Toyota, in about-face, may mass-produce long-range electric cars: Nikkei
Source: Reuters
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is looking at mass-producing long-range electric vehicles (EVs) that would hit the market around 2020, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday, in what would be a dramatic reversal of strategy for the world's top-selling automaker.
Even as rivals such as Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Tesla Motors (TSLA.O) have touted pure electric cars as the most viable zero-emission vehicles for the future, Toyota has said it would reserve EVs for short-distance commuting given the high price of rechargeable batteries and lengthy charging times.
By adding longer-range EVs to its product range, Toyota would be changing its tune from promoting plug-in petrol-electric hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) as the most promising alternative to conventional cars.
The Nikkei business daily, without citing sources, said Toyota would set up a team in early 2017 dedicated to developing electric cars that can travel more than 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-electric-cars-idUSKBN13204D
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