Toyota Electric Car : Considers Revising Electric Vehicle Strategy & Is Ending Crown Development Plans.
New Business Strategy
It has been reported that Toyota Motor Corporation is considering revising its electric vehicle (EV) business strategy. The previous plan to introduce 30 EV models by 2030, including the basic version of the platform (chassis), was partially postponed. With the EV market expanding faster than expected and US specialist Tesla already profitable, it was decided by Toyota that a more competitive vehicle needed to be developed.
Dealing With Criticism
If Toyota decides to overhaul, a ¥4 trillion investment plan announced last year is hoped for by some investors and environmental groups that have criticized Toyota's slow response to the transition to electric vehicles. You can get closer to things. Vehicle development plans under discussion include a compact cruiser, a small sport utility vehicle (SUV) and an electric version of the luxury Crown. And to launch this, they have conducted a test.
e-TNGA
The focus of the test report is a platform (chassis) called "e-TNGA" for electric vehicles developed by Toyota. It is the basic structure of the car and requires a lot of effort to develop, so it affects competitiveness. Toyota predicted that the transition from combustion engine vehicles to electric cars would take some time, so it was designed to be produced on the same line as gasoline and hybrid vehicles. But people say it's less efficient than electric. The rapid expansion of the market and reduction in prices took place.
Market Challenges
With the rapid expansion of the market and the gradual reduction in vehicle prices, some engineers and managers worried that production costs would not keep pace. "There is absolutely no chance of profit," said one participant. “The adoption of electric vehicles is faster than expected, and competitors like Tesla are quickly adopting the new technology. 5 million electric cars based on e-TNGA per year by 2030 will ensure the profit of the whole company. It makes up roughly one third of the company's annual sales.
How To Be Carbon Neutral ?
But the EV market is growing rapidly, in spite of this annual sale. And a Reuters analysis of public data and forecasts shows the industry as a whole plans to produce 54 million electric vehicles by 2030. This represents more than 50% of annual car production. Toyota told Reuters: "Achieving carbon neutrality requires not only the development of our own technology, but also cooperation with various partners and suppliers." He said he is actively discussing a wide range of issues with these stakeholders. He did not want to comment on individual development projects. Toyota will set up an investigation team in the middle of this year, and there are said to be two people familiar with the situation. Shigeki Terashi, 67, who served as head of technology development, will lead a board that will consider a new technology strategy for electric cars by early next year, including an overhaul of the platform.
However, as this is an unofficial overhaul of the platform, there are many unknowns at this point as to how much of an impact this will ultimately have. whether to start immediately or to use e-TNGA for some time in conjunction with new generation EV drive systems. It will take about two years to develop the new platform and about three years to develop the vehicle, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Usefulness Of The Large "Giga Press" Aluminum Casting Machine
We can't afford to waste time since three years have already. We'll also consider the usefulness of the large "Giga Press" aluminum casting machine that Tesla introduced to the production line. Automotive platforms are assembled by welding together hundreds of castings and stampings, but the Giga Press, which can produce large castings, can significantly reduce this and increase efficiency. According to the three stakeholders, there are two other key technologies for improving competitiveness.
Employing Latest Technology
According to these three stakeholders, it is about half the size of the power supply installed in the "bZ4X" EV that first introduced e-TNGA. Another technology is integrated thermal management of exhaust heat from batteries, engines and vehicle air conditioning systems. The two parties involved said Denso and Aisin were prioritizing the development. Electric vehicles using current e-TNGAs can dissipate waste heat, but Tesla vehicles can. Because it saves energy, the number of batteries can be reduced, which also leads to a reduction in production costs. Denso and Aisin declined to comment beyond Toyota's response to Reuters. In 2010, Toyota made an equity investment in Tesla to develop an electric vehicle based on the "RAV4" SUV. It sold about 2,500 units in 2014, ended production, and sold all Tesla shares in 2017.
Next-Generation Decarbonized Vehicles
In 2018, Toyota established a division dedicated to next-generation decarbonized vehicles and began developing the EV platform. At that time, Tesla released three models "Model S", "Model X" and "Model 3", and in 2020 it made its first annual profit since its founding. Car manufacturers are gradually introducing electric vehicles (EVs) to the market. We continue to look at the balance of performance, such as range and price, and how we sell. But it doesn't look like a good start Toyota's new electric car "bZ4X" released in Japan on May 12. As the company's first mass-market electric car, the status of orders is drawing attention.
Phase1
Toyota,s this first mass-market electric car has committed to deliver a total of 3,000 commercial and consumer vehicles in Phase 1 by the end of the year, and will accept applications in Phase 2 in early fall, producing and selling 5,000 vehicles. they plan in the first year. was. The personal Toyota bZ4X is slow Orders for the first 3,000 units were only around 1,700 in mid-June.
Toyota has not released details of this 1,700 units order status at this time, but there seems to be a lot of interest, especially from business customers. According to the president of a Toyota-affiliated sales company, "the original quota of 450 units was met within an hour of the start of orders, and the quota, which was expanded to 1,000 units, was also met within hours." from day to day. A KINTO official said, "With 3,000 units in the first phase, there are no quotas for companies or individuals."
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