Toyota's Move to Follow Tesla in Opening Lexus Charging Stations

TapTechNews June 25th, although Toyota's pace of transitioning to pure electric vehicles is slow, it seems to be learning from industry giant Tesla. Toyota announced that it will open its luxury brand Lexus charging stations to all electric vehicles in Japan, following Tesla's practice in the US and globally.

TapTechNews noted that last June, Lexus took the lead in opening the first fast charging station in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, marking the start of the Lexus electrification plan. Then in December 2023, the second charging station at Karuizawa Common Grounds was also officially put into use. These charging stations are equipped with fast chargers with a maximum power of 150 kilowatts.

Previously, Lexus charging stations were only available to Lexus owners. Owners can reserve a charging spot 60 days in advance through the My Lexus application, and can automatically pay the fee through the application, providing a seamless charging experience. In addition, Lexus also offers value-added services such as free beverages, work areas, and discounts on nearby services.

Now all electric vehicle owners can use these charging stations. Toyota's announcement to open Lexus charging stations is similar to Tesla's practice of opening its supercharging network. Last May, Ford Motor was the first to announce plans to adopt Tesla's NACS adapter, and then almost all automakers including Toyota and Lexus followed this move to obtain access to its supercharging network in the US.

However, Tesla has more than 15,000 supercharging piles in the US and Canada, and more than 50,000 globally. Compared to this, Lexus plans to build approximately 100 charging stations in Japan by 2030.

Meanwhile, Toyota and Lexus are still lagging behind the industry average in the pace of transitioning to electric vehicles. In the first four months as of April 2024, Toyota (including Lexus) sold only 46,033 electric vehicles globally, accounting for only 3.4% of the 1.3 million vehicles sold in the same period.