this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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Futurology

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[–] [email protected] 76 points 11 months ago (2 children)

"extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" - Car Sedan

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

my god how many stars had to align to make that joke. wish i could think of puns in my own response but even if i could they wouldn't match this. fucking bravo.

i'm probably going to come back to this in a few days and marvel at it again. JFC nicely done.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

If this is yours, walk taller today. Great work.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 11 months ago

Okay. I'll check it out when it is available.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Haven't they been saying this shit for years? I'll believe it when it happens. Toyota got a late jump on EV's from what I understand, placing a bigger bet on hydrogen but that never really took off.

EDIT: I should learn to RTFA

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (5 children)

sink cost fallacy was strong on the hydrogen tech

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Naah your cynicism is well founded, let's see what actually gets delivered in 2026 before believing marketing claims with no proof in the article.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

https://www.businessinsider.com/toyota-electric-cars-ceo-hybrids-plug-in-silent-majority-resistance-2022-12?op=1 - why buy an electric Toyota when their own CEO isn't giving them his full support?

Edit: I just found out he stepped down after this statement: https://electrek.co/2023/01/26/toyota-ceo-steps-down-amid-electric-vehicle-movement/

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Toyota has literally ceded their entire hybrid advantage by doing jack shit when it comes to EVs. If they’d even created a new line of EVs while keeping their ICE legends like the Corolla and Camry for now, they’d get the best of both worlds.

Toyota’s are legendary for their reliability and they’ve earned that. By having not a single EV to offer, they’re losing a ton of business. I know I certainly would’ve bought one of theirs but had to go elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (3 children)

It's exactly because they put longevity and dependability first that they aren't currently competing in the EV market much. And where they do they put weird one off names on the car. Lithium batteries wear out faster than is acceptable for Toyota. That's why they are literally inventing new solid state batteries that live up to people's expectations of Toyota before committing to EVs. That's why I'm holding off on EVs. I only buy Toyotas because of the dependability and longevity, so I only want an EV once Toyota is willing to release a Camry, RAV4 or 4Runner ev. Until then the hybrids will do.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Replacing the battery at 100k miles as scheduled maintenance solves that problem. I had to change my Prius’ hybrid battery at 150k. Toyota can build a 200k mile reliable car and if the fuel source isn’t up to that standard, make it easily serviceable so it is part of routine scheduled maintenance.

The fact that every automaker except them and Honda have put out compelling and competitive EVs says a lot. I love Toyotas and strongly would’ve bought another. But my readiness to go electric didn’t line up with the 15 years Toyota has squandered to have something to sell me.

Maybe when I’m ready for another car in the next decade they’ll be ready. Until then, they lost out on my business by no fault of my own. I’m not buying another gas car.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So why did they make a RAV4 EV, then stop in 2014?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Their own official announcement said it's to pivot their engineers into developing next gen battery tech, and that the RAV4 EVs they made would continue to receive excellent service, implying the motivation is the dependability issue

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

Someone was told to make a Toyota EV design for the article and we got a Prius Cybertruck.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This coming from the company that is probably near the bottom in terms of electrification progression. No one should believe anything Toyota (or anyone else) says until they actually release the product. Right now Toyota's only full electric vehicle is the abysmal Bz4X and its Lexus cousin. The Japamese car makers are laughably behind the rest of the industry.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

Toyota is the first company to figure out how to make commercially viable solid state batteries... they are trying to pivot now that they are the first to figure it out but plan to release with their 26/27 line.

This is a major change for the entire world and you guys are snickering about how behind they are... just say you dont know anything.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

Part of me loves the idea of changing stations popping up with something to divert people for twenty minutes.

Part of me realizes that will be forcing someone to push a button for twenty minutes while they are blasted with advertising.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

I would love to care but my magic 8 ball says "80k dollar+ crossover SUV" so, meh.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (13 children)

Wonder what ludicrous range will get folks to buy an EV for their 20 miles of total driving in a day

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah but a car with ludicrous range used for short commutes gets less stress on the battery than a car with a smaller battery since you need to charge it less often and don’t even need to charge it to 80-100%. Which means the battery will still have very good range when the car enters the used market.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Not to mention the few times a year people typically go on holiday, during which time the range actually does get used.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not all of us are living in and near a city. Those properties are very expensive, and becoming less affordable each year. For those of us with longer commutes, and especially those of us with only one car and with family and friends further away, range is really important. We like to take weekend trips away, and unfortunately an EV (long range Model 3) adds about 30% travel time to the trip. I’ve rented them several times to see if it’s worth the change but it’s not. Yet. The future of battery tech is bright.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (5 children)

The 1% trips drive sales. With a gas car I can drive 300 miles and then find fuel anywhere and get another 300 miles. Most of the time I don't make those long trips, but I do a few times per year.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

This is a wild realization. Like I don’t need to go 300+ miles more then once a year or so but I WANT THE OPTION TO.

Realistically - give me a 100 mile range cheap good EV and let me rent something for the rare road trip.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Have you priced the cost of a rental car? It quickly is cheaper to just buy a car for allowed trips.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Before I bought mine, I decided if there's enough coverage by charging networks then the occasional long trip doesn't matter.

If you don't have enough range to cover your regular trips, that's a pain. Those yearly trips, though? It's okay if they take a little bit longer. Stretching your legs every couple of hours makes for a nicer trip anyway.

If you add up all the times that you charge while you're asleep instead of diverting and stopping at a filling station, you probably save time overall with an EV, even with half hour charging stops on long trips.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (28 children)

I wonder how many will be left buying new internal combustion engine cars in 2030?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

It’s great news. Sadly Toyota has been a laggard and opposed electric cars until they can clear their hybrid line…

Step 1 make hybrid Step 2 sell aggressively and push back against full electric vehicle manufacturing Step 3 ??? Step 4 profit

Then go back and sell the electric vehicles and embrace your consumer fanbase on how you have pivoted to being a environmentally loving and caring corporation… aaaah so warm and fuzzy

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But what about the second time you charge it?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Don't think he knows about second charge, Pip.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Whatever any claim is, wait until it hits the market to believe.

Toyota wasted time with hydrogen so have catching up to do.

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