Key things
- Toyota shares rose 5.7% on Tuesday after the automaker announced new plans for electric cars.
- The company wants to sell 1.5 million EVs a year by 2026 and 3.5 million by 2030.
- Toyota said the new solid-state batteries will increase range and shorten charging times.
Shares of Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) jumped on Tuesday after the automaker announced plans to expand its electric vehicle (EV) lineup.
The company said it will launch a range of “next-generation” battery-powered electric cars from 2026. Toyota said the electric cars will be developed and manufactured by its new EV unit, called the BEV Factory, which started last month.
Toyota has set a goal of selling 1.5 million EVs annually by 2026 and 3.5 million annually by 2030.
Takero Kato, CEO of BEV Factory, said the automaker wants to offer electric cars with a range of more than 600 miles, well beyond current models on the market. This would be achieved thanks to its new solid-state batteries, which could also be charged in just 10 minutes.
Toyota, which produced the first mass-produced hybrid when it introduced the Prius in 1997, has been slow to embrace a range of fully electric vehicles. However, newly appointed CEO Koji Sato has made the first EV model a priority.
Kato noted that car buyers should expect a faster pace of new vehicle launches in the coming months and years, and said the company’s sales targets are achievable.
Toyota shares rose 5.7% to their highest level this year after the report.