Toyota will have an electric car on the road within three years that will have a driving range in excess of 600 miles.
The car maker, which is widely known for its investment in hybrid and hydrogen technology, is moving fast into the electric car market. It currently offers fleets just the bz4x SUV model as its only passenger car EV.
Toyota says it has found technological advances to improve the energy density and construction of its batteries that will lead to these astonishing leaps in vehicle range.
However, it’s not just the battery construction that helps improve the driving range, Toyota adds that it’s also due to chassis lightweighting and improved aerodynamics, the combination of which will deliver these significant driver benefits.
In addition, Toyota says its batteries will also balance super efficiency (performance) against cost, providing a range of options for drivers and fleets. So the next version of the Toyota bz4x will cost less than the current car (which currently starts at just over £46,000), for example.
It also said that it was developing longer range solid state batteries that would be rolled out first on its hybrid vehicles and then electric vehicles from 2027 onwards.
The company will also continue with the development of hydrogen as a fuel for fleets. Currently Toyota offers the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
