Toyota remains timid on EV goals for US, expects hybrids to take off instead
The automaker hasn't jumped on an EV-only lineup, citing a desire to give its customers choices to "bridge" the gap.
Toyota on Wednesday forecasted that it expects a whopping 70% of its sales mix to come from electrified vehicles by 2030. In its Path to Carbon Neutrality release the automaker added that figure, specifically, includes just 15% of totally battery-electric cars and fuel-cell vehicles. It's the latest conservative stance on the EV transformation in the US from Toyota as it eyes a more sluggish EV adoption rate here.
In hard numbers, Toyota believes 8 million cars sold around the world will be electrified, including EVs. (Electrified vehicles also include mild hybrids, traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids.) By and large, the majority of Toyota vehicles sold by the end of this decade will include some form of electrification.
The EV figure is a far cry from other automakers that have flirted with phasing out the internal-combustion engine entirely, especially General Motors. The automaker aspires to sell only EVs by 2035 -- just five years after Toyota's forecast. It's not that Toyota doesn't want EVs to thrive, but its attitude on what will be a gigantic shift for the auto industry is simply that the changeover is going to take more time. In the meantime, hybrids will be a big stepping stone.
"At Toyota, we believe giving consumers choices with a portfolio of alternative powertrains can help bridge to an all-electric mobility future," the company said in its announcement. The key word here is "choices," noting hybrids will help build an electrified bridge to full-blown EVs at the automaker.
Toyota kicked off its foray into the EV era with the upcoming BZ4X electric SUV for 2022. We'll see Toyota's number of EV options grow slowly, but surely, in the years to come.
