Toyota has said they’re going to make an electric version of their HiLux pickup truck by the end of 2025. They made a prototype truck called the HiLux Revo BEV in 2022. Reuters said this and they’re going to make the truck in Thailand. In Thailand, Toyota sells lots of pickup trucks. They tested the electric HiLux in different countries, like Australia. But they won’t sell it in the USA. The USA gets the Tacoma instead. So, is there going to be an electric Tacoma?
In 2021, Akio Toyoda showed 15 Toyota electric car ideas. One was a pickup truck. Some of these ideas will become real cars soon. The new Toyota Tacoma looks almost the same as the electric pickup truck idea. But does this mean there will be an electric Tacoma soon? Probably not.
The media talked to Mike Sweers. He works at Toyota and knows a lot about trucks. He said, “Akio Toyoda said that Toyota will make every car electric in five years.” This has started. You can buy a hybrid Tacoma now. It’s stronger than the old V6 Tacoma. But a fully electric Tacoma might be too much, for now.
Sweers said one reason we won’t get a Tacoma EV soon is that there aren’t enough charging stations. “We need better places to charge our trucks,” Sweers said. Also, can an electric truck do everything a real truck can do? Can it tow things far without needing to charge often? Can you find a charging station when you need one? Can it carry heavy loads? Can it do everything truck buyers want?
This is important for Toyota. America is big and people use their trucks differently. Sweers asks, “Does the truck meet what customers want?” He says, “As an engineer, I need to make sure we give the customers what they want.”
When there are more places to charge trucks, Toyota might change their mind. For now, we’ll look at the electric HiLux from far away and enjoy the new Tacoma Hybrid.
