Toyota says electric cars with 1500km range are just around the corner

Toyota is promising a new-generation of industry-leading electric cars from the second half of this decade, with plans to introduce solid-state batteries from 2028.

At an all-day executive briefing – held under the theme of 'Let's change the future of cars' – Toyota said it was expecting to bring electric cars to market with solid-state batteries delivering a driving range of approximately 1500 kilometres.

The Japanese car giant claims "next-generation" lithium ion batteries will be launched from 2026 with approximately 1000km of driving range, while its solid-state batteries will up the driving range by 50 per cent after 2028.

They are just two of the five different types of batteries Toyota says it is developing as part of its electric-vehicle strategy, with various improvements to driving range and cost.

"We are determined to be the world leader in batteries," Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said.

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"We will need various options for batteries, just like we have different variations of engines. It is important to make these batteries compatible with any kind of model."

The latest details of Toyota's plan comes off the back of widespread and ongoing criticism of the company's slowness in bringing electric cars to market, despite being a pioneer of hybrid technology in the automotive industry.

Last month, Toyota's chief scientist claimed hybrid engines were better for countries that relied on coal to produce electricity, while electric vehicles favoured nations with sustainable electricity grids.

In the wake of the comments, environmental groups and activist shareholders have been calling for Chairman Akio Toyoda to be ousted from his position at this week's Annual General Meeting, while a shareholder resolution is proposing Toyota disclosing its climate lobbying activities.

Toyota – the largest car company by volume – says its first "next-generation" electric vehicle will launch as a Lexus in 2026, and estimates 1.7 million vehicles will be built on its next-generation platform by 2030.

MORE: Toyota’s electric vehicle blitz – A dozen EVs by the end of the decade including utes, SUVs, and sports cars

All told, the company says it aims to sell 3.5 million electric cars by the end of this decade.

Assisting the battery advancements will be further improvements in aerodynamics, with Toyota claiming cars with drag coefficient of less than 0.20 within the next three years. For perspective, the recently-unveiled Prius has a Cd rating of 0.27 – an increase over the previous generation of 0.03, meaning it is less aerodynamic.

Toyota says it will also make new-car development and manufacturing more efficient – reducing development times from an average of 30 months to 20 months – while incorporating a 'self-propelled' production line, in which electric cars can drive themselves through factories.