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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Environment
Hiboy launches TITAN & TITAN Pro e-scooters with up to $699 savings, Anker SOLIX F3000 station at new $1,399 low, more
We’re closing out this week’s Green Deals with some more major savings, headlined by Hiboy’s new TITAN Electric Scooter and TITAN Pro Electric Scooter, which are launching with up to $699 in savings starting from $1,001. Right behind them is Anker’s SOLIX F3000 Portable Power Station (and bundles) that is getting its $1,399 Prime Day low extended, as well as Mammotion’s YUKA Mini 500H and 700H robot lawn mowers starting from a $649 low. We also have EcoFlow’s latest 48-hour flash sale, a handy device from Goal Zero, and many other ongoing Prime Day sales waiting for you below – with all the continuing event’s savings collected into our Post-Prime Day Green Deals hub here.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Hiboy launches new TITAN and TITAN Pro e-scooters with an up to 80-mile range, now starting from $1,001 (Up to $699 off)
As part of Hiboy’s ongoing Better Than Prime Day Sale, the brand has launched two new e-scooters that bring some serious power to commutes and joyrides, complete with bonus savings. You can now hop on Hiboy’s TITAN Electric Scooter at $1,001 shipped, after using the code HST9 at checkout for an additional 9% off, while Hiboy’s TITAN Pro Electric Scooter is down at $1,350 shipped, after using the code HSTP10 at check out for an additional 10% off. These two new models will carry full $1,700 and $2,000 price tags once the initial launch savings end, making this deal all the more enticing. While things last, you’re looking at $699 and $650 markdowns that save you some serious cash on some seriously powerful rides, while also setting the bar for future discounts down the road. You’ll find both these deals coming several hundred dollars under the TITAN and TITAN Pro Amazon pricing.
With these two new releases, Hiboy is showing folks just how fast and wild their e-scooters can get, with many often falling into the more budget-friendly realm. Things start with Hiboy’s TITAN electric scooter that arrives in futuristic industrial style, equipped with a 750W (1,000W peaking) motor and 48V 18Ah battery that provides up to 46 miles of travel at up to 25 MPH top speeds. Among its many features, you’ll find a dual suspension system, dual hydraulic brakes, 10-inch gel-filled tubeless tires, a wider-than-normal deck, zero-start capabilities and a half-twist throttle, a loud horn, dual headlights, a brake-activated taillight, ambient side lighting, a 3.5-inch LED color display, and more.
On the other end of the series is the TITAN Pro e-scooter that brings more power and speed along for the ride. This supped-up model has been given dual 750W motors (each peaking at 1,000W) and a 48V 36Ah battery that not only ramps its possible top speeds up to 31 MPH, but also extends travel times up to 80 miles on a single charge. It brings along much of the same features as its base TITAN counterpart, with the main difference being the additional multi-function control buttons that allow you to switch between single and dual motor usage.
Hiboy’s Better Than Prime Sale will continue through October 12, giving you plenty of time to make decisions if you’re split between varying models – with prices starting from $320.
Anker’s extended Prime Day savings offer latest SOLIX F3000 station and bundles at new lows starting from $1,399
As part of Anker’s extended SOLIX Prime Day Sale, which is continuing through the rest of the week, you can still score the brand’s latest F3000 Portable Power Station (and bundles) at their best prices starting from $1,399 shipped for the station with a FREE protective cover (valued at $99), beating out Amazon’s post-Prime pricing by $100. It carries a $2,599 MSRP since releasing back in June, which we saw drop down to this rate for the first time on Tuesday, when Prime Day officially began. It’s now continuing through the rest of the week, giving you more time to jump on the $1,200 price cut and score it at the best price we have tracked. Head below for the full lineup of ongoing bundle deals too.
If you want to learn more about this new power station, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.
Mammotion’s YUKA Mini 500H and 700H robotic lawn mowers get $350 price cuts starting from a $649 low
By way of its official Amazon storefront, Mammotion is offering continued Prime Day savings on its YUKA Mini 500H Robotic Lawn Mower at $649 shipped, as well as its YUKA Mini 700H Robotic Lawn Mower at $849 shipped. These two models usually fetch $999 and $1,199 at full price, with this being the second-ever price cut to the YUKA Mini 500H’s all-time low with $350 cut from its tag, while the YUKA Mini 700H is getting the same sized price cut to its second-lowest rate – landing $100 above the one-time low that lasted only three days in September.
If you want to learn more about these two robots, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.
EcoFlow 48-hour flash sale drops 800W alternator charger to new $289 low, more from $104
As part of its extended Prime Day Sale, EcoFlow is offering a 48-hour flash sale on a power station, a generator, an alternator charger, and a DELTA Pro Ultra expansion battery bundle. The backup power solution amongst the bunch is the TRAIL 200 DC station, which you can score starting from $104 by checking out yesterday’s coverage. From there, it’s a matter of what kind of support or expansion you want to jump on, with the brand’s 800W Alternator Charger sitting at a lower-than-ever $289 shipped, for example, which also matches at Amazon right now. While it carries a $599 MSRP, we more often see it priced between $348 and $499, with some sales taking things lower. It was priced at $305 for the initial Prime Day savings, but is now falling even further to mark a new all-time low price and give you $210 off the going rate. Head below for the full lineup of flash deals.
If you want to learn more about this on-the-go charging solution, as well as the other offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of these 48-hour flash deals here.
Goal Zero’s 500 Lumen Torch Light that doubles as a solar-charging 5,200mAh power bank hits $38
Amazon is offering the Goal Zero 500 Lumen Torch Light at $37.89 shipped. Usually fetching $50 outside of discounts, this device dropped to $40 back April, with discounts since returning the costs to this same rate over the rest of the year – including for both July and this month’s Prime Day events. The savings seem to be sticking around after the event ended last night, giving you extra time to pick it up with $12 shaved from the tag at the best price of the year.
If you want to learn more about this handy solar-charging gadget, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.
Best Fall EV deals!
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (camo) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $3,048 (Reg. $3,298)
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (sage or fig) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $2,948 (Reg. $3,298)
- Aventon Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike: $2,599 (Reg. $2,899)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive Gates Belt CVT e-bike: $2,595 (Reg. $2,795)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 DRT Off-Road Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Ride1Up Revv 1 Full Suspension Moped-Style e-bike: $2,395 (Reg. $2,595)
- Heybike Hero 750W Mid-Drive Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $2,299 (Reg. $3,099)
- Heybike Hero 1,000W Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $2,099 (Reg. $2,599)
- Velotric Nomad 2 All-Terrain e-bike with $120 bundle (new): $1,999 (No price cut)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $694 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,693)
- Ride1Up Prodigy v2 Brose Mid-Drive 9-Speed e-bike: $1,995 (Reg. $2,495)
- Tenways AGO X All-Terrain e-bike with $307 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,499)
- Lectric ONE Long-Range Belt-Drive e-bike with $220 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,619)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (gray or white) with DELTA 2 station: $1,898 (Reg. $2,198)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (mango or blue) with DELTA 2 station: $1,828 (Reg. $2,198)
- Rad Power RadRunner Plus Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,799 (No price cut)
- Aventon Abound SR Smart Cargo e-bike (new, first discount): $1,799 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XP Trike2 750 Long-Range eTrike with $455 preorder bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,254)
- Velotric Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike with $150 bundle (new, first discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike (new, second-ever discount): $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike (lowest price): $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $545 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,244)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $415 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,114)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike with extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Ride1Up VORSA Modular Multi-Use e-bike (first discount): $1,595 (Reg. $1,695)
- Rad Power RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,499 (No pirce cut)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $247 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,746)
- Lectric XP Trike2 with $257 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,756)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
- Tenways CGO600 Pro e-bikes with $118 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Velotric Nomad 1 Plus All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,999)
- Aventon Sinch 2 Folding e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $346 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,745)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,599)
- Velotric T1 ST Plus Lightweight e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,649)
- Heybike ALPHA All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $1,399 (Reg. $1,699)
- Ride1Up Roadster V3 Lightweight Premium e-bike: $1,395 (Reg. $1,495)
- Hiboy TITAN Pro Electric Scooter (new model, code HSTP10): $1,350 (Reg. $2,000)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $415 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,714)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $394 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,693)
- Heybike Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,899)
- Heybike Horizon Full-Suspension e-bike (second-ever low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,999)
- Heybike Mars 2.0 Folding Fat-Tire e-bike with extra battery: $1,199 (Reg. $1,848)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $439 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,538)
- Ride1Up Portola Folding e-bike: $1,095 (Reg. $1,095)
- Hiboy TITAN Electric Scooter (new model, code HST9): $1,001 (Reg. $1,700)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with $439 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,438)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $899 (Reg. $1,499)
- Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter (launch): $600 (Reg. $700)
Best new Green Deals landing this week
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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The Trump administration has canceled the Esmeralda 7 solar project in Nevada — a sweeping, multi-developer clean energy plan that would have been the largest solar installation in North America.
The Esmeralda 7 project, composed of seven connected solar farms proposed by NextEra Energy Resources, Leeward Renewable Energy, Arevia Power, and Invenergy, was designed to sit across around 185 square miles of public land, an area nearly the size of Las Vegas. The plan promised to deliver about 5,350 MW of electricity, enough to power nearly 2 million homes – that’s three times the Hoover Dam’s generating capacity.
The Biden administration had permitted the developers’ joint proposals, and the Trump administration had advanced the project’s draft environmental impact statement. However, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hadn’t issued a final environmental impact statement or record of decision.
Yesterday, the BLM’s website marked the project as canceled. That’s part of a broader shift within the Trump administration away from utility-scale renewable energy development on federal land — even as global clean energy buildout accelerates.
According to Politico, “The Interior Department in a statement Friday afternoon said that the solar developers and BLM had ‘agreed to change their approach for the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada. Instead of pursuing a programmatic level environmental analysis, the applicants will now have the option to submit individual project proposals to the BLM to more effectively analyze potential impacts.’”
The BLM had spent years reviewing Esmeralda 7’s potential impacts on wildlife and public lands, so clean energy advocates say the decision to scrap the project is more political than procedural. “The Trump administration’s reported cancellation of Nevada’s largest solar and storage project will restrict America’s ability to produce homegrown clean energy,” the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said in a statement. “This action hurts America’s economy, its energy security, and the jobs of thousands of hardworking Americans.”
Electrek’s Take
Anyone shocked by this move hasn’t been paying attention, but that doesn’t make it any less destructive. Killing the Esmeralda 7 project isn’t just a setback for Nevada — it’s a blow to US energy independence, and making the developers jump through the same hoops all over again is a stall tactic. Utility-scale solar, like Esmeralda 7, is the backbone of the transition away from fossil fuels and toward true domestic energy dominance.
The US still spends billions each year importing oil, even as solar power remains the cheapest source of new electricity in history. Every canceled project like this one delays when the US can power itself with affordable clean energy, which means higher prices, higher emissions, and fewer jobs in the long run. And don’t expect this one to be a one-off cancellation of renewables on federal lands, seeing how Trump is encouraging the buildout of fossil fuel projects on those same lands.
Read more: Ørsted to axe 2,000 jobs after US wind setbacks caused by Trump
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Ferrari unveiling the specs for the Elettrica, Tesla’s stripped-down Model 3 and Model Y, new Bolt EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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