2022 Tacoma Discussion

Rav4 prime batteries are under the rear seat. Another option would be to make a flat battery back that fits under the bed. Next gen tundra will most likely have a hybrid option, so we will have an idea about their solution.

 

Yup, it can be done, Toyota just has to want to do it (which means seeing a business case for it). It's the quickest, best way to maximize MPG and lower emissions, and no one does hybrid better than Toyota.

They already have multiple Hybrid and plug-in hybrid powerplants Federalized including the 3.5L V6 Hybrid used in the Lexus RX450h (308 hp, 30+ mpg)

 

Nooooo thank you. Prius for commuting, sure why not. I can't imagine doing "truck things" in a hybrid though. I drove a hybrid RX for over a week when my GX was at the dealership. It was gutless and jerky. Constantly searching for power. A variant of the RX non-hybrid v6 is what powers the Gen 3 Tacoma, so it's likely a variant of the RX v6 hybrid power plant could end up in a Tacoma.

 

Have you been under the truck? The gas tank takes up quite a bit of space, mostly, under the cab. The other side is virtually empty. They aren’t just gonna slap some batteries in wherever they can. It’s not like an aftermarket mod. It will get redesigned. Don’t forget about the frunking possibilities either.

edit. I’m mostly thinking full electric here. Not hybrid.

 

Yeah, if they actually did a ground-up NEW truck, and planned for the hybrid OPTION (it's not the right choice for everyone) then they could totally accommodate it. Battery packs are getting smaller and smaller.

 

I owned a RX450h for about 2 years. No where near 30 mpg in real world driving. More like 23-25.

 

The redundancy of power plants seems ridiculous to me, the need for a muffler, battery packs, and fuel tanks is crazy. How much more (in theory) does a hybrid cost than straight eclectic vehicle. Although I did just say I would like a diesel electric, but in that case the diesel creates the electricity.

 

Agreed, I actually like the lime color quite a bit.

I’d really love to see the type of green on the Sienna in the background on a Tacoma though — so much better than the “flat” army green.

 

Since Toyota offers same components across different vehicles to save cost (like the same V6 is on multiple Toyota and Lexus vehicles), they will not design an all electric drivetrain until they can use the same platform cost effectively on multiple vehicles. That requires them to sell quite a number of all electric vehicles and I assume they wont commit to that until electric infrastructure is sufficient (like charging stations).

Hondo's hybrid (seriel) platform is very similar to the diesel-electric system you suggest (granted it is gas powered). The engine is not mechanically connected to the drivetrain and only acts as a power generator that charges the battery and powers electric motors.

 

diesel sucks

 

The hybrid RX (RX450h) produces more power than the non-hybrid version (something like 295hp vs 310hp if I remember correctly) and have better 0-60 time (7.7 vs 6.6 seconds). Though most hybrids are tuned for fuel efficiency since that is the selling point. So it perform well unless you floor the pedal, or use the sport setting (equivalent of ECT).

Toyota Rav4 prime for instance is not that conservative and has better 0-60 time than a Supra.

 

I think that, at least in the US and EU, Diesel is dead except for in heavy-duty applications. In passenger vehicles, it just doesn't make sense anymore. It's either dirty, or efficient, and the only people who claimed otherwise were cheating the tests.

I think plug-in hybrids are the next big thing, it's the necessary development stop-gap to full EVs at some point down the road. Give me a Tacoma with 30 miles ± of EV range and that will cover my daily commute.

 

I vaguely remember reading that the Chevy Volt used a similar system too where the gas engine was basically just a generator.

 

Volts got a big recall on them. Diesel doesn’t suck, it blows. I had 2 of those “cheater” cars. They had some pickup, post def installation. And I still got 48 mpg. Wear gloves when you pump, that shit never gets off your hands.

 

Yes, I think Chevy and Honda mainly uses "serial hybrids" where ICE acts as a generator. Advantage of this is you can use an engine tuned to have extreme thermal efficiency at a very narrow RPM range.

Toyota and Ford uses "serial/parallel hybrids" where and power split device can allow the engine to power the wheels, or act as a generator or do both at the same time. Power split device also act as the transmission (Toyota calls it eCVT, although it is not a CVT) and is a marvel of engineering. It is also crazy reliable with about 30 moving parts, but the catch is it is expensive. So "serial/parallel hybrids" often offer better fuel efficiency and performance (since they combine both of the worlds) but are more expensive systems.

 

I thought it was the Bolt that has the recall?

 

Oh. Sorry. Bolt is the full electric huh? Volt is the ugly Prius style sedan hybrid?

 

Yeah the Volt was that obscure looking hybrid, don't even think it's in production any longer. I even think they used the platform under a Cadillac too but no one bought them because the price was way too high.

 

I feel that most gm products are overpriced for the resultant quality. Kind of a nice way of saying that they are expensive pos

 

Yeah GM is pretty much crap today.