Toyota set to sell long-range, fast-charging electrical cars in 2022: paper, Reuters
Toyota set to sell long-range, fast-charging electrified cars in 2022: paper
TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp is working on an electrified car powered by a fresh type of battery that significantly increases driving range and reduces charging time, aiming to begin sales in 2022, the Chunichi Shimbun daily reported on Tuesday.
Toyota`s fresh electrical car, to be built on an all-new platform, will use all-solid-state batteries, permitting it to be recharged in just a few minutes, the newspaper said, without citing sources.
By contrast, current electrified vehicles (EVs), which use lithium-ion batteries, need 20-30 minutes to recharge even with rapid chargers and typically have a range of just 300-400 kilometers (185-250 miles).
Toyota has determined to sell the fresh model in Japan as early as 2022, the paper said.
Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi said the company would not comment on specific product plans but added that it aimed to commercialize all-solid-state batteries by the early 2020s.
Japan`s fattest automaker is looking to close the gap with EV leaders such as Nissan Motor Co and Tesla Inc as battery-powered cars build up traction around the globe as a viable emission-free alternative to conventional cars.
Whether Toyota will be able to leapfrog its rivals remains to be seen, however, as mass production requires a far more stringent level of quality control and reliability.
«There`s a pretty long distance inbetween the lab bench and manufacturing,» said CLSA auto analyst Christopher Richter. «2022 is ages away, and a lot can switch in the meantime.» How quickly the fresh EVs will catch on would also depend largely on battery costs.
Having long touted hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and plug-in hybrids as the most sensible technology to make cars greener, Toyota last year said it dreamed to add long-range EVs to its line-up, and set up a fresh in-house unit, headed by President Akio Toyoda, to develop and market EVs.
Toyota is reportedly planning to begin mass-producing EVs in China, the world`s thickest auto market, as early as in 2019, albeit that model would be based on the existing C-HR sport utility vehicle and use lithium-ion batteries.
Other automakers such as BMW are also working on developing all-solid-state batteries, eyeing mass production in the next ten years.
Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes rather than liquid ones, making them safer than lithium-ion batteries presently on the market.
Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Naomi Tajitsu, Extra reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Edwina Gibbs