Toyota’s elderly Tundra pickup is expected to be replaced soon. There may be more batteries in the future.
Toyota
As part of a comprehensive electrification announcement set out Sunday, Toyota has confirmed that it is developing electric trucks, including fully electric and hybrid models. The Japanese manufacturer has not yet said which model lines will receive these technologies, but the company says it “plans to bring electrification to its pickup range soon, including hybrid and BEV power stations.” Rumors continue that the third generation is the full size Tundra, which is expected to start later this year, will count among the vehicles.
According to the official press release, “Toyota plans to expand to approximately 70 electrified models worldwide by 2025. This future range will include 15 dedicated BEVs, including seven wearing the BZ (Beyond Zero) moniker.” Beyond Zero is a new alphanumeric model naming system introduced on the Toyota BZ4X electric SUV concept that bends during the Auto Shanghai 2021 Expo in China.
It is not immediately clear whether any of these new electric or hybrid trucks will carry the BZ moniker.
Toyota has long been at the forefront of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle technology and is also the runaway leader in global electric vehicle sales. Despite the dominance, the company was reluctant to offer a full BEV to competitors such as Tesla, Nissan and Chevrolet. Instead, Toyota chose to emphasize niche hydrogen fuel cell models through small volume offerings such as the Mirai sedan for select world markets such as California. The final production version of the compact BZ4X crossover, seen here, will be the company’s first modern BEV to go on sale worldwide. Toyota has confirmed plans to build the model in both Japan and China for global sales in 2022.
If Toyota were to build a battery-powered electric or hybrid version of its full-size Tundra or mid-size Tacoma, the move would be part of a growing tide of electrified next-generation workers that the Tesla Cybertruck, GMC Hummer EV, en Rivian R1T, not to mention upcoming battery-powered versions Chevy’s popular Silverado and Ford’s bestseller F-150 bakkie, which itself is a PowerBoost Hybrid Model for 2021.
Today, the second-generation Tundra, offered for sale since the 2007 model year, has lagged far behind the modern, technology-rich and fuel-efficient trucks of local manufacturers. A new electric or gas-electric hybrid model will help a lot in comparing the playing field.