As the Hybrid Guy, I am also very interested in BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles). My bread and butter has primarily been with the Toyota Brand, though I have driven many different BEVs. I have not driven the Toyota BZ4X but I know one reason I do not want it, yet.
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I am all for electric vehicles. I am thoroughly interested in all they have to offer. Superior speed, no gasoline use (which seems it will never stop climbing in price), and very low maintenance.
Those qualities are undoubtedly attractive; there are several small things and one big issue holding me back from committing 100 percent, especially with vehicles like the BZ4X that Toyota is cooking up.
Small Reasons I Am Hesitant On The BZ4X
The Toyota BZ4X (yes, I know that is the concept name) is an excellent work of art. However, in true Toyota fashion, it is underrated for what it could do.
The 250 mile EV range is rather pathetic given that current battery technology is about to make some very quantum leaps. Solid-State battery tech is one of the most promising technologies that could easily give the BZ4X twice the range with the same size battery and charge within 15 minutes.
Toyota has become more focused on selling bells and whistles like Apple Car Play and Android Auto. I am not against that; however, the Lucid Air has those things and has the longest range of any EV on the market.
Granted, the Lucid Air is far more expensive than the BZ4X will be, but people want to see the range and all the stuff in their cars.
My hesitation lies within the short-range Toyota is providing. Even if they can promise faster charge times (15 to 20 minutes at most), a traveler still has to stop every 200 to 250 miles to recharge. That is really annoying, especially when my Honda Odyssey can go over 500 miles on a tank of fuel and refill within 5 minutes or less.
My Greatest Hesitation
I am hesitant about new Toyota technology because they are doing too much in-market testing. There is not enough "behind the scenes" development to make the BZ4X an actual "car of the future."
Toyota and the recent blunder with their All-New Tundra prove they are not the company they once were. It sickens me to think that a juggernaut company like Toyota would bend on their foundation of quality and reliability to simply compete in the marketplace.
Toyota won people over because they built better vehicles, period, end of story. My reservation with them diving headfirst into the EV market comes with apprehension.
Conclusion
I think that Toyota has an opportunity here to win a significant amount of the EV market if they can deliver a better product than everyone else. Tesla has a sleek lineup with fast cars and a decent range, but their quality stinks.
Lucid has an excellent car but no actual brand establishment, so who knows what will come of that. Rivian cannot deliver on its promises to Amazon. Ford and Chevrolet are really trying hard to carve out their fair share.
Toyota is insane if they do not see an opportunity to completely crush the competition. I certainly hope that whatever the name of the BZ4X is, it makes a statement that shows consumers who Toyota is and what they are really capable of doing.
Thank you all for reading. I look forward to seeing you in the following article. Remember, today's adventure is tomorrow's story.
The Toyota Sequoia is a vehicle worth owning.
Take a look at what Toyota is finally doing with a Chinese Battery Company BYD.
Also, watch Toyota suddenly bringing its BZ4X electric SUV concept to United States on Torque News Youtube channel and please subscribe us on Youtube and follow on Twitter for daily Toyota and EV news reports.
Image source: Courtesy of Toyota Pressroom
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporter.
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