• jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      I think it’s more likely that Toyota dropped the ball on not investing in EVs early, so that they felt the need to announce they were working on some thing in hopes of staying relevant.

      • SomeoneSomewhere@lemmy.nz
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        11 months ago

        Toyota has been claiming to have EV-killing tech 3-5 years away for 20 years. It’s part of the plan for selling hybrids.

      • CthuluVoIP@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I mean…. Really? Toyota kind of kicked off the whole EV shebang by introducing the first commercially successful hybrid in the Prius. And they’ve been innovating in the space ever since. Don’t mistake this for me believing they have a solid state battery right around the corner. But Japanese auto companies aren’t known for being on the forefront. They’re known for doing what everyone else does with better reliability and lower costs.

    • DreadPotato@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      Toyota have announced several times already that they’re “this close” 🤏 or only a few years away from releasing their first solid state battery EV…I’ll believe it when I see it.

    • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      The same Toyota that declared that electric vehicles were a non-starter and that hydrogen vehicles were the future?

      I think hydrogen will be in the future, but not for a while. Toyota is having to make lots of promises to make up for Kia and Hyundai eating their lunch.

        • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          I think hybrids need to be built like EVs with on board range extender generators. I believe the Volt was that way but if you had enough battery to cover 120 miles full EV with plug-in recharge most of the time it would be full EV. Long trip? Generator kicks on at mile 100 and takes you an absurd distance.

          The latest Toyota hybrids are pretty great but they need competition. Sadly the Volt died.

          Kia/Hyundai/Ford/Audi should make “Range extender” versions trading half the battery pack for generator and fuel weights to up the pressure.

          Full EV might not be great for long trips, but full ICE is silly compared to a hybrid.

          Make the F-150 standard truck get 40mpg on gasoline on trips, EV around town and you have a winner.

        • mayonaise_met@feddit.nl
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          11 months ago

          I’m privileged in that I live in perhaps the country with the densest coverage of EV infrastructure anywhere (except for maybe a microstate or two), but in the 7 months of driving an EV I’ve not once experienced range anxiety.

          You can’t do huge roadtrips without a recharge every 250-350km in this relatively more affordable model, but for daily driving it’s like waking up with a full tank every day. If I visit friends 200km away, I just park at a destination charger and walk the last 200 meters.

          At least right now that’s is a lot more viable than hydrogen. I can’t fill up in my town. I can fill up near my work 35m away. But it would a hassle.

    • not_woody_shaw@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Toyota doesn’t make batteries, they make press releases - the purpose of which is to dissuade you from buying a BEV, in case you find out how good they are.

    • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      Here’s why I don’t buy it- Toyota is still hyping hydrogen as the next gen fuel option. They barely have a BEV option, despite having a 15-year lead on electric drivetrains.

      They’re betting hard that BEVs are a small market.