Electric trucks are a fantastic concept because they offer the practical benefits of the
form factor combined with all the advantages of electric vehicles.
However, not many auto manufacturers are making battery-powered
trucks, leaving interested buyers no option but to stick with gas-powered trucks.
However, the segment is about to witness a massive change as Toyota is ready to step
into the space with all its might as it introduces its all-new electric truck!
What does the electric vehicle offer?
Join us as we bring Toyota's all new electric truck that
shocks the entire car industry!
Toyota has finally decided to pursue a company-wide electrification strategy after many
years of trying to run away from the obvious!
Its plan is among the largest in terms of budget and the sheer number of vehicles!
The company seriously bumped up its investment in EVs, vowing to release 30 electric
vehicles by 2030 rather than just 15 EVs by 2025.
The Japanese automaker also promised to sell 3.5 million battery EVs
globally by 2030 and to transform Lexus, its high-end brand, into an EV-only brand by
2035!
The company said it would invest 2 trillion yen or 17.6 billion dollars in battery vehicle
technology, an increase over its previous commitment of 1.5 trillion yen or 13.6 billion
dollars.
Toyota was an early player in electrification, helping pave the way for companies like
Tesla and others by proving that vehicles with alternative powertrains could be
immensely popular.
But the company has since fallen far behind its competitors.
That is thanks to the company's top executives, including
billionaire CEO Akio Toyoda, who has been on the record calling the trend toward
electric vehicles "overhyped" in part because of emissions associated with power
plants, which is a favorite talking point used by the oil and gas industry!
Companies like Nissan, General Motors, and Volkswagen, with an extensive history of
making internal combustion engine cars, have been selling pure battery-electric vehicles
for years while also revealing their plans to phase out gas cars completely.
Not wishing to be left behind, Toyoda has now changed his tune and is calling for his
company to reduce tailpipe emissions by releasing more EVs.
Toyota has now shown several dozen concept vehicles, including
sedans, sports cars, crossovers, SUVs, pickup trucks, and even a couple of boxy shuttles.
The company noted that a planned Lexus sports car would have a cruising range
of 700 km (434 miles) and be able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in under two seconds,
bringing it to Tesla's EV territory!
Toyota is making a fully electric pickup truck, which we are bringing to you in this video.
But it will come after a hybrid.
Toyota unveiled its 2022 Tundra with a bolder look, new
technologies, and more power, but the additional power will be from a new V-6 twin-
turbo hybrid engine instead of a traditional V-8.
Instead of the exclusive V-8 engine, the Japanese automaker will offer two versions of a
3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine, including a hybrid that can produce up to 437
horsepower, which is 56 more than the current V-8, and 583 foot-pounds of torque, a 45
percent increase than the 2021 Tundra.
Using twin-turbo V-6 engines has proven successful in pickup trucks.
In fact, the hybrid Tundra will let Toyota respond to Ford Motor,
who stunned many by introducing such an engine, which it calls EcoBoost, into its
best-selling F-150 pickup in 2011.
The engine was a surprise hit, and Ford eventually added
other Ecoboost engines to its truck lineup.
The Tundra offers a far more rugged design than the current pickup: most notably, a
massive front grille that takes up a majority of the front of the vehicle.
It also features sleeker headlights and a boxier design.
On the interior, the hybrid Tundra has an available 14-inch touchscreen and increased
safety and convenience features, including a new infotainment system.
LED headlights, LED fog lights, and heated power wing mirrors are all standard.
For the Capstone, expect premium features like power
running boards, a power bed step, and a power moonroof.
The TRD Pro is the most capable version, so it comes with a front skid
plate.
Depending on whether you go for the 5.5- or 6.5-foot bed, the Toyota Tundra Hybrid's
wheelbase is either 145.7 or 157.7 inches long.
The wheelbase follows with a length of either 233.6 or 245.6 inches.
Other key Toyota Tundra Hybrid dimensions include a
height of 78 inches, a width of 80.2 inches, 81.6 inches for the TRD Pro, and an inside
bed depth of 20.9 inches.
The inside bed length is either 65.6 or 77.6 inches, and the
inside bed width is 58.7 inches for all models.
In terms of ground clearance, this varies between 10 and 10.9 inches, while
approach/departure angles work out to 21 and 24 degrees, respectively.
The more capable TRD Pro has approach/departure angles
of 26.2/24.2 degrees.
The Toyota Tundra Hybrid's exterior colors include Super White, Wind Chill Pearl,
Supersonic Red, Army Green, Magnetic Gray Metallic, and Midnight Black Metallic.
However, Toyota has revealed a fully electric truck during a presentation about its future
EV plans, and it looks remarkably close to production!
It is precisely what you would imagine a Toyota EV truck to look like!
The new electric pickup takes some design cues from the newly-launched Tundra
pickup, for example, the Octagonal grille, albeit sealed off since it is electric, and
the vertical air vents that sit below the headlights
of LED and also a touch of underbody protection.
The headlights are somewhat similar to the Tundra, and the black contrast roof lends
the pickup a sporty appearance.
The majority of the designs that were showcased have
drastically thin wing mirrors, but this pickup's mirrors are more conventional.
The Tacoma influence is evident on the sides of
the new EV pickup.
The flared fenders and the greenhouse are similar to those of the
TRD Pro Variant.
The Tacoma has not seen a redesign in six years, so this new truck may be the updated
version, although in battery-powered form instead of an internal combustion engine.
Also, Toyota has not talked about any hybrid for the Tacoma, so we might be jumping
straight to a purely electric version!
Toyota is being coy as to the rear of the new electric pickup, but we won't be surprised
if it looks like the Tacoma from the back!
The four-door pickup has a relatively short bed, but that should suffix for the odd times
you need to move larger cargos.
Since it is a body-on-frame pickup, we're expecting the upcoming Tacoma to use the
TNGA-K platform, which allows electrification.
The same platform powers Tundra, Lexus LX, Land Cruiser, Lexus LX, and Land
Cruiser.
There will be a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version, but we have no idea of the driving
range yet.
However, seeing how the upcoming electric trucks from other brands promise
more than 300 miles, we expect Toyota not to sell itself short by offering something
significantly less.
The interior will seat six people, like the Cybertruck.
The rest of the interior will look like any Toyota truck interior, with extra storage
under the second-row seats.
There is a massive 20 inches touchscreen infotainment
system where you can access the controls.
Entertainment/personal features include AM/FM Stereo, 6 speakers, auxiliary port, USB
media port, Siri eyes-free, advanced voice recognition, Bluetooth hands-free phone
capability, phone book access, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM,
and music streaming.
It is possible that Toyota will offer an optional driving yoke instead of a steering wheel.
We have seen it debuted in the BZ4X SUV and Lexus RZ 450e SUV.
The yoke allows you to see more of the instrument cluster
from the driving position because it isn't as tall
as the driving wheel.
Similarly, there is more room for the driver's legs as the bottom is
not as wide-reaching as the wheel.
While pickup trucks tend to be more spacious, the
yoke will still allow the driver to get into and out of the vehicle easily.
Toyota might use the same steer-by-wire system in its upcoming electric pickup truck.
This kind of steering does not need the yoke to be mechanically connected to the front
tires, as the angle of turn of the tire is determined by the amount of turn you put on
the yoke using software.
EV pickups have been skewed toward off-road capability.
Off-roaders are super trendy, and EV trucks, with a lower center of gravity
and a ton of instant torque, are well-suited for it.
Toyota almost certainly will take an electric pickup truck in that direction.
Rivian is marketing its R1T truck as an adventurer's
company.
As part of a publicity drive, the company has taken the truck on off-road expeditions.
It is also installing EV chargers along nature trails.
Similarly, Tesla has included themes like camping in its marketing
materials, so it is not surprising to see Toyota toe the same line.
Toyota's Pickup EV truck is fitted with chunky off-road tires.
And we bet the white paint that shouts "TRD Pro" to enthusiasts isn't
coincidental!
Let's hear what you think of Toyota's new electric trucks in the comment section below!