Introduction
Not everyone is ready to transition to electric vehicles, and that’s okay. But with strict emission regulations around the corner, many automakers are augmenting their fleetwide emissions with both battery-electric and hybrid powertrains. Toyota has found that those hybrids are turning into its bread and butter. Welcome back to Critical Materials, your daily roundup for all things EV and automotive tech. Today, we’re chatting about Toyota’s push for hybrids in North America, Ford’s answer to touchscreen controls and used EV batteries finding new life in energy storage. Let’s jump in.
30%: Toyota’s Answer To Slow EV Sales Is Hybrids
Toyota isn’t a big fan of committing to one kind of powertrain, especially if it’s powered solely by batteries. While it has committed to electrification, it’s not all-in on EVs, promoting its "multi-pathway" approach. Remember, electrified and electric aren’t the same thing. The automaker is reportedly evaluating whether or not it can move most, if not all, of its vehicles in North America across both the Toyota and Lexus marques to hybrid powertrains. Realistically, this is probably a smart move for the Japanese automaker. EV demand is anticipated to "remain modest" over the next few years, which gives Toyota the perfect opportunity to continue capitalizing on hybrids for consumers not yet ready to adopt full battery-electric vehicles.
60%: Ford Could Use Customizable Buttons, Knobs, and Switches To Cut Back On Physical Interior Controls
People are getting sick and tired of touch screens. Sure, they look cool and are flashy, but between digging through menus to find the exact setting someone needs to access and the lack of physical feedback, the fun factor is fading fast. Ford’s idea is a pretty intuitive one. The patent reveals that the Blue Oval wants users to map a vehicle function to the button, dial, switch or knob of their choice. This idea seems like a no-brainer if it were to make it into a production vehicle.
90%: Old EV Batteries Are Finding New Life In Backup Energy Storage
Old EV batteries are finding a "second leg" to stand on as they are given new life inside energy storage products. As the demand for energy storage products increases, batteries from old or wrecked EVs are finding their way into these appliances rather than being recycled into raw materials. Typically, when EV batteries reach the end of their life, they get recycled. However, some packs reach their demise much more quickly than others and can be repurposed for energy storage. This has created an opportunity for traditional automakers to earn additional revenue by packaging excess battery cells into energy products.
100%: Have You Used Your EV’s V2H Capabilities Yet?
Vehicle-to-home charging is all the rage right now. With hurricane season being in full swing, EV owners are using their vehicles as a giant power bank on wheels. Automakers are using this feature as a means to market something they already sell. Have you used your vehicle’s V2x capabilities to provide auxiliary power to your home? Let me know your use cases in the comments.
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