Random EV thoughts.....

Would he remember to charge it? I had terrible trouble with my late father leaving lights on etc. Very little out there that would suit him unfortunately, would the Toyota not see him out for another few years, would he drive anything else? Change is a huge deal at that age.

I'm not sure I get the concern, if he's able to fly and keep sight of a drone then he should be physically able to drive a car

Nevertheless, I can see the appeal of something simpler that lets him focus on the road and not mess with gear changes, etc

I'd say the Ioniq is the better option, it's got more updated safety systems than the Leaf

Hot persuit...

They are indeed, €46,000 plus delivery. 223hp so at least they aren't gutless like previous models which were only made worse being driven by slow taxi drivers.

Class looking car. I've admittedly liked the look of the previous Prius models but this one is a big upgrade. Not a fan of the interiors though.

I don't understand the pricing of PHEVs being in line with EVs.

Unrelated but I saw a base spec MG4 which looks awful without the rear spoiler.

You’ve been predicting that for 6-8yrs though, and the reality has always been the opposite - Toyotas numbers, margins and profits are still immense, and still growing.

sure it’s like turning an oil tanker, but that doesn’t mean it can’t turn - and outside of Europe and maybe one or two other places, their hybrid cars will lead in sales for many decades. Predicting them to fail or needing a government bail out is simply vastly wide of the mark.

it’s akin to me replying to you with “if Toyota can perfect their solid state battery research, it’s game over for tesla and all those legacy Bev manufacturers with their old fashioned batteries”

here’s 2022:

@sk8board - "You’ve been predicting that for 6-8yrs "

You're giving me too much credit 😂

I've been predicting it for a year or two, I've seen it coming, it's just a matter of time. And their own stories about hydrogen / fuel cell cars and solid state batteries are nothing but vapourware.

But we shall see. I would bet serious money that within 3 years Toyota isn't in the top 3 of global number of car sales anymore. Say over H2 2026 sales. Bet between you and me for €1000? But no, I guess (unlike me) you won't put your money where your mouth is and accept that bet 😉

I think you’re right. Then comments here would make you think Toyota doesn’t have a strategy for the future direction of car sales. The comments also very wrongly sssume that ‘the world’ is moving to electric, which is absolutely not the case. The majority of the world will be lapping up hybrids for decades, while they figure out their infrastructure.

v interesting that the BZ is similar sales numbers to the m3 - probably toyota drivers staying within the brand.

Toyota seem to be taking the long term strategy and betting on solid state batteries to give them an EV experience similar to a petrol car

However there's a ton of holes in that strategy, since they'll need to scale up production very rapidly if they're aiming for mass market

There doesn't seem to be any news of Toyota making deals for battery factories or mining deals, so it would seem they're a few years away from mass production

Even then, you need a charging network to support delivering 1000km of range in 15 mins. Don't think Ecars will be at that level anytime soon so will Toyota invest in their own network, or partner into Ionity or something?

In the meantime, they'll probably do what most car companies do which is buy their way into a market. I think they're already doing this in China and I wouldn't be surprised if they started shipping Chinese made EVs to Europe and the US rebadged as Toyota

And I wouldn't be surprised if the old protectionism drum gets a few bangs. There's already talk in the EU about slapping anti dumping tariffs on Chinese made EVs, and the US has effectively forced out the competition through the IRA (a different kind of kneecapping)

Nothing screams "vote for me" like protecting your domestic car industry

I agree, batteries are batteries and I don't really see anyone beyond the die hard EV nerds caring beyond the capacity and charging speed

Solid state might (or might not) be a game changer in the long run if they can get battery costs down significantly. But there's a lot of road from hitting the market to becoming cost competitive, and they're not even on the market yet

They've yet to even reach square 1 so to speak

And I absolutely agree that Toyota are missing valuable experience. You can see it with the BZ range, there's several issues there that other manufacturers have already gotten past

Again, I think their strategy is to just buy in the expertise when they need it, they probably have deep enough pockets to do it

I think they're in for a shock on the materials and production side though unless they start locking in prices soon

It says it all that Toyota's CEO / chairman of 15 years, Akio Toyoda, the great grandson of Toyota's founder, was booted out of power recently. A fact that didn't get any attention in the western main press, but it is huge in Japanese culture

Maybe there is hope for Toyota still, maybe it was too little too late...

QFP. We will all have a good laugh about your post in 2030 when virtually all new car sales in Europe are BEV and people mock the ridiculous concept of hybrids.

I presume you want to compare made in China (MIC) Model 3 RWD vs Model Y RWD? The Model 3 is far nicer and sportier to drive and considerably quicker. But no hatchback though, that rules it out for a lot of families (me included)

Ah ok. You should PM @Gumbo, he has a lot of experience with EV taxis and he has mentioned replacing the factory tinted glass on the Model Y before. Perhaps he has a cheaper solution than you are aware of.

I have a newish Model 3 RWD. I love the driving position, but it is low. Fine for a young lad like myself 😋 but not sure if paying customers would appreciate...