Toyota delays Highlander EV production, its first 3-row electric SUV
I read elsewhere that the delay was likely due to the significantly greater popularity of the ICE and hybrid models compared to the BEV version. It looks like the recent sales in the Elektrek article bear this out.
Was the BEV a Highlander trim or derivative?
My wife was lent one while her car was in the shop, and as I recall, the only model name visible across the rear gate was BEV
As several car mags have noted, Toyota’s long-term strategy of concentrating on hybrids–while delving only slightly into EVs–seems to have been a very good plan.
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/ev-sales-rise-in-q2-but-america-is-going-hybrid/
BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle. It’s a generic term.
+1
I personally think a Hybrid is the best option (for now). We still need better battery technology in order for me to be really interested in one. Longer run-time/mileage on a charge and considerable shorter charging times. When there’s a battery that can give you 450+ miles on a mid-size SUV and only takes (at most) 10-15 minutes to charge - I’m all in. Sure some are advertising they can get up to 450 miles, but that’s under ideal conditions. My Hybrid Highlander miles will vary slightly (1-20) depending on how hot or cold it is. EV’s vary significantly (50-100) plus miles.
When I run my PHEV in HV mode on the highway, the worst gas mileage I’ve ever gotten was 39 mpg, and it’s more typical that I get 45-46 mpg. And, when I need it, the acceleration provided by the gas engine plus the electric motors is incredible.
+1
My typical battery range is 50-57 miles, depending on the ambient temperate. (In winter, the range could go as low as 43 miles, if it’s very cold) But, for my typical driving needs, I usually only have to do an overnight recharge in my home garage 4 or 5 times per week. Of course I would like better battery range, but the current setup works well for me.
My sister’s Camry HEV has an EPA range of 650 miles. She drives from suburban DC to Brunswick, ME and has to stop about 40 miles shy of her destination. The total trip is about 585 miles. On the return trip, the range is much shorter due, she says, to traffic in NJ.
450 on a Car - Yes. Midsize SUV - No.
So then what was my wife lent back in 2024? Other than the name “Toyota” and the T logo fore and aft, that’s all the badging I noticed. On a decent sized SUV.
Is this the plug-in hybrid version?
I remember customer surveys from the late 90s looking to understand “range” as people understood it. High mpgs were nice and everybody liked the lower fuel cost… Overall range was ranked very highly, especially among women because it reduced the times they needed to visit gas stations. It turned out to be a “concerned for safety” issue.
Back in the 60s even smaller cars had big tanks. My mid-size Pontiac had a 20 gallon fuel tank. Great for the odd-even fuel crisis days but that meant I was dragging around 130 lbs of weight in fuel when full, 65-70 lbs more than I really needed.
That is an issue for BEVs. That 450 mile range (more than my bladder!) means you are dragging around 40% more battery than most need for everyday use. The time needed and where to charge issues really only appears on long trips. That is where the plug-in hybrids shine as @vdcdriver points out and as many buyers have determined as well.
I have owned two Suburbans with 40+ gallon fuel tanks. Since I used them for towing my racecar, I needed every drop of those 40 gallons!
AAAH yes, my 50-something memory eludes me again!
That is exactly the badge, and the vehicle. Her loaner was white.
Does your wife own an electric vehicle? Seems odd to loan a customer an EV if they don’t have a convenient way to charge it.
They had her address on record as a customer, they charged the vehicle before loaning it to her, about a 30 mile round trip. They’re a very busy and popular dealer, and since her car needed to stay over, that was last loaner they had.
That was predictable.
Uncertain was the EPA’s future fuel economy and emission standards.
Toyota’s corporate outlook on electric vehicles has always been a matter of economics; they can manufacture (and sell) 10 hybrid vehicles from the battery materials required to manufacture one EV.
Replacing 10 old vehicles benefits society in improved safety for passengers and the reduction in air pollution.
2027 grand highlander arrives in the fall with gas and two hybrid poweryrains. Gets a mid cycle refresh. Toyota will have Highlander hybrids and gas models on the lot aa long as supply lasts grand highlander sells well enough to keep it as the alternative
I found an interesting article, in which they compare their experiences with both EVs and PHEVs. Unfortunately, the writer(s) made the rookie mistake of running their PHEVs on battery power until the juice ran out, which then forced them to use the ICE–even for city driving, when it is least economical.
If they strategized the use of their motive power source, as I do, their battery range–and their fuel economy–would have been much better. If I am going on a drive where I know that I’ll be using the ICE, I drive on battery power until ~2 miles before I will be entering the expressway. Then I go into HV mode, which engages the ICE. That way, the engine can warm-up before being suddenly forced into high RPMs in the merging lane.
A few miles before I will be exiting from the expressway, I revert to battery power. (Because high speed depletes battery power faster than when driving at lower speeds, I try to limit my use of battery power for high speed driving.)
My return trip follows essentially the same pattern, and by strategizing my choice of HV mode vs EV mode, I usually arrive back home with 2 or 3 miles of charge remaining. Then, after an overnight recharge in my garage, I’m ready for the next day.
Anyway, here is that news article: