Toyota’s Vision for Sustainability, EV Charging in Underserved Communities

Toyota Motor North America today announced “Empact,” a new vision to aid the transition of underserved communities to electrified mobility. Combining “environmental impact,” focusing on the company’s movements towards carbon neutrality, and “empowering action,” which represents efforts Toyota is making to design a more equitable and inclusive deployment strategy within underserved communities, the vision centers on three areas: access to charging, affordable mobility solutions, and reducing carbon emissions.

The company plans to work with local and state officials to identify communities where Empact might address EV charging access and affordability issues. Toyota will also work with partners and cities to identify locations for charging station deployment. Targeted sites will include places without off-street or private parking and areas of higher population density in multi-family housing.

Toyota will explore how to enable more cost-effective public charging for greater battery electric vehicle adoption. DC fast charging is up to 3x more expensive than home charging. Toyota will also continue providing a portfolio of EVs, including four hybrid electric vehicles starting under $31,000, two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and the all-electric Toyota bZ4X.

The company has started working with WattTime, a nonprofit organization that recommends times to charge battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles when charging from the grid. These will have lower carbon emissions or a lower potential health impact over the long term on people living near power plants. Toyota’s Clean Assist opt-in program allows US customers with an active Remote Connect trial or subscription and a Toyota or Lexus BEV or Toyota or Lexus PHEV in California to get 100 percent of their charge matched with renewable electricity.