- Reversing its course, Toyota has announced major investments in EV production, including three new batteries and a completely reworked production line.
- Solid-state batteries and Monopolar NCM technology with a claimed 621-mile range shape the future of Toyota’s BEVs.
- Following in Tesla’s footsteps, Toyota will use giga casting and autonomous production lines overseas, while the company is simultaneously building a North American battery research facility in Michigan.
Toyota hasn’t exactly jumped on the electric vehicle bandwagon. With one dedicated EV crossover on the market and several new hybrid models, it loosely follows broad industry standards while remaining tied to the hybrid sector it pioneered. In fact, the brand lost its former CEO and public EV skeptic, Akio Toyoda, earlier this year in a corporate restructuring focused on electrification, replacing Toyoda with ex-Lexus branding officer Koji Sato.
The months since Sato’s appointment have been very different, as Toyota has softened its EV stance and even hinted at a new electric architecture to come. But Toyota took a step forward this week, confirming an overhaul of its electric vehicle production and parts process.
Toyota Motor President Koji Sato.
The Battery of the Future That Can Fast Charge in 20 Minutes
Unveiling a kind of technology roadmap, Toyota confirmed it will launch a more durable, energy-dense manganese nickel cobalt lithium-ion battery by 2026, with a range of 621 miles and a quick charge time of 20 minutes. The NCM battery next to the bZ4x will be reserved for performance vehicles or high-end luxury models, although Toyota has plans for its lower-end units as well.
Using a bipolar battery structure (found in Japanese-market Aqua and Crown hybrid vehicles), Toyota will expand this LFP technology to new BEV models, with the company claiming a 20 percent increase in cruising range and a 40% cost reduction compared to the current bZ4x.
EV enthusiasts can also expect a high-performance version of the Ni-series bipolar lithium-ion battery, indicating the possibility of a low-cost, high-performance EV coming from Toyota. The battery will feature a high-nickel cathode, increase range by 10 percent while lowering cost by 10 percent, and is set for practical use by 2028.
“Breakthrough” Enables Solid-State Batteries
Such progress is already in the works, Toyota says, but innovation beyond the immediate future is essential, company executives say. And Toyota sees solid-state batteries as definitely the way forward, according to its EV roadmap. The company is accelerating solid-state battery development largely due to “technological breakthroughs that overcome long-standing challenges of battery durability,” but also because it estimates the range will expand by about 20 percent with solid-state batteries.
All these percentages are difficult to measure when they are stacked on top of each other and the company provides examples of improvements without any hard numbers. Even so, it signals that Toyota is aware of how quickly it needs to expand its EV range.
Examples of Toyota solid state batteries.
To do so, Toyota needs to redevelop and expand its production facilities, both from a chassis and battery standpoint. Citing increased profitability, the company plans to use giga-casting (high-pressure aluminum casting) technology for its future EV platform, reducing the number of sheet metal parts. This production approach certainly worked for Tesla, despite early model production quality issues.
Automated Mass Production
Toyota says it is rejecting a conveyor-style production for its future EV chassis, instead relying on its own mobile assembly line. This approach will largely automate the process, allow mass-produced models to move from process to process independently and create more model flexibility in each factory. Notably, Toyota says this approach will significantly reduce the number of workers needed for production.
Examples of chassis parts built using giga casting technology.
In line with this week’s news, Toyota also said it is developing a new battery research facility in Michigan. Investing $50 million, the Japanese brand will build a North American R&D headquarters in York Township near Ann Arbor, specifically focusing on battery evaluation.
Given the current state of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credit provisions, establishing manufacturing roots in North America (a battery plant in North Carolina and a three-row electric SUV assembly in Kentucky) is a no-brainer. But Toyota says the R&D facility is also intended to help better serve North American consumers.
Looking at the Needs of the American People
Driving requirements and charging habits vary greatly even from state to state, but America’s approach to electric vehicles has, so far, focused on a balance of long range and high performance. For Toyota, understanding these nuances is essential to produce a competitive product. And the ability to directly analyze US charging infrastructure will play a big role in the company’s regional development process, the release explained.
Toyota showcases upcoming North American R&D facility.
Toyota’s approach to EVs is shifting rapidly but remnants of its previous corporate culture remain, as Toyota dedicates a large portion of its offering to hydrogen and electronic fuel. While its approach to fuel cell and hydrogen electric vehicles relies primarily on commercial vehicles, Toyota is joining European manufacturers such as Porsche in exploring carbon-neutral biofuels.
Trying hydrogen, synthetic fuel and bioethanol fuel from renewable energy sources, Toyota said certain countries or regions where electricity demand is challenging, such as Brazil or India, will be a priority for e-fuel technology.
Finally, repeating what the company has long held, future reports say Toyota wants to use the right vehicle in the right place at the right time. For a brand that has been the world’s best-selling car manufacturer for three years in a row, this isn’t surprising, but Toyota needs more than improved production and better batteries to sell EVs. Especially in the US, the necessary balance is between reasonable cost and inherent fun.
Associate Editor
A New York transplant originally from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for just about anything: cars, bikes, airplanes and motorcycles. After learning to ride at age 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022. The misery of spare parking has kept his fleet modest, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a 2003 Honda Nighthawk 750 street parked in his South Brooklyn community. .