The structural nature of Tesla's models has positively troubled Toyota's engineers dealing with the development program of new electric models.
For several years, Toyota has been a pioneer in the field of electrification mainly with the hybrid technologies it has developed over the last 25 years. Today, of course, electrification has gone to another level with almost all manufacturers having ordered their own zero-emission models.
Reverse engineering the Model Y and the jaw on the floor
Due to competition, Toyota has recently entered more actively into the game of electrification, gradually trying to create a purely electrified range with the name bZ and the first sample of writing is the bZ4x model. However, Toyota's approach differs from that of other manufacturers, and this is what the company's technicians found out by disassembling a Tesla Model Y. According to a Toyota executive they said, "when we removed the body of the Model Y it was a true work of art, it's incredible."
The different construction of Teslas
In recent months Tesla Model Y has been the best-selling electric model on the European market. Structurally it is based on a platform where the batteries are part of it and therefore consists of fewer individual parts. For cost reasons, many manufacturers use pipes in the cooling system of conventional cars in their electric models.
Tesla did not have this commitment – as it does not have conventional models in its range – and so the pipes it uses are thinner and made of cheaper materials since the cooling needs in electric vehicles are less. In this way, the American company saves on each model Y, five kilograms in curb weight and 25 dollars per car.
In total, it has been calculated that an electric Tesla model is approximately 100 kilograms lighter than a corresponding one from another manufacturer that uses conventional components in its construction. This condition not only makes its vehicles lighter and cheaper to produce but also helps improve their range.
Meanwhile, Toyota's electric vehicles share the TNGA platform used in the company's hybrid models and have conventional technology. Analyzing the data from the Tesla Model Y "strip" was revealing for Toyota's research and development departments. In fact, the company recently reorganized the R&D department, placing the legendary Shigeki Terashi and its top engineer from the joint venture with BYD, Takero Kato for the project of creating new electric models.
The cooperation with BYD
It is worth noting that Toyota cooperates with the Chinese BYD, which is one of the largest manufacturers of electric vehicles internationally. It has helped it reduce the production times of its electric models but there is much that can be done further.
 |
In addition, Toyota is still in the midst of a costly factory retrofit process for the TNGA platform that has yet to be completed. In any case, the bet for Toyota is how soon it will become competitive in the era of electrification and to what extent it will manage to lower the cost of manufacturing its models. Two elements require time and investment.
0 Comments