Toyota has a new approach for making its cars more eco-friendly—without the need to develop new electric vehicles.
According to the Associated Press, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda announced the company’s plan to use a “conversion” strategy. This involves upgrading older cars into more sustainable models by replacing certain components.
Toyoda, who is the grandson of the company’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, revealed that Toyota is looking into the integration of sustainable technologies such as fuel cells and electric motors into older vehicles to accelerate the industry’s shift toward electric mobility.
“I don’t want to leave any car lover behind,” Toyoda stated at the Tokyo Auto Salon. This proposal represents a significant development for Toyota, which has been criticized for its slow adoption of electric-powered vehicles.
The company has faced increasing scrutiny over its commitment to EVs, largely due to the high manufacturing costs and Toyoda’s belief that some markets, particularly the U.S., are not yet ready for them.
Instead of focusing solely on electric vehicles, Toyota has pursued alternatives such as hybrid cars that use a combination of gasoline and electric power, as well as hydrogen-powered vehicles.
While Toyota has become a leader in hybrid technology, this focus has led some to speculate that the company is using hybrids as a way to delay a broader transition to electric vehicles.
Electrek, which monitors electric vehicle development, reports that Toyota has accounted for less than 1% of U.S. sales from non-hybrid zero-emission vehicles and “has the least developed supply chain for reducing carbon emissions.”
During the event, Toyoda remarked that while “regulations have prompted a race to put out EVs as early as possible,” this is “not Toyota’s approach,”.
Despite its cautious stance on EV adoption, Toyota set a goal in December 2021 to sell 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030. The company also committed to making all models in its Lexus lineup electric in the U.S., China, and Europe by 2030.
“[It] will be difficult but is something we must do,” Toyoda said in December 2021.
