If you talk to anyone who has been a die-hard Apple user since the inception of the iPhone, you will come to learn something about them. Apple is the end-all of smartphone technology. Android users disagree entirely with that, claiming that Android-based phones are far superior, giving them more customization and features.
While that debate will rage on eternally, another fight is happening in a different technological realm, automotive. It is the battle over the electric car and the technology surrounding it, particularly battery technology.
If you have ever met a Tesla fan, you will know they are like Apple users, and many of them probably are. They admire the hard work and thought put into the Tesla vehicles by co-founder Elon Musk. They look at him as some form of tech leader that has graced their every waking moment with the hope of a better future.
The thing with Tesla owners is they are very rooted in everything about the company. They are the early adopters and will be Tesla owners for the rest of their lives, just like Apple users.
So what happens when something else comes out to challenge the status quo? What happens when another car company comes out with something that is ultimately better? We are entering a time in history where we see this happen right before our eyes. Most just do not understand it, though.
Toyota And Tesla the Apple/Android Of The Car World
Toyota motor has been around for decades longer than Tesla. Hailed often as a premium car company, Toyota is a brand that people know and trust. In my opinion, they are more like Apple, while Tesla is more like Android.
Update: After today's decision by the Japanese government Toyota has no choice but to follow Tesla or chart its own EV path.
Some of you may say this is total heresy, but hear me out. Toyota started the real EV revolution back before GM killed the EV-1. Hybrids are synonymous with Prius, just as electric cars are with Tesla. Apple gave us the first real smartphone. No, your lame Blackberry does not count. Toyota gave us the first real hybrid, which is part EV.
When Tesla entered the scene, electric cars were a neat idea, but most people thought it would fail, based on what GM had done. To me, it was like Android first starting out. Competing in a new and mostly uncharted space with competition from more prominent car companies that overlooked it.
Android, now like Tesla, has become a significant player in the market with many different Android OS brands. Apple, on the other hand, is still playing the iPhone game and sticking to it. Like Toyota, with the hybridization of their fleet, they rely on hybrids to rule the empire. All the time, watching what Tesla is doing and waiting for the opportune moment to strike, and strike hard.
Toyota And The Solid State Battery Revolution
Tesla battery day, in my eyes, was a huge success. Gaining a 56% increase in overall vehicle efficiency is absolutely astounding. Better batteries that cost less to produce and are less harmful to the environment are significant steps in complete EV adoption in the next 10 years.
As neat as battery day was for Tesla and all the fanboys (and girls), it is nothing compared to Toyota's announcement. The solid-state battery that Toyota promises to bring out next year will wipe the floor with Tesla battery tech.
Think about it. A battery that can fully charge in 10 minutes go farther is safer and better for the environment is a total no-brainer. It will destroy everything about lithium tech, no question. If there was ever a time in history where an EV revolution would take over on a massive scale, the time is now.
Tesla currently cannot produce more than 3% of what Toyota does, which also means once Toyota is at its production level, Tesla better hope they have a prayer and a fan base that will stay with them.
Why Toyota Will Succeed
I have been around many different Tesla models. I have been around many different Toyota models. Here is what I can tell you from not only my experience but that of others.
Toyota builds a better vehicle. Is Toyota a perfect car company? No, that does not exist. There are many things about Toyota that I wish were different. However, when it comes to longevity, Toyota builds a vehicle that lasts. The attention to detail with Tesla over the paint, weatherstripping, and car construction is somewhat lacking, a lot.
It is not to say that Tesla cannot build a vehicle; they simply need more time to refine their process and dial the cars in. Toyota will succeed because they have been in the game for longer than Tesla. Toyota knows the market better and has more established manufacturing facilities.
Toyota has loyal engineers and decades of research and development. Tesla does not have the resources that Toyota does and may not for quite a few more years.
Toyota will succeed because they are incredibly strategic. No move is ever made in the Toyota realm without serious time spent researching and doing a cost-benefit analysis. They are the Sensei to the Tesla apprentice.
Conclusion
When it comes to building a vehicle, I will buy a Toyota over a Tesla for the quality factor. If I plan on spending $40,000 or more on a new car, I want it to last. I think Tesla is going in the right direction but is not there yet. No one even knows why their company value is so high when they cannot even turn profits regularly.
Toyota is a company that does not do anything until they know for sure it will work. Toyota went longer than every other manufacturer before putting Lithium-Ion batteries in their hybrids. Why? Toyota believed it was not developed enough yet.
Thinking on that idea, Toyota is now rolling out a solid-state battery. This bit of knowledge tells me that Toyota has been researching this for years and kept it under wraps. They are ready to present the world with the next big thing in transportation.
Tesla may be the first car to be synonymous with EV, but Toyota is the wise Sensei who keeps showing the apprentice new things.
Until next time! Have a pleasant holiday and stay safe out there. Check out what is happening to Honda Element Owners
Check out this wild new battery tech that Tesla has and why it will forever change the auto industry.
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 reporters.
Comments
The difference between Tesla
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The difference between Tesla and Toyota is Tesla is proven on the road. Toyota's new battery hasn't been tested on real road worthy testing. Also the Tesla car chassis have removed a lot of gear that is redundant in a electric car. Toyota will need to redesign all their current model chassis to be competitive not rely on their petrol engine driven chassis and convert to electric motors.
Until Toyota actually puts
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Until Toyota actually puts these supposed batteries in a mass produced vehicle, I will treat such claims exactly the way I did the numerous MicroSoft vaporware announcements over the decades.
As a side note, the author’s comparison of car manufacturers to Apple vs Android fails miserable because, the author blithely neglects to mention that while there are vastly more Android devices sold than Apple iOS devices, the overwhelming percentage of mobile device profits, and therefore R&D dollars are all Apple’s.
Tesla isn't some new car
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Tesla isn't some new car company that a bunch of ex- big 3 execs put together that are just truing to corner the car market... They are a space ship/ rocket engine company that has a car line. The may be a "separate" company but they have access to all of the best engineering minds in the world. Elon is kicking Lockheed Martin, Boeing and NASA's in the space race... you think he can't overtake Toyota? Short sighted if you as me...
Terrible article. Android
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Terrible article. Android/apple comparison was a huge reach, to put it nicely.
Wow, I find this very one
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Wow, I find this very one sided even as a Toyota guy myself. You speak of fanboys and you clearly are a Toyota lover which destroyed any relevance of this write-up.
Editorial smack talk
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Editorial smack talk
This article is about a week
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This article is about a week late and really shows that the author is out of touch. The theme should have been Apple or Tesla. I bet the author hasn't even heard of the lithium titanate battery.
As for Toyota, they're being dragged into the EV world kicking and screaming. Their CEO has publicly said EV's are a dead end on multiple occasions. Their only taking action now because Japan passed a law with an end date for selling new ICE cars. If Toyota doesn't scramble fast, they won't have any vehicles that they can legally sell within their homeland.
Hahaha. Haven’t we heard
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Hahaha. Haven’t we heard this story before (that a legacy company will crush Tesla)? The author seemed to miss the fact that VW admitted they are far behind Tesla, and trying to catch up!
Futhermore, what does he know about Toyota’s battery technology to claim that it will beat Tesla? All opinion without any factual supporting facts!
What battery they have not
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What battery they have not presented any battery. There are several companies saying they have solid state batteries now, none have presented a product, time frame, credible road to manufacture or scale up. Its right up there with fusion.
What battery they have not
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What battery they have not presented any battery. There are several companies saying they have solid state batteries now, none have presented a product, time frame, credible road to manufacture or scale up. Its right up there with fusion.
I got borred before I got
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I got borred before I got tonthe point of the article...
What if Tesla were to buy
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What if Tesla were to buy QuantumScape?
There's a strong Tesla connection on the QS board.
What if Tesla were to buy
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What if Tesla were to buy QuantumScape?
There's a strong Tesla connection on the QS board.
I've just see that president
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I've just see that president of Toyota EU, dismissed EV trend... after the SS bateries announcement...
After you see some car in production you can make some predictions.
Fisher announce 3 years ago a SS EV...with a prototype...but...almost nothing....
Click bait ..toyota is 10-15
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Click bait ..toyota is 10-15 years behind tesla just like all the rest ..all battery tech isn't even belonging to the car companies and even dyson who were right up there and spent 80 million pulled out of making electric cars cos they were so far behind tesla..I've seen first hand roadside as a aa contractor even the dealers can't figure out the faults on hybrids when we send them in so I'd hate to try fix faults in these when they have them .and when govt introduces legislation so only certain ppl can work on them the cost will be insane .which is why I'm signed up to electrical apprenticeship to stay relevant in the future of automotive
Tesla does not show regular
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Tesla does not show regular profits? Man, you have been hibernatig for quite a while, or maybe you mean that S&P are a bunch of incompetents.
About lasting cars, first, Tesla is not a car, even if you think it is you should look at the Model S from 2012, 2013, 2014, generally in great shape.
Last but not least, you should define what is a great car, is it one that requires regular maintenance? Guess not! One that has no panel gap issues? Well, after getting in and start driving that's absolute nonsense!
Toyota said many times they would not go full electric, they lied, they're incapable of creating compelling cars, old school engineers and old decision makers offer no long term value.
Blah blah blah... Another
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Blah blah blah... Another story about a legacy ICE manufacturer that promises vapor and of the ultimately deliver it will be a dud. Reference Volvo, Audi, Mazda, etc.
This article is absolutely
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This article is absolutely NONSENSE written just to bring attention by incompetent ppl.
Wasn't it Honda?..that beat
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Wasn't it Honda?..that beat out Toyota for a successful Hybrid to market...
The comparison to Android and
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The comparison to Android and Apple is so off, that it's ridiculous.
It's not Android and Apple - it's Android and iOS and Alphabet and Apple, if you want.
There are some good and informative points in the article but it's also one of the worst "serious" articles I have read, EVER.
I stopped reading after he
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I stopped reading after he said that Tesla fans are like Apple users. I'm a Tesla fan but I can't stand Apple products. Makes me wonder if the person who wrote this article knew anything about anything before he decided to open his mouth.
The title and link titles are
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The title and link titles are false. The link asserting Toyota is Rolling Out Solid State Batteries is a June 2019 article asserting a 2020 roll out. This roll out has not happened so there is no news here. Is Toyota having difficulties as they have not actually rolled out the Solid State batteries to match their claim from June 2019. Tesla has >500K car sales 2020 while Toyota is about 8.5M. Can this author do math as this is 5.9% not 3%. Also Tesla is expanding its manufacturing to 1M in 2021 and likely 5M by 2025 to approach 50% of Toyota's 2019 production of 10.5M. Will Toyota only make EVs in 2025 following Toyoda's negative statements about EVs? Right now Tesla is outproducing Toyota in EVs and it is up to Toyota to catch up to Tesla.
I stopped reading after he
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I stopped reading after he said that Tesla fans are like Apple users. I'm a Tesla fan but I can't stand Apple products. Makes me wonder if the person who wrote this article knew anything about anything before he decided to open his mouth.
As with most totally new
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As with most totally new technolgies, it will take longer than projected to get solid state. Very difficult to manufacture solid state. Toyota is projecting 5 years away, and i think it will actually take 10 years. So telsa is right in coming out with another battery tech that is better than current, before solid state. Also many reports from asia on upcoming tech do not really pan out.
Your apple/android comparison
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Your apple/android comparison was dismal. First of all when Tesla made the EV there were many car companies making hybrids. And if it wasn't for Tesla Toyota (and any other car company for that matter) would have entered the EV market. Did Apple half ass start something (prius) and then sit on the sidelines for 20 years until 20 other phone (auto) companies developed and produced a superior product? There's no doubt Toyota and a slew of other me too companies will join the EV bandwagon and will be successful but to call Tesla who is the ONLY reason why EV is here to stay as the Android of auto companies is moronic.
Magical thinking by Apple...
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Magical thinking by Apple... let's build a ladder to the moon, or maybe an elevator for our someday car. And we will power our car with a battery that we have in our laboratory.
This is more click bate than real news. This has been an Apple project for years with little progress, except now they know that it will be difficult and I guess that is some progress.
100% agree. I was considering
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100% agree. I was considering a model 3 buy bought a Lexus instead. I just can't get away from the reliability of the Toyota vehicles I have owned. Yes they are sometimes lackluster and slow, but they last. Period.
Just one clarification: when
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Just one clarification: when you say toyota will "destroy the lithium battery" of Tesla, it really will destroy lithium-ion liquid batteries. The liquid battery has a liquid chemical that transfers the uons between lithium posts. A solid state battery replaces the liquid with solid or dry material as the "conductor". But lithium is still the main component. So, liquid or solid state, its still a lithium ion battery.
Tesla: "Next year we'll see
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Tesla: "Next year we'll see full production of new more powerful and cost-efficient battery, structural battery, single-casting of front and rear ends, Plaid Model S, Cybertruck, Giga Austin AND Berlin, FSD, energy arbitration, and continued manufacturing innovation"
Toyota: "I'm still here!" -- Pathetic
Loving the blu-ray comparison
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Loving the blu-ray comparison. Where are they now? Who owns a blu-ray these days Tesla aka "streaming services" dominate by pushing boundaries, creating/updating technology, and most of all ...taking risks
Pagination