Toyota on electric cars

Has PriusChat initiated a poll regarding Doug's statement? Would be interesting to see the results. (Doug may be interested too?)


"Coleman said he would be “shocked†if Prius owners all jumped at plug-in hybrids."

 

I was just about to post this same article when I saw it on here!

Toyota didnt 'tout' its own horn when it came out with the Prius, it let the public take it and do with it what they did, love it and embrace it. GM kept pumping out gas guzzlers in the midst of the whole 'gas problem' and amidst eviornmental calls to action. Now its telling Toyota to get moving?! They are going to do the same thing they did with the Prius and when all the 'hoopla' about electric cars dies down, Toyota will come out with a wonderful electric edition that the public can enjoy. I really liked this article, it hit the nail on the head!!!

 

Good article. Talk is cheap and they're not perfect, but who has a better track record with implementing technology in sync with the market/consumer than Toyota? Not many that I know of. I wouldn't bet against Toyota...

 

If the pole is put up, be sure to mentioned that the plugin will cost $10K more than the regular hybrid, then let they decide if they will jump in.

 

IMHO, the battery technology is still not where it needs to be for mass low-cost production. Cost and Lifespan is a trade-off. If the cost is low, people can live with shorter lifespan (says 3-5 yrs - like typical Li batteries today). However, the fact is Li battery is expensive and has short life-span.
(The one on Tesla costs $30K, while GM claims the one on Volt costs $20K!)

#2/#3 guys would love to leapfrog the #1 guy with pure EVs. However, as #1 guy, Toyota needs not be in a hurry to push out pure-EV. There is no proprietary researches needed beyond what we have other than battery technology. However, Toyota is not naive, either. It owns a battery joint venture with Panasonic, and it signed contracts with Sanyo for 2nd-sourcing batteries.

I would say Toyota is taking all the right moves as #1 guy. Let #2/#3 guys take the risk.
(Recall: Honda was 1st in hybrid market, but Toyota is the best now).

 

New sodium batteries are right around the corner (2-3yrs) when they hit the market and a 20Kw battery pack is just $2000 I'll bet we see an EV from Toyota (and everybody else)

 

Sodium batteries are not suitable for automobile application due to high operation temperature (300+C) and corrosive nature. They are mainly developed for off peak energy storage for grid assist.

Sodium-sulfur battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

That was a good article, and I actually believe what Doug is saying. They've certainly shown that they do want to be the best to market anyway.

Personally I think we should accept the fact that big heavy cars aren't the way to go when it comes to EV's, but rather we should be thinking in terms of the Aptera. Just my 2 cents....

 

That has been correct but Ceramatec has developed a battery that operates an a much lower 200deg F (instead of the 600deg for current sodium batteries).

Tiny battery traps solar power to run a house for 24 hrs - Science - NEWS - The Times of India
I'm sure that it will not be long before they find their way into cars

 

Looks like another EEstor kind of hype and publicity, they haven't make any prototype yet.