disclaimer: i did NOT hear this from a "reliable source at toyota" lol and this is NOT another 6th Gen 4runner prediction lol

ok so now -

What is everyones take on EV's coming to our segment of vehicles in the next decade or so (+/- how ever many years you see fit)

Would you buy a 4runner EV? Tacoma EV?

Would it make sense for Broverlanders but not so much sense for the crawlers ?
who is in, who is out?


Here are some examples already out there and being discussed,


1 - https://www.theverge.com/platform/am...auto-show-2018


2- https://www.bollingermotors.com/

I have no desire to own an electric car. I'll stick to my gas engine vehicles until they no longer exist and I no longer have a choice.

I am already seeing EV conversion for off-road rigs... EV West completed a buggy, is working on an FJ, along with others who DIY.

Electric motor for a crawler would make absolute sense... they make their max torque at 0 RPM, and could crawl at lower speeds with a lot more power and control. Seems almost ideal if you ask me when max torque is available instantly, and can be had without complex gearing and transfer cases making it less fragile in the process.

The viability of charging for off-road would present obvious challenges, on vehical solar would not be sufficient.

I took this snap shot of a fully electric FJ being built by EV West. It was still work in progress, but I have driven in a few of their other EVs including the Baja Bug which was pretty sweet.

As much as I enjoy EV tech, I don't think its viable in a true off-road truck right now. Not without a hybrid gas/electric combo where its using electric motor for torque fill, which is already being done in supercars... It would help with power and fuel efficiency in a very positive way (getting off the line in regular driving, tow, crawling)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJVtGmEUOpQ&t

I'd roll in an electric truck as my DD.

That’s literally my dream DD setup right now… to go from 13 MPG to driving/charging for free and never seeing a gas pump again.

Parking my Silverado in an EV spot would only bring me joy.

Considering it’s already setup to carry the weight, truck conversions are getting very popular. I already have the dang batteries if I wanted to convert my Silverado, but I bought these to build a “Powerwall”

https://www.motor1.com/news/78595/za...-all-electric/

Assume cars/trucks/automobiles hadn't been invented yet but all other current technology has (just go with it)... and you're listening to people pitch the idea.

One guy says "I have a machine with thousands of parts that produce tiny explosions happening thousands of times per second attached to another machine with dozens of gears because the first machine only works at certain speeds. Every single piece needs to operate perfectly every time or none of it works."

Another guy says "battery, motor."

I know which one I would choose.

So, two things... One, EV's/self-driving cars are inevitable and that's a good thing. I think full torque at zero speed is brilliant for off-road/crawling applications. Not to mention never needing to worry about hydro-locking a motor if you charge in like an idiot, or worrying about engine damage from inclines or rollovers. Faithful operation in 360 degrees of orientation.

And two. I look forward to the day when me and the rest of you have all grown old and are still tooling around on the race tracks and mud pits in our antique ICE powered cars and trucks while our grand kids wonder why we waste so much time wrenching on these needlessly complicated machines just to go abuse them again (abuse the trucks, not the grand-kids). It's the same sick part of me that likes tuning a carburetor and setting points and driving a stick shift now.

Yes, someday I will own an EV in this segment but as long as I can afford it (and my hands hold up) I will always have a stick-shift explosion-containment-unit parked in the garage ready to piss-off the members of an, as yet, unborn generation, with it's raucous noise and smokey burnouts!

Then fails to mention that there are dozens of battery cells, each one a virtual firebomb that can burn for days when exposed to the air we breathe and the car is much heavier and ponderous than diesel or gas vehicles.

I was talking purely from the stand point of mechanical simplicity. I completely agree that current batteries are less than ideal, but they are coming a long way quickly. Lithium or gasoline. Both can be dangerous. Both have environmental impacts. Pick your poison.

Regardless, I'm always a fan of extra options in the automotive space. EV, hydrogen, turbo sixes. It's all good by me.

I had no desire to own one as well, but part of the adaptive trait in me leads me to believe that I will have an EV in my fleet one day, not necessarily replacing the 4runner, but perhaps as a DD for starters..

But if replacing the 4runner with an EV 4Runner or truck becomes the only option due to (insert regulation/ law or reason here) then what would I want said replacement EV to have?

If I lived someplace warm, didn't have to drive on dirt roads, and commuted less than 40 miles a day a cheap electric car I could plug in every night at home would totally make sense.

Speaking a new Tesla owner, I'd say the main thing I'd be wary of would be taking an EV truck/SUV into the middle of nowhere (ie, remote trails in Moab, Death Valley, wherever). Vampire drain (1% a day) and poor battery performance at cold temperatures are things to watch out for. If a gas truck/SUV runs out of fuel, no big deal - just return to the stranded vehicle with a few gallons in a portable can and the problem is solved. If an electric vehicle runs out of juice in rugged backcountry.... well, I guess you could return with one of those portable Honda generators. Expect to add 2 miles of range per hour, charging at 120V/12A.

This being said, I've owned my Tesla for a month and it's awesome. Totally exceeds expectations and I couldn't be happier.

Shocking!

I watched a Tesla sedan take off from a stoplight, up a hill, and the acceleration was like nothing I had ever seen. It didn’t even look real.
The bro that was trying to race him in the ecoboost was pretty shocked too

They sure can scoot! Drive responsibly

I would consider a hybrid landcruiser or GX if they offered one. Anything to extend the range and lessen fuel stops. A bigger gas tank would be preferable.

Full electric tho, that would be a tougher sell for me unless they priced it pretty low. It's going to be awhile before the battery tech, charging, price are compelling enough for me to own.

But yeah I'd have no qualms of DDing an electric BOF SUV.

There is not enough recoverable/mineable Lithium on the planet for widespread consumer EV douche tech. The "tech" is already obsolete. Funny how the filth of battery technology and reclamation, the sources of the electricity itself never seem to dawn on most EV proponents, inconvenient real truths. Not the fake truths from fake people like ManBearPig... It's like all this magic juice just flows magically in unlimited quantities out of these two or three little holes, it's magic.