Toyota gears up its first EV with safer, longer-lasting battery
Toyota Motor Corp , a late-comer to the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, is weaving in all efforts to make sure its first mass-market model is safer and lasts longer than rivals’ products when it goes on sale later this year.
BEVs have grown in popularity globally, but some consumers have been put off by EV battery-related fire risks and rapid degradation.
General Motors and Hyundai Motor were forced last year to recall EVs, carrying batteries manufactured by LG Energy Solution, after reports of fires.
“We focused on balancing three factors: cruising range, battery degradation and charging speed,” Masaya Yamamoto, a project manager at Toyota, said at a test-drive event for the bZ4X sport utility vehicle (SUV) prototype last week.
