BEVs have grown in popularity globally, but some consumers are put off by the fire risk and rapid decline associated with EV batteries.
Toyota Motor Corp., a latecomer to the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, is weaving in all-out efforts to make sure its first mass-market model is safe and lasts longer than rivals’ products. It goes on sale later this year.
BEVs have grown in popularity globally, but some consumers are put off by the fire risk and rapid decline associated with EV batteries.
General Motors and Hyundai Motor were forced to recall EVs carrying batteries manufactured by LG Energy Solutions after reports of fires last year.
“We focused on balancing three factors: cruising range, battery degradation and charging speed,” Masaya Yamamoto, a Toyota project manager, said at a test-drive event for the bZ4X sport utility vehicle (SUV) prototype last week.
BEVs typically take hours to charge, and using quick-charging methods often causes the battery’s cells to overheat, leading to degradation. In turn, the cruising range decreases over time, hurting the vehicle’s resale value.
Toyota said its battery developed with Panasonic Corp. contains a special coolant that doesn’t conduct electricity as easily. Battery packs are also structured to keep cells and coolant separate in case of a leak.
Toyota said this and other innovations mean the new BEV series batteries will retain more than 90% of their capacity after a decade.
For consumers in Japan, where electric vehicles have been slow, Toyota is considering offering electric vehicles only through “subscriptions” — a bid to address concerns over battery life and resale value. The subscription fee will cover the cost of maintenance and battery replacement, among other features.
Toyota has said that it will start selling the SUV model in Japan and other key markets in mid-2022.
Toyota aims to sell 3.5 million BEVs annually by 2030 through an investment of 8 trillion yen ($70 billion) to electrify its vehicles.
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