The number of automakers that are following Tesla’s footsteps in the gigacasting game is increasing, with Toyota aiming to use the technology for its next generation of electric cars. Recent comments from the Japanese automaker also indicate that Toyota is learning new technologies from rivals in the auto sector.
By adopting gigacasting technology, Toyota is looking to make a third of a car body in just a few minutes. Without gigacastings, the process would typically take hours. The use of the massive casted components is expected to help Toyota reach its goal of selling 3.5 million electric vehicles per year by the end of the decade.
As noted in a Nikkei Asia report, high battery costs tend to make electric vehicles difficult to produce profitably. Thus, innovations such as the use of gigacastings go a long way toward making EV production optimized and profitable. Tesla has used such strategies in the production of its vehicles, and they have helped the company achieve its impressive margins.
In a comment, Toyota Chief Production Officer Kazuaki Shingo admitted that the company is actually learning from rivals in the electric vehicle sector. The executive did not mention Tesla by name, but one could infer that Toyota’s use of gigacastings was inspired, at least to some degree, by the electric vehicle maker.
“We’re learning new options from specialized EV makers to take on the challenge,” Shingo said.
Tesla pioneered the use of gigacastings with the Model Y, an all-electric crossover that has since become the company’s best-selling car. The Model Y is arguably the vehicle that saw the smoothest ramp among Tesla’s offerings, and a good part of this is likely due to the vehicle’s use of gigacastings, which kept production simple and costs controlled.
The Tesla Model Y became the world’s best-selling car this year, the first electric car to achieve the feat. Toyota, for its part, is looking to sell 1.5 million electric cars in 2026. Such a number may be far below Tesla’s goals, but it is substantial for the veteran automaker. Toyota, after all, only sold around 24,000 electric cars in 2022.
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