Toyota has never hidden its reluctance, not against the electric car as such, but against the transition to fully electric, with no other alternatives. However, the Japanese firm is exploring other horizons for post-thermal and therefore hybrid as well.

Toyota is working on hydrogen, but the technology is not yet developed enough to consider the appearance of several models equipped with this energy. Therefore, the brand turns to electricity, and despite a difficult start, Toyota also intends to become one of the leaders in this field.

Record autonomy for future electric Toyotas

At the Changing the Future of Cars conference, Toyota presented its electrification strategy with some very interesting lines of work.

The brand announced that from 2026 a new generation of electric models will see the light of day, which allows to significantly improve the characteristics of modern vehicles. The idea is to offer different types of batteries depending on the vehicle and use.

Toyota plans to increase the range of its bZ4X SUV by an average of 20%, while reducing production costs by 40%. Do the engineers intend to “copy” Tesla and its Model Y in terms of design? Undoubtedly, because some engineers of the brand did not hesitate to call the American SUV a “work of art” after the inspection.

The company is also working on a “Performance” battery, with an estimated range of 1000 km depending on the model. Toyota clarifies that this figure, however, will only be possible if it intervenes in the aerodynamic part and reduces the weight of models, in particular with more compact electric motors.

New “high-performance” batteries will appear between 2027 and 2028, with a 10% increase in autonomy and a 10% reduction in production costs. These batteries can guarantee autonomy from 1100 to 1200 km. Toyota is also working on solid-state batteries range, which can be increased to 1500 km on a single charge.

Hydrogen is always in play

In addition to working on batteries, Toyota will focus on manufacturing, investing in “giga casting,” a kind of huge mold similar to Tesla’s Giga Press.

The Toyota of tomorrow will also be the result of the work of designers and artificial intelligence, which will help design teams learn the most aerodynamic shapes. Engineers are also working on a manual gearbox for electric cars, this time for more sporty models, to guarantee driving pleasure even after switching to fully electric.

Finally, the Japanese brand does not forget hydrogen, especially for Europe, China and North America, where fuel cell technology will become more popular by 2030. Work will begin in July with the Hydrogen Factory, a new organization led by Toyota that will be responsible for making business decisions in the field of hydrogen.