Toyota said Monday it plans to expand its European lineup of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to six models by 2026. The automaker revealed two new concepts for its upcoming EV fleet, including a “close-to-production” Urban SUV and a Sport Crossover scheduled for a 2025 European launch. Toyota, which Reuters notes is the world’s largest automaker by sales, currently sells only one fully electric model, the bZ4X. It aims for 100 percent carbon neutrality by 2035.
The company’s two newly revealed concepts will join the bZ4X and a Compact SUV it showcased last year. Toyota’s new Urban SUV concept is slated for a European launch in 2024. Its “authentic SUV design” draws inspiration from the company’s Yaris Cross, a top seller in its class. The Urban SUV concept will come in front-wheel and all-wheel-drive options and two battery tiers — a budget one and another with a longer range.
Meanwhile, Toyota had less to say about its Sport Crossover concept. We know it has a sloping fastback profile, which the company will use to position it as a sleeker alternative to traditional SUVs. The automaker expects that concept to enter production in 2025.
Toyota is preparing to introduce a series of new batteries, the first of which will be a performance version, designed with a conventional structure but expected to offer twice the driving range and a 20% cost reduction compared to the current bZ4X.
This will be followed by a good quality, low-cost battery that will help popularise BEVs. It will have new shape, a bipolar structure and use cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as its principal material. The aim is for this to increase range by 20% and reduce cost by 40% (vs bZ4X).The third battery to be introduced will focus on high performance, using bipolar technologies and a high nickel cathode. Even lower costs and a further extended driving range are expected.
Turning to the prospect of Toyota’s first solid state batteries, Andrea Carlucci said: “We have made a technological breakthrough that overcomes the long-standing challenge of solid state battery durability. A method for mass production is currently being developed and we are striving for commercialisation in 2027-2028 with production capacity of several tens of thousands of vehicles.”
From the start, Toyota is looking to achieve a charge time from 10 to 80% of just 10 minutes.Other technologies are also being developed for next-generation BEV production, engineering and design. The Kenshiki forum hosted the first European presentation of the Toyota FT-3e concept, a tech-study that embraces the full range of future technologies, minimising weight, maximising aerodynamic performance and controlling costs. The FT-3e looks at how in the future cars might offer more than mobility by connecting with society and enabling the transfer of energy and data.