07-09-2023, 08:09 PM
Tiangou wrote:
[quote=Carnos Jax]
[quote=Tiangou]
[quote=davester]
[quote=Wags]
Meantime Toyota seems to be working on hydrogen tech.
Since an economically viable source of green hydrogen does not exist and will not exist in the foreseeable future, this is a pretty ridiculous quest. Hydrogen for the foreseeable future must be produced from petroleum products. Not only that, the hydrogen production/fuel cell vehicle pathway is very inefficient compared to the battery/electric vehicle pathway so is uncompetitive.
Toyota has new leadership.
They are at least making the right noises and overt moves.
They are churning out EVs and say they've got new modeling, motor, and battery tech to dominate the sector.
They say they have two generations of breakthrough-batteries lined up, providing a 20% boost in capacity and significant reduction in charge-time with reduced weight and cost by 2025, and similar leaps on top of that with 600+ mile range by 2027 or 2028.
They're also moving EV manufacturing to the US to take advantage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Toyota is in big trouble. They're hopelessly behind. All they're doing is regurgitating old news.
Took the bZ4X for a test drive. Odd design choices - no frunk or glove box and weird fabric panels on the dash, but the look and driving "feel" was just about exactly the same as the RAV4 hybrid. Tuned perfectly for a comfortable ride with good pickup on the highway.
The RAV4 is notoriously "boring," and gets poor reviews because it's not "exciting"... but it is also notoriously roomy, comfortable, and reliable. And is one of the best selling vehicles in the world.
Don't underestimate Toyota.
I normally wouldn't, as they're what I prefer in ICE vehicles. I think your review is spot on, though I don't think they're boring.
However, they've hung themselves through the actions of the old guard at Toyota. I don't know what it is about asian cultures, but they sometimes have this fatal belief in obeying the decisions of senior management. And in Toyotas case that's a continued commitment to fossil fuels. Though I am given some hope (and surprised) by their decision to go with a new, young, next generation CEO (as if it's a nod that the old ones made a mistake).
Regardless though, Toyota's gonna have to play catch up. They've been making the same talk about advancements for several years now, with no visible progress or specifics. I don't believe them. They're going to need borrow some tech from Tesla (which the latter will gladly give them), but them may be too proud to do so. Otherwise they're too far behind (Tesla has had a 10 year head start and this isn't the sort of thing you can catch up to without putting in the time).