By Michael Kanellos
Car companies crack me up. They are very reluctant to divulge details early. However, they drop hints for about a year in advance of a release so by the time the release comes, it’s hard to say what constitutes new news, what constitutes the clarification of a rumor (versus an actual reversal of policy) and what’s been said before.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) at the North American International Auto Show both cleared up an errant rumor and confirmed something of a reversal of earlier policies.
First, the clarification. The Associated Press and a few other outlets wrote that Toyota was working on cars that would be completely powered by integrated solar panels. It didn’t make a lot of sense to us: The solar panels needed to adequately charge a car’s battery would be about the size of two tennis courts. Imagine driving with that on the hood. Instead, we thought Toyota might be doing solar panels as an accessory.
Instead, Toyota unfurled a new version of the Prius that comes with solar panels as an option to charge incidentals in the car.
Now, the reversal. Toyota said it would make an all-electric commuter car, based around its gas-powered iQ, as well as a plug-in hybrid and both would have lithium-ion batteries. Historically, Toyota has disdained lithium ion. The batteries are expensive and, on occasion, they blow up.
Still, the energy density is quite good on these batteries so the company has been gradually warming up to them. Last September in Denmark, Toyota’s Masatami Takimoto said that the company reluctantly would likely adopt lithium ion.
“Lithium-ion batteries will probably be used in vehicles, but we still have problems,” Takimoto said. “We do think it’s appropriate to use lithium-ion batteries in commuter cars.”
The cars unveiled in Detroit thus confirm the
