Toyota Plans to Sell 5 Million Electric & Hybrid Vehicles Per Year by 2030

author: Eric Walz   

TOYOTA CITY, Japan — Toyota Motor Corporation announced yesterday its renewed plans to introduce electric and hybrid vehicles in the next decade. Toyota's electrified vehicle strategy centers on the development and launch of new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

According to Toyota, addressing environmental challenges, such as global warming, air pollution, and limited natural resources and energy supply are of utmost importance. Electrified vehicles are indispensable to help solve these current environmental challenges.

In October 2015, Toyota launched the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, which aims to reduce the negative impact of manufacturing and driving vehicles as much as possible and contribute to realizing a sustainable society. In the ever-better cars category, Toyota aims to reduce global average new-vehicle CO2 emissions by 90 percent from 2010 levels. The announcement is another step forward for Toyota to achieve this challenge.

Electrification Across the Entire Toyota & Lexus Line of Vehicles

By 2030, Toyota aims to have sales of more than 5.5 million electrified vehicles, including more than 1 million zero-emission vehicles (BEVs, FCEVs).

Additionally, by around 2025, every model in the global Toyota and Lexus line-up will be available either as a dedicated electrified model or have an available electric option. This will be achieved by increasing the number of dedicated HEV, PHEV, BEV, and FCEV models and adding a HEV, PHEV and/or BEV options to all of its models.

Toyota will accelerate the popularization of BEVs with more than 10 BEV models to be available worldwide by the early 2020s, starting in China, before entering other markets―the gradual introduction to Japan, India, United States and Europe is expected.

Toyota's HEV line-up will also grow, with the further development of the Toyota Hybrid System II (featured in the current-generation Prius and other models); the introduction of a more powerful version in some models; and the development of simpler hybrid systems in select models, as appropriate, to meet various customer needs.

Toyota Betting on Next-Gen Solid State Batteries

Toyota has been actively developing next-generation solid-state batteries and aims to commercialize the technology by the early 2020s. In addition, Toyota and Panasonic will start a feasibility study on a joint automotive prismatic battery business in order to achieve the best automotive prismatic battery in the industry and to ultimately contribute to the popularization of Toyota's and other automakers' electrified vehicles.

Infrastructure to Support Electric Vehicles

Toyota plans to focus on the development of infrastructure conducive to the widespread adoption of electrified vehicles. This includes the creation of a system to help streamline battery reuse and recycling, as well as support of the promotion of plug-in vehicle charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations through active cooperation and collaboration with government authorities and partner companies.

Toyota has already made big steps towards its lofty goal. The second-generation Prius PHV, introduced in 2017, further increased the vehicle's electric mode cruising range. In 2014, Toyota launched the world's first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, the Mirai, which is being well-received by customers in Japan, the U.S., and Europe.

Toyota sales of electrified vehicles have reached more than 11 million units worldwide to date.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.