There’s Only One Way Toyota’s Most Iconic Model Could Survive

In the summer of 2024, we put forward that the new Toyota Camry going hybrid-only made it the most important car in the world. Cheap gas simply isn’t a thing anymore, even in the US, and all-electric cars still have a long way to go before they are the dominant species on the road. So many automakers have swallowed the hype and tried to jump from gas-only-powered cars to all-electric, missing the crucial step in between to help ween us off of such a heavy reliance on gas. The new Camry showed Toyota understands this and is ready to lead the way. Now, it has gone a step further and made the RAV4 a hybrid-only model.

It’s easy to overlook what a monumental step this is for Toyota. Toyota is the best-selling automaker in the world, and the RAV4 is currently its biggest-selling model in the US. By taking the RAV4 hybrid only, it’s a show of confidence and a signal to all other automakers that hybrid drivetrains are the mainstream reality for the foreseeable future. However, the hybrid rollout Toyota is getting into could spell doom for the car that started the hybrid revolution – the Toyota Prius.

Toyota Has Been Protecting The Prius Name

Some time ago, we pointed out that the Corolla going hybrid could easily make the Prius redundant, and the fact that Toyota only made one trim level, and a base one at that, suggested that Toyota was protecting the Prius’s existence. That single-trim-level Corolla Hybrid was just as fuel-efficient, more practical, and a much more normal-looking car than the Prius. But why would Toyota protect the Prius when its hybrid technology was ready to move into the Corolla and further?

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We believe there are two reasons. The first is that the Corolla needs to remain affordable as an initial cost. The second is that the Prius is being kept in production so it can evolve and become a spearhead for the next evolution of drivetrains. That’s what the Prius was for hybrid technology, and it makes sense to keep the name for future technology. After all, the name Prius means “prior” and it was billed from the start as a pioneering environmentally friendly vehicle.

Toyota Likes To Slow Roll Into The Future

Toyota is one of the few major automakers not to jump in and commit to all-electric vehicles, but paved the way for them with the Prius. The big problem for all-electric vehicles, alongside the charging network, is battery size and capacity. While Toyota has toyed with the current generation of battery technology through its partnership with Subaru and the resulting Toyota bZ4X, it has been working steadily on solid state battery technology with the plan to commercialize the technology in vehicles in 2027 or 2028.

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The Next Prius Could Start The Solid State Revolution

Solid state batteries for automotive application have been notoriously hard to develop, but promises to be lighter, longer lasting, and hold much more energy than current battery technology. In theory, a solid-state battery pack in a car could go 750 miles on one charge, last 30 years, and fully recharge in under 10 minutes. That might be pie in the sky for now, but halve those numbers as the tech starts out, and you still have something impressive and useable. Here’s the thing, though: We don’t think it was an accident that Toyota’s 2023 concept for a solid-state battery-powered car looks like the current iteration of the Prius.

The Toyota Prius Could Have A Foreseeable End Game

Toyota is one of the automakers currently investing in hydrogen power, but it’s a long-term goal. While hydrogen is the most abundant power and cleanest source we currently have, it’s still expensive to produce green hydrogen (meaning inefficient to produce without emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide). It’s still early days for hydrogen production, but Toyota has already experimented with a limited-production hydrogen-powered car called the Mirai. However, passenger cars won’t be the catalyst for a hydrogen station network – that will be trucking networks, and it’s going to take time to spread.

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Following solid state batteries, this would be Prius would be the ideal model for Toyota to start pushing the idea of hydrogen into the mainstream. Traditionally, the Prius is built to be as light and aerodynamic as possible for its price point to ensure efficiency, and when hydrogen starts to take hold, it will be expensive. Just like electric cars, hydrogen will need first adopters to get the ball rolling and the Prius has a track record for taking technology to the mainstream.

It’s All Informed Speculation

Toyota isn’t about to tell anyone its plans for the Prius, but going by its history and how Toyota handles the Prius as a model, it’s not a stretch to believe it will remain Toyota’s forward-thinking car. The idea of a solid-state electric version leads nicely into the hydrogen theory, as hydrogen cars still use batteries – mainly to harvest, store then release energy from regenerative braking. A hydrogen drivetrain backed by solid state batteries would be the most efficient and, theoretically, for the moment, drivetrain available. Then, the cycle could start again because we don’t know what energy sources we will be able to harness for cars in the future.