After Isuzu announced that it will start selling the electric version of the D-Max, which is also expected to reach the Israeli market, Toyota also confirms its intention to start producing the HiLux in an electric version. The first prototype of the model was already unveiled in 2022 under the name REVO BEV, and the production date for the standard version is planned for the end of 2025.
When it comes to electric pick-up trucks and commercial vehicles in general, the considerations are different than with regular passenger cars. While the latter are usually designed to carry 5-7 passengers, in commercial vehicles, payload capacity and total weight are critical. On the other hand, in order to ensure a decent range, very large batteries are required, which will always come at the expense of payload capacity or, alternatively, total weight.
In the past, when Toyota provided details about its electric plans for the Tundra, it estimated a range of about 200 km, a figure that is far from impressive and unclear under which conditions and payload it is determined. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Tundra will be very limited in terms of its scope of use, likely to be a solution for closed areas and facilities that require a vehicle capable of carrying a load in a trunk, but not for long distances. Airports, seaports, logistics centers, and the like. The configuration in which the Tundra is expected to be built - a single cabin and a long trunk - hints at the intended work use. Just like its direct competitor, the Isuzu D-Max Electric, it will be built at a Toyota factory in Thailand. Initially for the local market and then for export. It is also interesting that Toyota is using the current model as a base, even though it has been in production for a decade and only underwent a comprehensive update about four years ago.
Despite being one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, Toyota's journey into the electric world is relatively moderate. Today, it only has one main electric model in its lineup - the bz4X, which does not replace a gasoline model but is sold alongside the RAV4. It should be noted that Toyota, unlike other manufacturers, is less "pressured" to transition to electric propulsion under constraints resulting from regulations limiting emissions, due to the fact that most of its models already use hybrid propulsion. In the past, Toyota's chairman Akio Toyoda stated that he does not estimate that the total number of electric vehicles will exceed 30% of the total number of vehicles in the market.
In Union Motors, the importer of Toyota to Israel, they are examining the feasibility and possibility of importing the model, but at first, even if it arrives here, it will be done on a very small scale, for the purpose of studying the vehicle and checking its suitability for local consumer use. In any case, just like with the RAV4 and the bz4X, there are no plans to replace their diesel version in the near or distant future.