They've been selling partial-electric cars since at least 2014. The Prius Prime allows for electric-only driving up to about 30 miles per charge. That's enough for my commute. I got 3500 miles on my first tank of gas.
Toyota has put a small battery and electric motor in their cars for 20 years now capable of propelling the vehicle at low speeds.
But if you're trying to build an actual electric vehicle, you don't want a small battery as that puts you on the worst part of the discharge rate and battery life curve. A larger battery in the same vehicle reduces the "C" rate and is much kinder on the battery plus gives you much more power to work with and ability to handle a much higher charge rate.
Big battery wins, long-term. Small battery is a false economy except on hybrids.
I think the lack of appreciation of this (and lack of availability of inexpensive batteries) has hampered a lot of carmakers. Address that (super cheap batteries so you can put a 500 mile battery in if you want), and virtually every "problem" with electric cars goes away or is dramatically reduced.
They've been selling partial-electric cars since at least 2014. The Prius Prime allows for electric-only driving up to about 30 miles per charge. That's enough for my commute. I got 3500 miles on my first tank of gas.
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