or other vehicles. recent headlines spreading on the web about Toyota research claiming major evolutionary battery tech breakthrough, perhaps doubling mileage per charge. could we see a EV 4Runner in the next several years??

There is a lot of skepticism about Toyota's announcement. I would be shocked if they can deliver the scaled tech by 2027 much less have it in a car.
I say buy what you need when you need it.

Anything is possible, just have to wait and see.

I have read about that news today also. I wondering how that will turn out? Looks promising on paper.
Wasn't not too long ago that the ceo of Toyota said they will never go full on EV?
Could be that this solid state battery technology changed their minds?

"Waiting for tomorrow, waste of today." -C. Chan

We will wait. I have been reading about these new solid state batteries that use something like ceramic maybe? The weight is half and range is double but cost is high. They are looking at putting them in high-end ebikes too...like road and mountain bikes and not really commuter bikes. Consumers will pay for it happily since those 6K-12K ebikes sell all day long.

Porsche says it will let their vehicles go 800 miles between charges. That's a huge jump. I'd never want to drive that many miles in a day, ever. It is very promising stuff, and worth waiting for.

Yes the CEO was talking in reference to the global market as outside of the US, EV charging stations are very slow to develop. Some countries don't even have a reliable power grid yet. Imagine the power being out for a few days and your EV out of charge. He said that hybrids are their main objective for the near term but the US market already has several Toyota EV's so we could probably expect more.

I haven't looked into it but seeing how long Toyota is taking to create a 6th Gen 4Runner they must be designing a new fleet of engines for them. I am expecting to see a hybrid 4Runner though. I'd really actually like to see a plug in 4Runner much like they've done with Rav4. 40ish miles EV and then 300+ gas. Without a gas engine the 4Runner would be severely limited and about as useful as the EV Hummer - there's a reason no one is buying it! It's like buying a bulldog but always keeping it leashed.

How true! This past winter exposed the short fall's of current EV technology. There's news reports that this summer heat is limiting EV range. YT vids has people experimenting how EV's really are in the real world of work. And it disappointing.

With today's relented push towards EV's, we will eventually get there but, at what cost? And will it be profitable for companies after spending millions of R&D.

The US will eventually switch to EV and every gas station will be swapped over to a charging station. The ball has been set in motion and cannot be stopped. Just as ships used to be powered by coal and steam and were replaced with diesel and crude oil, the gasoline engine will be replaced with electricity. When? Who knows. The feds say 2035 but they are eternally optimistic. I suspect it will be a decade or more after their target date before gasoline really is in the minority. EV vehicles are just too expensive for so many people, including myself.

The need for energy however is not going anywhere. Instead of gasoline prices being the one that affect people the most, it will be electricity. I suspect electricity prices will triple by the time the EV transition takes place. Wars won't be fought over oil anymore, it'll be power generation. The countries that control and export electricity will the ones that are wealthy in the future.

After that, I think that the most powerful country in the world will be... oh wait... my crystal ball just broke. Bummer, that's all I got out of it today.

As someone who lives in a very remote part of the country, AND spends a lot of time in even more remote "outback" terrain where it is not unusual to not see another person or vehicle for a week, I take cans of extra gas along to keep my rig going. Tell me how I'm supposed to take along extra electricity? Solar panels sure can't recharge an electric vehicle in a reasonable time frame.

Not to burst your bubble but Toyota has been claiming breakthroughs in this area for the past decade. In the article they predicted they'd reach consumers by 2015 to 2020... so I wouldn't hold my breathe. It's become a meme in the EV space.

Toyota shows off all solid state lithium superionic conductor based prototype battery

I wouldn't buy the first year of any new drivtrain, much less a whole new design. If they come out in 2027, 2032 is probably when you want to start looking at them.

Wait for the 4runner ev!? Lets first finish speculating about the 6th Gen launch date.

I bet we will see a plug in hybrid first

I hope so. A plug-in hybrid is pretty much the only type of EV I'd currently consider in a camping / adventure vehicle.