Toyota will focus on developing local production and supply chains in China and the United States to boost electric vehicle sales.
The new President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Koji Sato, revealed the Japanese automaker’s plans in the electric vehicle market (EVs).
Toyota remained the top-selling automaker in the world for three consecutive years in 2022. However, the rise of battery electric vehicles (BEV) might threaten Toyota’s crown. The Japanese automaker has been a little late in joining the BEV race. This year, though, Toyota appears to have realized the potential of BEVs in the auto industry.
Earlier this month, TMC announced the launch of 10 new BEVs with a target sales goal of 1.5 million units by 2026. Toyota aims for significant growth in the BEV market. It is a smart move, considering that BEVs might be the future of the whole auto industry. Many countries are choosing to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles and support clean, energy-efficient cars.
Part of Toyota’s strategy for growth includes localization in China and the United States.
“In areas where there is an acceleration in the shift towards battery EVs, like China and the US, we need to be bold with local production,” said Toyota’s new CEO in a group interview over the weekend.
China’s Place in the BEV Market
The Chinese auto market is the world’s largest vehicle market, making it a prime target for Toyota’s goals. China is vigorously supporting clean energy vehicles, including BEVs and plug-in hybrids.
Japanese automakers posted the sharpest sales decline in China against foreign brands. The Financial Times attributed Toyota’s sales decline to its slow rollout of BEVs. FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota in China ranked 9th and 10th—respectively—in the China Passenger Car Association’s (CPCA) list of Top 10 Chinese automakers by retail sales. For comparison, Tesla–which only sells BEVs–ranked 7th place.
The CPCA reported Toyota’s 23.5% year-over-year (YoY) decrease in sales in January–including ICE and BEV sales. By February, Toyota reported a decline of 12.2% YoY in sales, with a slight increase of 0.9% year-to-date (YTD). Lastly, in March 2023, Toyota sold 136,400 units in China, down 18.5% YoY. Its sales volume in China by the end of Q1 2023 was 379,900, down by 14.5% YoY.
The US IRA’s Impact on the BEV Market
The United States has also shown full support for battery electric vehicles, specifically with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA provides incentives to support BEV production within the United States or any country with a free trade agreement with the US. It also includes tax credits for BEV purchases.
The IRA has significantly affected the BEV market worldwide since it passed. Many companies outside of the United States have already started working with American companies to build BEV components in the United States. For instance, South Korean battery supplier LG Energy Solutions is working on the construction of battery production facilities in the United States with Ford and Tesla.
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) reported saw an uptick in electrified vehicle sales in the first quarter. In March, electric vehicles made up 27.5% of TMNA’s total sales volume. TMNA sold a title of 469,558 vehicles in Q1 2023, down by 8.8% by a volume and daily selling rate (DSR) basis. It sold approximately 118,836 elective vehicles, accounting for 25.3% of total sales volume.
“With 22 electrified vehicle options between both the Toyota and Lexus brands, the most among any automaker, we’re giving customers a choice that fits their lifestyle, pocketbook and needs,” said Jack Hollis, TMNA’s executive vice president of sales. “We continue to make improvements to our vehicle inventory to satisfy customer demand, while doing all we can to exceed expectations as we introduce more electrified vehicles throughout the balance of 2023.”
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Cybertruck
Tesla updates Cybertruck owners on timeline of massive feature yet to ship
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
News
Tesla’s northernmost Supercharger in North America opens
Tesla has opened its northernmost Supercharger in Fairbanks, Alaska, with eight V4 stalls located in one of the most frigid cities in the U.S.
Located just 196 miles from the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks’s average temperature for the week was around -12 degrees Fahrenheit. However, there are plenty of Tesla owners in Alaska who have been waiting for more charging options out in public.
There are only 36 total Supercharger stalls in Alaska, despite being the largest state in the U.S.
Eight Superchargers were added to Fairbanks, which will eventually be a 48-stall station. Tesla announced its activation today:
North America’s northernmost Supercharger Fairbanks, AK (8 stalls) opened to public. https://t.co/M4l04DZ6B5 pic.twitter.com/zyL6bDuA93
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 12, 2025
The base price per kWh is $0.43 at the Fairbanks Supercharger. Thanks to its V4 capabilities, it can charge at speeds up to 325 kW.
Despite being the northernmost Supercharger in North America, it is not even in the Top 5 northernmost Superchargers globally, because Alaska is south of Norway. The northernmost Supercharger is in Honningsvåg, Norway. All of the Top 5 are in the Scandanavian country.
Tesla’s Supercharger expansion in 2025 has been impressive, and although it experienced some early-quarter slowdowns due to V3-to-V4 hardware transitions, it has been the company’s strongest year for deployments.
🚨🚨 Tesla Supercharging had a HUGE year, and they deserve to be recognized.
🍔 Opened Tesla Diner, a drive-in movie theater with awesome, Chef-curated cuisine
🔌 Gave access to Superchargers to several EV makers, including Hyundai, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Lucid, Toyota,… pic.twitter.com/yYT2QEbqoW
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 10, 2025
Through the three quarters of 2025, the company has added 7,753 stations and 73,817 stalls across the world, a 16 percent increase in stations and an 18 percent increase in stalls compared to last year.
Tesla is on track to add over 12,000 stalls for the full year, achieving an average of one new stall every hour, an impressive statistic.
Recently, the company wrapped up construction at its Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, a 168-stall Supercharger that Tesla Solar Panels completely power. It is the largest Supercharger in the world.
News
Tesla shocks with latest Robotaxi testing move
Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”
Tesla Model S vehicles were spotted performing validation testing with LiDAR rigs in California today, a pretty big switch-up compared to what we are used to seeing on the roads.
Tesla utilizes the Model Y crossover for its Robotaxi fleet. It is adequately sized, the most popular vehicle in its lineup, and is suitable for a wide variety of applications. It provides enough luxury for a single rider, but enough room for several passengers, if needed.
However, the testing has seemingly expanded to one of Tesla’s premium flagship offerings, as the Model S was spotted with the validation equipment that is seen entirely with Model Y vehicles. We have written several articles on Robotaxi testing mules being spotted across the United States, but this is a first:
🚨 Tesla is using Model S vehicles fitted with LiDAR rigs to validate FSD and Robotaxi, differing from the Model Ys that it uses typically
Those Model Y vehicles have been on the East Coast for some time. These Model S cars were spotted in California https://t.co/CN9Bw5Wma8 pic.twitter.com/UE55hx5mdd
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 11, 2025
Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”
It seems to hint that Tesla could add a premium, more luxury offering to its Robotaxi platform eventually. Think about it: Uber has Uber Black, Lyft has Lyft Black. These vehicles and services are associated with a more premium cost as they combine luxury models with more catered transportation options.
Tesla could be testing the waters here, and it could be thinking of adding the Model S to its fleet of ride-hailing vehicles.
Reluctant to remove the Model S from its production plans completely despite its low volume contributions to the overall mission of transitioning the world to sustainable energy, the flagship sedan has always meant something. CEO Elon Musk referred to it, along with its sibling Model X, as continuing on production lines due to “sentimental reasons.”
However, its purpose might have been expanded to justify keeping it around, and why not? It is a cozy, premium offering, and it would be great for those who want a little more luxury and are willing to pay a few extra dollars.
Of course, none of this is even close to confirmed. However, it is reasonable to speculate that the Model S could be a potential addition to the Robotaxi fleet. It’s capable of all the same things the Model Y is, but with more luxuriousness, and it could be the perfect addition to the futuristic fleet.