Toyota's EV Battery Production Efforts are Looking Up

by Chris Teague

Published: March 5th, 2024

toyota s ev battery production efforts are looking up

Toyota may be pushing hard toward more diverse propulsion options instead of solely focusing on EVs, but that doesn’t mean it’s not looking for ways to make headway on electrification. The Japanese auto giant recently announced its acquisition of Primearth EV Energy from Panasonic, which it said would give it a significant boost toward EV battery mass production.

The company already owned 60 percent of Primearth, starting with a 40 percent stake when it was founded in 1996, climbing to 60 percent in 2005. In 2010, Toyota grabbed another 20.5 percent, so this recent announcement only really covers 19.5 percent of Primearth. Some of the automaker’s other partially-owned companies already produce hybrid batteries, and some build PHEV and EV batteries.

Toyota has announced a next-generation battery that it said can deliver up to 500 miles of range. It’s expected to roll the first market-ready units in 2026, and it noted that they would support super-fast charging, with times as low as 20 minutes. That could coincide with a next-gen bZ4X or the expected bZ small crossover’s release.

By 2028, Toyota expects to offer EV batteries with more than 621 miles of range and the same 20-minute charging time. They are also expected to cost 10 percent less than the batteries released in 2026.

Toyota has long promised upgraded batteries, but the automaker has so far not hit its targets, pushing solid-state batteries out as far as 2030. In the meantime, its cautious approach to EVs looks to be paying off, as other automakers have grappled with wavering demand and high costs.

[Image: Toyota]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#toyotaevs #ToyotaBZ4X #Panasonic

Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

More by Chris Teague

Comments

Join the conversation

3 of 18 comments

Scott on Mar 06, 2024

Toyota is likely to go full Hybrid long before full EV (if ever) and that requires a lot of batteries so they need the capacity. The promised 500 mile range isn't the biggie, it's the 20 minute recharge time. That might mean you could add enough charge for 200-300 miles in 10 minutes which would end one of the real world problems.

Like Reply
SCE to AUX on Mar 06, 2024

Batteries don't provide range - cars do.

That mythical 621-mile range is 1000 km WLTP, which is more like 520 miles EPA... but what size car do you get for that, and I'll guarantee it's not real-world.

Toyota isn't sincere about EVs, nor tightening lug nuts.

Like Reply
- Joe65688619 18 hours ago
  
  They've been very pragmatic though, not launching platforms where the underlying tech is not ready. If they can offer 500+ range with 20 min charge I would look at one. There's so much expensive wasted battery capacity in the current EVs which typically aren't driven that far between recharging. Toyota was very smart to stay focused on hybrids and build a vertical supply chain to focus their RND investments on offering an improved product rather than sell something similar to what is already out there.
  
  Like

Recent Comments

Tassos Under incompetent, affirmative action hire Mary Barra, GM has been shooting itself in the foot on a daily basis.Whether the Malibu cancellation has been one of these shootings is NOT obvious at all.GM should be run as a PROFITABLE BUSINESS and NOT as an outfit that satisfies everybody and his mother in law's pet preferences.IF the Malibu was UNPROFITABLE, it SHOULD be canceled.More generally, if its SEGMENT is Unprofitable, and HALF the makers cancel their midsize sedans, not only will it lead to the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST ones, but the survivors will obviously be more profitable if the LOSERS were kept being produced and the SMALL PIE of midsize sedans would yield slim pickings for every participant.SO NO, I APPROVE of the demise of the unprofitable Malibu, and hope Nissan does the same to the Altima, Hyundai with the SOnata, Mazda with the Mazda 6, and as many others as it takes to make the REMAINING players, like the Excellent, sporty Accord and the Bulletproof Reliable, cheap to maintain CAMRY, more profitable and affordable.
GregLocock Car companies can only really sell cars that people who are new car buyers will pay a profitable price for. As it turns out fewer and fewer new car buyers want sedans. Large sedans can be nice to drive, certainly, but the number of new car buyers (the only ones that matter in this discussion) are prepared to sacrifice steering and handling for more obvious things like passenger and cargo space, or even some attempt at off roading. We know US new car buyers don't really care about handling because they fell for FWD in large cars.
Slavuta Why is everybody sweating? Like sedans? - go buy one. Better - 2. Let CRV/RAV rust on the dealer lot. I have 3 sedans on the driveway. My neighbor - 2. Neighbors on each of our other side - 8 SUVs.
Theflyersfan With sedans, especially, I wonder how many of those sales are to rental fleets. With the exception of the Civic and Accord, there are still rows of sedans mixed in with the RAV4s at every airport rental lot. I doubt the breakdown in sales is publicly published, so who knows... GM isn't out of the sedan business - Cadillac exists and I can't believe I'm typing this but they are actually decent - and I think they are making a huge mistake, especially if there's an extended oil price hike (cough...Iran...cough) and people want smaller and hybrids. But if one is only tied to the quarterly shareholder reports and not trends and the big picture, bad decisions like this get made.
Wjtinfwb Not proud of what Stellantis is rolling out?