – so chalk that one up to Toyota lying about how science works once again, lying as its chief scientist does quite often.
The worst part is that Toyota’s BS is spreading. Ram recently described its plug-in hybrid as an “unlimited range” EV, echoing Toyota’s illegal “self-charging hybrid” claim. And we also noticed at the LA Auto Show that Kia was using “HEV” badging on its new gas-powered hybrid Sorento, which is a shame given that Kia actually has some great EV offerings, unlike Toyota.
Thankfully, Toyota has faced pressure from shareholders to improve its business in the face of climate change and a shifting automotive industry, but so far has not relented to this pressure and is continuing on its old path. It has also faced boycotts, and Toyota vehicles are the brand most likely to be traded in when people buy an EV.
While in 2022 Toyoda was confirmed as CEO with over 95% of the vote, that vote share dropped to 85% when he was reelected as chair of the board in 2023. Both are high numbers, but that’s a significant change in support over the course of the year, and it’s quite rare for shareholders to vote against the board’s recommendation in just about any case.
We’d love to see Toyota stop pushing its anti-environment agenda through marketing – and we think that it still has an opportunity to do so with the new CEO – but the better part of a year in, it simply hasn’t made nearly enough progress.
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Electric vehicles’ share of the market continues to climb in America’s second city, with BEV registrations up more than 50% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. Great news, but charging hasn’t up – but a new plan from Chicago Department of Transportation aims to build up enough infrastructure for the city to keep up.
In a bid to keep up with the rapid growth of EVs, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT is currently seeking public feedback on a plan called “Chicago Moves Electric Framework.” The city’s first such plan, it outlines initiatives that include a curbside charging pilot through the city’s utility, ComEd, and expanded charging access in key areas throughout the city.
Unlike other such plans, however, the new plan aims to focus on bringing electric vehicle charging to EIEC and low income communities, too.
“Through this framework, we are setting clear goals and identifying solutions that reflect the voices of our residents, communities, and regional partners,” said CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney. “By prioritizing equity and public input, we’re creating a roadmap for electric transportation that serves every neighborhood and helps drive down emissions across Chicago.”
Neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Chicago experience a disproportionate amount of air pollution and diesel emissions, largely due to vehicle emissions according to CDOT. Despite that, most of Chicago’s public charging stations are clustered in higher-income areas while just 7.8% are in environmental justice neighborhoods that face higher environmental burdens.
“Too often, communities facing the greatest economic and transportation barriers also experience the most air pollution,” explains Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “By prioritizing investments in historically underserved areas and making clean transportation options more affordable and accessible, we can improve both mobility and public health.”
The Framework identifies other near-term policy objectives, as well – such as streamlining the EV charger installation process for businesses and residents and implementing “Low-Emission Zones” in areas disproportionately impacted by air pollution by limiting, or even restricting, access to conventional medium- and heavy-duty vehicles during peak hours.
The Chicago Moves Electric Framework includes the installation of Level 2 and DC fast charging stations in public locations such as libraries and Chicago’s Midway Airport, “supporting not only personal EVs but also electric taxis, ride-hail and commercial fleets.”
Chicago has a goal of installing 2,500 public passenger EV charging stations and electrifying the city’s entire municipal vehicle fleet by 2035.
Electrek’s Take
I hate to sound like a bed-wetting liberal here, guys, but Chicago is getting EVs absolutely right with big utility incentives on both vehicles and infrastructure, a governor willing to stand behind smart environmental policy, and a solid push for more and better infrastructure in the areas where they’ll do the most good. They’re even thinking of the children.
Here’s hoping more cities follow suit.
SOURCE: ComEd, via Smart Cities Dive; featured image by EVgo.
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With a fully-enclosed, G-Wagen-inspired body and an 80 mile electric range, the Bodo G-Wagon golf cart is the NEV you need when you decide it’s time to get serous one-upping the rest of the Palm Beach country clubbers.
If you love the look of the $230,000 Mercedes-Benz G580 off-roader, but think the 579 hp, 6,800 lb. electric 4×4 is probably overkill for occasional trips to the golf course and country club, this G-Wagen-inspired golf cart might be just what you’re looking for.
The shiny black 2024 Bodo G-Wagon sold at Mecum Auctions last month for $31,900, which seems like it might not be a lot of money to the sort of person who decides to take a flyer on a goofy, limited-use EV that ships with real, metal doors, power windows, heating and air conditioning, fully digital instrument cluster and infotainment, and a “posh,” caramel leather interior.
It even has windshield wipers, power steering, and a rear-seat entertainment system that’s built into the front headrests!
It’s really nice in there
Under the hood, the Bodo packs a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor drawing power from a 10 kWh li-ion battery that won’t deliver a scorching 0-60 mph time (it only goes 35), but will deliver you and your buddies from one end of any golf course in North America and back several times over, thanks to the G-Wagon’s 80 mile range.
The official Mecum Auctions listing goes into a bit more detail, and I’ve included it here, in case it gets deleted after a while and you’re just finding this for the first time in 2027:
Be the envy of any country club or golf community showing up with this 2024 Bodo G-Wagon Golf Cart. Perhaps more appropriately known as an E-Wagon, this baby G-Wagon is powered by a 15kW motor with a 10kWh lithium battery. Boasting an 80-mile range and a 35 MPH top speed, the Bodo is an enclosed, luxury golf cart that pampers occupants with heating and air conditioning, rear-seat entertainment, power windows, power locks and a posh, caramel-colored interior. With the Bodo fitted with power steering and 4-wheel power disc brakes with brake boost, drivers will think they’re in a full-size G-Wagon, thanks to the multiscreen entertainment cluster, the rearview camera, windshield wipers, turn signals, running lights and so much more.
Finished in black with the right amount of brightwork, the overall vibe is one of jaw-dropping, smile-inducing fun. While the Bodo would be an excellent choice for any golf community, it should also prove to be hugely popular around a race track or car condo community as well, or maybe even a neighborhood with its own airplane runways. Over the past decade in particular, the demand for unique, luxury golf carts has been on the rise, and understandably so. The number of luxury communities with specific interests in sports, aero and auto has also been on the rise, with people buying homes in these exclusive locations to better engage with like-minded people. All too often a golf cart is the perfect way to get around these gated neighborhoods, and this one is enclosed, comes with the amenities of a full-size car and is infinitely more stylish.
You can check out a few more photos of the 2024 Bodo G-Wagon golf cart that sold at Mecum, below – and if you want one for yourself, you’re in luck! I found this brand-new 2025 “G600 E-Wagon” (in white) for $23,900 at Gulf Carts in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Head on down to the comments and let us know if you buy it.
G-Wagon golf cart gallery
SOURCE | LOTS MORE PHOTOS: Mecum Auctions.
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