- Toyota is considering phasing out purely gas-powered cars in the U.S.
- Purely gas-powered cars will soon represent a minority of sales for Toyota
- Toyota's chief scientist says carbon-neutral e-fuels make sense
Toyota continues to stand steadfast against the transition to a lineup of pure electric vehicles, reasoning that costs and the required infrastructure still need many years or possibly decades to reach the level where they can support the widespread adoption of EVs.
However, the automaker isn't keen on keeping gas-powered vehicles on sale forever, either. In an interview with Bloomberg published last Thursday, Gill Pratt, Toyota's chief scientist, said the automaker is already in the process of deciding whether to eliminate pure gas powertrains from its lineup in the U.S., which would force customers to choose from hybrid (and plug-in hybrid), electric, or fuel cell vehicles only.
“In the U.S, there is a decision being made now—and I’m not a part of it—as to whether to stop making pure ICE for the U.S. market,” he said. “Just the fact that we’re thinking of that means that, OK, it must be close.”
In September, sales of electrified vehicles represented about 48% of Toyota's total. Only two years ago, they represented less than 20%. If the trend continues, vehicles powered purely by a gas powertrain will soon be a minority at Toyota, the world's largest automaker by volume.
Gill Pratt
Toyota booked record profit in the last financial year thanks to strong demand for hybrids, though the automaker is also committed to adding more EVs to its lineup. Toyota last year said it plans to offer 10 EVs by the end of 2026 for both the Toyota and Lexus brands, after which the automaker will introduce next-generation EVs delivering much more range.
Some of those EVs may be delayed, though. The Nikkei reported on Thursday that the start of production of an electric three-row SUV at Toyota's plant in Kentucky has been pushed back from 2025 to 2026. The Japanese publication also reported that Toyota has canceled plans to start production of new Lexus electric SUVs in the U.S. by 2030, and will instead ship those vehicles from Japan.
The strong demand for EVs means many automakers that pledged to move exclusively to selling EVs by the end of the decade are now backtracking on those plans. Among them were strong EV proponents like Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.
In his interview with Bloomberg, Pratt also praised the development of carbon-neutral e-fuels, like what Porsche is already generating at a pilot plant in Chile. While he acknowledged the loss of energy during the production process, he said e-fuels are a good solution for the storage and transport of excess energy generated by renewable sources. He also said e-fuels could be used to reduce emissions of the existing global fleet of gas and diesel vehicles, which numbers more than a billion.
