Toyota borrows Tesla strategy, opens Lexus charging stations to other electric vehicles

June 25 news: Although Toyota is slightly behind in entering the pure electric vehicle market, the industry giant seems to be learning from the leading brand Tesla. Recently, Toyota announced a major decision: charging stations for its luxury brand Lexus will be open to all electric vehicles in Japan. This strategy clearly imitates Tesla's global operating model.

Looking back at the past, Lexus’s layout in the field of electrification has long been on the agenda. In June 2023, Hibiya in Tokyo Midtown welcomed Lexus's first "fast charging station", marking the official launch of Lexus's electrification plan. In December of the same year, a second charging station at Karuizawa Common Grounds also came into operation. These charging stations are equipped with fast chargers with power up to 150 kilowatts, providing an efficient charging experience for electric vehicles.

As far as the editor understands, these charging stations are initially only available to Lexus owners. Car owners can reserve a charging space 60 days in advance through a dedicated app and enjoy a convenient automatic payment experience. At the same time, they can also enjoy free drinks, workspace and surrounding services during charging. It is worth mentioning that this privilege is now open to all electric vehicle owners.

Toyota’s latest decision coincides with Tesla’s strategy of opening up its super charging network. Since May last year, many automakers such as Toyota and Lexus have begun using Tesla’s NACS adapters, hoping to connect to Tesla’s vast US charging network.

However, compared to Tesla’s massive network of more than 50,000 Supercharging piles around the world, Lexus’ construction plan in Japan appears more conservative. They plan to build only about 100 charging stations by 2030.

Although Toyota and Lexus have been slightly slower to transform the electric vehicle market, they still occupy a certain share of global electric vehicle sales. Toyota and its Lexus sub-brand sold 46,033 electric vehicles in the first four months to April 2024, accounting for 3.4% of its total sales in the period.

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