This is a big deal. Biggest EV news since Carlos Ghosn got religion.
I just watched the press conference where Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda announced an agreement.
Toyota’s investing in Tesla. Tesla’s buying the NUMMI factory. The Model S and subsequent vehicles will be made at NUMMI. (Tesla won’t oppose any union activity.)
The New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant with Mission Peak behind it, Fremont, Calif. Photo by Ellen Levy Finch under Creative Commons license.
This is obviously great for Tesla and advocates of electric cars.
It’s great for the San Francisco Bay Area.
It’s also great for Toyota. They appear forward-looking again. And give people something other than brake problems to think about when they hear “Toyota.” Toyota gets to continue their “everything hybrid” goal without damaging the brand’s strategy.
And they take their great knowledge of electric vehicles off the shelf where it gathers dust.
As one whose 8-year-old Toyota electric car with 78,000 miles on the original battery pack drove exactly 100 miles yesterday using 89% of the charge, I welcome Toyota back.
Posted by Marc Geller
