LR621 battery.Toyota Takeshi Yamada: Battery technology still has flaws

　　According to the Electrek website, Tesla is undoubtedly the brightest star car company in the field of all-electric vehicles, while Toyota lags far behind the world's major car companies. Since the discontinuation of Rav4EV, Toyota has not launched a pure battery-powered vehicle and currently has no

　　According to the Electrek website, Tesla is undoubtedly the brightest star car company in the field of all-electric vehicles, while Toyota lags far behind major global car companies. Since the discontinuation of the Rav4EV, Toyota has not launched a pure battery-powered vehicle, and currently has no plans to launch a pure battery-powered vehicle in the next few years. It is reported that the power system of Rav4EV is manufactured by Tesla.

　　Toyota Motor Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada recently expressed his views on electric vehicles in an interview with CNBC, which was interpreted by the outside world as the reason why Toyota is lagging behind in the electric vehicle industry.

　　He told CNBC: "I must say something up front. We are not opposed to the development of electric vehicles. However, to extend the range of electric vehicles, electric vehicles need to be loaded with many batteries and take a long time to charge. We also need to consider the battery life. Problem. However, as countries such as my country and the United States begin to implement laws and regulations (encouraging the development of electric vehicles), automakers will have no choice but to launch electric vehicles, otherwise they will face the risk of being eliminated. Toyota is no exception. But given consumer convenience, we suspect the shift to pure electric vehicles won’t be too rapid.”

　　Takeshi Uchiyamada added that there are still two or three technological breakthroughs to be made before cars can run on pure electric power. However, he acknowledged that some form of electrification is inevitable.

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　　From the above remarks, it is easy to see that Toyota believes that current battery technology cannot meet the requirements of all-electric vehicles. The company is waiting for stricter regulations to be introduced before increasing investment in battery technology.

　　Toyota's confidence

　　At a speech event in Chiba City in August this year, Takeshi Uchiyamada talked about the development process of hybrid vehicles such as the Prius, and said that Toyota "has mastered the development of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs). All elements of basic electrification technology. The global electrification process is accelerating." These reveal Toyota's confidence in the future development of automobiles in this field.

　　Regarding the topic of capital cooperation with Mazda in the field of electric vehicle research and development, Uchiyamada Takeshi said that the two parties are "undergoing various discussions."

　　The history of the Prius dates back to December 1997. The car has now developed into its fourth generation and been upgraded to a PHV. Cumulative global sales have exceeded 4 million units.

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　　Alternative car company

　　Against the background that countries such as Europe, the United States, my country and India have tightened regulations on gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles, Uchiyamada Takeshi's views run counter to the plans of many automakers to develop electric vehicles as soon as possible, making Toyota appear very different.

　　Volvo says that starting in 2019 all of its cars will be powered by electric or hybrid power.

　　Since the 2010s, Nissan has launched the "Leaf" electric car on the market. Nissan recently stated that it plans to at least double Leaf sales through a new generation of models. Last year, global sales of Leaf models were close to 50,000 units.

　　As a company that emerged in the same period of the 2010s, Tesla's market value is already comparable to that of the Detroit auto giant. Tesla CEO Musk said that demand for small electric SUVs will exceed Model 3. He predicts that the annual demand for Model Y will be 500,000 to 1 million vehicles in a few years, while the annual demand for Model 3 will be about 500,000 vehicles.

　　In order to get rid of the shadow of the "emissions gate" as soon as possible, Volkswagen has accelerated its investment in electric vehicles. The Volkswagen brand "Crozz", which debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show in April this year, will become a new electric vehicle brand under Volkswagen. Volkswagen plans to launch a new electric vehicle in 2025. Achieve the annual sales target of 1 million electric vehicles.

　　Hyundai has also been lagging behind on electric vehicles, but the company has decided to develop both a full range of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as dedicated electric vehicles. Hyundai Motor has also decided to develop its first dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, and its first long-range electric vehicle will be launched after 2021.

　　expert's point

　　Professionals pointed out that Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is now the president of Toyota's "Electric Vehicle Business Planning Department". The unit is responsible for launching a fully electric vehicle by 2020. However, little is known about the department’s work and its achievements.

　　Toyota has focused on more efficient and longer-lasting internal combustion engines in recent decades. And it performs well in this regard. Now, moving Toyota to electric vehicles would mean abandoning everything about internal combustion engines.

　　It is true that Toyota has argued that current battery technology has shortcomings. But battery-powered electric vehicles have already gained some market share and are supported by many governments. Tesla, Nissan, Renault and many other automakers have developed and put into production a variety of electric vehicles.

　　Toyota's approach is obviously waiting for a substantial "breakthrough" in battery technology, but it has not actively participated in improving battery technology. For fans of electric vehicles, Takeshi Uchiyamada’s comments are indeed a bit disappointing.