Toyota's EV Expansion and Innovation in the US

Toyota has declared a significant expansion in the electric vehicle sector with a $1.4 billion investment in Indiana for the construction of its first ever three-row electric SUV, and a battery pack assembly line dedicated to lithium-ion batteries Overall, Toyota's financial commitment in Indiana has reached $8 billion, signaling the creation of 340 new jobs Alongside this, a new EV battery manufacturing facility is set to open in North Carolina. Despite selling 32,000 Highlanders and 25,136 Grand Highlanders during the first three months of 2024 in the US, sales of the bZ4X, Toyota's sole EV model offered through March, have been more modest at 1,897 units In an additional move, Toyota has committed an extra $1.3 billion to its Kentucky plant to start production of another new three-row battery-electric SUV by 2025, which might be the anticipated Toyota bZ5X With the aim to introduce 10 new electric vehicles by 2026, Toyota is ambitiously driving towards a 1.5-million-EV 'baseline' by the same year. These vehicles will range from luxury models to compact cars and commercial vehicles Furthermore, the automotive community is buzzing about 'Tescoma,' a vintage 20-year-old Toyota Tacoma pickup that has been ingeniously transformed into an electric vehicle through the installation of a Tesla powertrain, boasting an impressive 300 horsepower and achieving 0 to 60 miles per hour in a swift 3.5 seconds The venture, undertaken by the builder Drewthecarguy, skillfully incorporates Tesla Model 3 Performance hardware, along with components from Tesla Model S and Volvo.

This custom EV truck reflects the growing trend of electrifying classic models and was recently offered for sale on private Facebook groups.