Matthew Harrison, head of Toyota Europe Sales and Marketing, said in an interview that the company has already succeeded in raising hybrid sales to 50 percent of its total vehicle sales. The next stage of the plan is a complete shift towards all-electric powertrains.
To increase its hybrid offer, Toyota had to devise ways of cutting production costs and localizing production in various markets. The next step is going to be much more complex: the company says it needs to develop and launch a whole network of ultra-powerful EV charging stations to attract new customers.
Last month, the Japanese marque began testing its first purely electric car fitted with solar panels on the roof, hood cover and trunk lid (depicted here). The photovoltaic elements should grant up to 56 kilometers (35 miles) of free driving range on sunny days.
Toyota has another vehicle that operates on a similar principle: the Prius PHV, which you can see on the video. However, the solar panels are a paid option for the PHV, and even then, they are only used to provide power to various auxiliary systems of the car and not the main traction battery.