UPDATED; Toyota speeds up BEV plans, will launch an ultra-compact two-seat car

7 June 2019, 04:07:19

Reuters reports that Toyota speeds up its plans for electrifying half of its fleet by 5 years. The deadline it has set is now 2025. This information comes from Toyota's Executive Vice President Shigeki Terashi during a briefing. However, he has also outlined a number of challenges such as slower profitability and a possible shortage in battery supply. The latter is addressed by creating partnerships with the two biggest producers in China - CATL and BYD, which cooperate with other EV manufacturers as well.

In 2020, Toyota plans to launch in Japan an ultra-compact two-seater designed for daily errands and short-distance business trips, with a maximum speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) and a range of 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge. This information comes after Toyota and Subaru announced their cooperation on the development of a BEV platform for midsize and large vehicles and a subsequent electric SUV.

UPDATE: here's the video of the Toyota briefing, uploaded by the company on YouTube:

Toyota also shared photos of its ultra-compact two-seater and renders of BEVs that will be available globally:

Source

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