After years of resistance to all-electric vehicles, Toyota announced Wednesday plans to launch its first electric car in the US later this year.
In a statement, Toyota said the three new models will include two battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) and a plug-in hybrid (PHEVs). The company – which has been the world’s best-selling carmaker since 2020 – also backed the environmental impact of new vehicles, saying it was “the fastest way to reduce greenhouse gases in the world.” the transport sector is to provide drivers with lower carbon choices to meet their needs. ”
“We continue to be leaders in electrification, which began with our pioneering introduction of the Prius nearly 25 years ago,” said Bob Carter, executive vice president of North American Toyota sales. “Toyota’s new electrified product offerings will provide customers with more propulsion options that best suit their needs.”
While Toyota has long been one of the world’s pioneers of hybrid vehicles, especially for Prius, which debuted in Japan in 1997, lasted a long time to become fully electric.
In Wednesday’s statement, the company defended its past decision to avoid all electrics, saying its internal research initially found that total greenhouse gas emissions from electric and hybrid vehicles are “about the same … then when considering the pollutants created by electricity production for the average US power grid used to charge batteries. ”
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But the company’s decision to fully embrace electricity – along with General Motors’ recent announcement that it plans to launch 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025 – is a good sign of where the wind blows these days.