Electric Utes — Is Toyota Blind to Opportunity?

Australian media is awash with news of companies transforming Toyota’s Land Cruisers and Hilux into electric utes. One must ask, is Toyota blind to this opportunity? It can’t be cheap to rip the guts out of a diesel fourby and replace it with electrics. Surely, Toyota could make a profit by building these trucks itself? If SEA Electric and Roev can make a profit fitting up an EV, why can’t Toyota? Mining companies in Australia have been doing this for years. On the DL, I have been told by another CEO that they are in the middle of contract negotiations to do a similar deal turning even larger numbers of Land Cruisers into electric utes. SEA Electric’s vision is to become “the premier global partner in powering commercial electric vehicles for urban delivery and logistics.” That’s combined with a mission “to eliminate 3+ billion lbs. of CO2 emissions over the next five years.” Roev wants to move Australia towards zero emissions and re-establish onshore manufacturing by electrifying Australia’s favourite ute. Whereas it appears that SEA is initially removing fossil fuel drivetrains and replacing them with electric, the plan is to move to importing gliders — that is, vehicles bereft […]

Click here to view original web page at cleantechnica.com