It’s not that Toyota doesn’t know how to make an electric vehicle, they simply don’t think there’s currently a case for them in the US.
Many automakers are looking toward electric vehicle technology for the future of what we see when it’s time for the drive we’ll make on the road, but one company is staying out of the mix. While Toyota offers us a variety of electrified models with Prius Hybrid models and the Mirai that runs on hydrogen and electricity, they don’t have a fully electrified vehicle on the road.
Sales Numbers are Low
Even though the federal government, and many state governments, subsidize the EV sales with discounts and rebates that offer a lower final price, the sales numbers of EV models stay around one percent in the US. Additionally, the number of tax credits allowed is capped at a specific number, which is causing some automakers to head to Washington to ask for an extension of these credits. The number of EV sales might decline without the tax credits, which could spell the end of the growth of the EV models that we’ve seen recently.
Toyota has Built an Electric Vehicle
There was an EV model in the past which was the RAV4 EV. This electric crossover SUV was first offered in 1997 and then deleted in 2003 before making a comeback in 2012 to only survive for a couple of years. The first version of the RAV4 EV offered a driving range of 95 miles, which wasn’t bad at all for an EV at the time, but the demand for this electric SUV was so low that Toyota canceled the program. We haven’t seen a full EV from the Toyota brand since that time.
The Toyota Approach
As with anything else the brand offers, Toyota is taking a cautious and calculated approach to the development of electric vehicles. The Prius continues to be the most popular hybrid vehicle on the market and its one that has a variety of ways that you can enjoy the drive and know you’re saving fuel without having a full EV. The benefits of an EV that doesn’t have a gasoline backup engine have not been proved yet. When you have a gasoline engine that offers more range for your drive, you can continue to drive when others would have to stop and spend hours refilling the electric batteries.
A Different Approach Might be the Right Approach
Other automakers are looking to expand their EV program and promise us the new EV models for the future of the drive without the use of gasoline at all. Toyota is taking a more calculated approach to this area of the market, and Toyota has proved over several decades that their approach is usually the right one. Will there be Toyota EV models in the future? Most likely, but not until the sales prove that this is a sustainable area of the market without the federal tax credits that are currently offered.
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