When electric vehicles entered the road-legal market in earnest, it felt like Toyota would be one of the trailblazers. However, it is still behind rivals like Tesla and Ford.
The Toyota Prius is the world's most successful hybrid car, according to the brand, with 3 million sold worldwide — and the hop from hybrid to full electric didn't seem too far for the automaker.
Toyota has already utilized battery technology to power its vehicles, so it appeared that the next step would see it become a market leader when electric cars became more feasible for consumers.
But that hasn't quite happened yet. The only fully electric Toyota on the market is the bZ4X, and its first foray into the EV space with the RAV4 EV didn't make the kind of impact to switch driver allegiances from dirty fuel–powered internal-combustion engines to clean, emission-free electric power. The RAV4 EV was discontinued in 2014.
Toyota may finally be making an entrance, though, and several vehicles in the works could be game-changers. An electric Supra is on the way, per HotCars, while the company also has plans to return its iconic Celica sports car in electric form, according to Japanese outlet Best Car (via NZ Autocar).
I loved the old Celica!
— Anas Alhajji (@anasalhajji) June 4, 2021
Toyota Celica to return as electric or hydrogen sports car with Subaru twin! GR 86 and GR Supra getting company soon: report https://t.co/a2JyfJoRVY via @carguide
Technology could be the key for Toyota in gaining ground on other manufacturers in the electric vehicle space, and the company has boasted about a breakthrough in battery capacity and charging time.
Keiji Kaita, the president of Toyota's research and development center for carbon neutrality, said the aim was to halve the size, weight, and price for liquid and solid-state batteries, adding that a solid-state battery has been developed that can provide a range of 745 miles on a 10-minute charge, the Guardian reported.
According to the Financial Times, per the Guardian, these batteries could be available as soon as 2027. If the breakthrough does come to fruition in the commercial sector, it would be the "holy grail of battery vehicles," as David Bailey, professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, said.
Meanwhile, a 2024 Toyota Compact Cruiser Baby Electric FJ prototype won the 2022 Car Design award for Best Concept Car, suggesting Toyota's grand plans for its future EV offering could cause problems for the more established manufacturers.
The Toyota Compact Cruiser EV Concept wins Auto & Design magazine's Car Design Award. What do you think of the electric baby FJ Cruiser? pic.twitter.com/GIZaBO9t8r
— Swapalease.com (@swapalease) June 16, 2022
Toyota is known for its reliability. If it can bring that to its upcoming line of electric vehicles, the market leaders might want to watch their backs.
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