2024 Toyota Tacoma EV Overview: What We Know So Far
While Toyota's key pickup truck rivals either already have full-size electric pickups on sale or on the way imminently, the Japanese marque seems to be focusing on the mid-size electric pickup segment first. Although the automaker said it won't build an electric Tundra until EV infrastructure improves, the lower demands placed on a mid-size pickup could be why Toyota already teased an electric pickup that looks roughly the size of a Tacoma.
Presumably called the Tacoma EV or Tacoma Electric, it is expected to be sold alongside the new-generation gas-powered Tacoma. While much remains unknown about the Tacoma EV, it should be vastly more refined and powerful than the current model, while sharing several styling cues with its ICE sibling. Toyota's first mass-market EV, the bZ4X, has had a middling reception, but the Tacoma EV could be the product that sees rivals from Ford and Chevrolet take Toyota more seriously in the EV space.
When Is The Toyota Tacoma EV Coming Out?
It's expected that the release date for the Toyota Tacoma EV will be later this year, when it should be coming out as a 2024 model. However, Toyota's apparent reluctance to rush the sale of EVs could delay the Tacoma EV further, but we hope this won't be the case.
What’s The Price Of The 2024 Tacoma EV?
Although EVs have attained cost parity with ICE models in some cases, they're generally still positioned as more premium, expensive alternatives. We also expect the new Toyota Tacoma EV pickup to come only in Double Cab or Crew Cab guise, with the more basic Access Cab being limited to the ICE models. With that in mind, we expect the price of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma EV pickup truck to start at around $45,000. That's a bit more than you'd pay for a current, well-equipped 2023 Tacoma Limited in Double Cab form. Expect to pay around $60,000 MSRP for a top-spec Tacoma EV in the USA, which would make it the priciest Tacoma-badged Toyota yet.
Ford doesn't sell a Ranger Lightning yet, but the Tacoma EV's price could overlap with base versions of the full-size F-150 Lightning.
New Toyota Tacoma EV Exterior And Colors
While we can't make any definite statements about the yet-to-be-revealed exterior styling of the Toyota Tacoma EV, we can draw a few sensible conclusions. For starters, Toyota revealed a slew of EVs late in 2021 that included what appeared to be a Tacoma-sized electric pickup. Then, in early 2023, leaked patent images of the new ICE Tacoma appeared online (pictured above and below). The similarities between the two are clear, as both have a baby Tundra look.
As usual, however, the electric pickup concept has a few differences to the production Tacoma patent images. That includes a closed-off grille design since there would be no practical need for a traditional grille. The electric concept also came with blacked-out A pillars and a black roof, something that may or may not make it onto the production Tacoma EV. A slightly different wheel design is another difference, but based on the concept and the leaked images, it's evident that Toyota won't be going with a wild design for its first electric pickup.
Blocky fender flares, a front skid plate, and substantial all-terrain rubber are visual cues that point to the Tacoma EV's ruggedness. Regarding available colors for the Toyota Tacoma EV, it could mirror shades like Magnetic Gray, Barcelona Red, Blue Crush, and Wind Chill Pearl that can currently be specified on the 2023 Tacoma.
Toyota Tacoma EV Dimensions
At this early stage, we don't have final dimensions for the Toyota Tacoma EV, but it will likely be a little larger than the current Tacoma Double Cab which has a height of 70.6 inches, a width of 74.4 inches, a length of 212.3 inches, and a 127.4-inch wheelbase. Some of these numbers vary depending on the trim.
The new Tacoma EV will very likely be heavier than its gas-powered counterpart. As the current Tacoma Double Cab already starts at over 4,000 pounds, the Tacoma EV is likely to exceed 5,000 lbs.
Toyota Tacoma EV Engine And Performance
In place of a gas-powered engine, the Toyota Tacoma EV is expected to be equipped with one or two electric motors. No technical specs have been shared by the automaker, though, so we can only speculate what the truck's outputs and performance will look like.
If a single-motor variant is revealed, it should be rear-wheel drive and possibly make 201 horsepower, which is what the single-motor bZ4X makes. With dual motors and four-wheel drive, Toyota may tune the Tundra EV to deliver up to 300 hp to give it the kind of performance expected of an EV, and the towing capabilities that truck owners demand. The current Tacoma V6 can tow up to 6,800 lbs, and Toyota would want to get close to that for the Tacoma EV. At its quickest, an estimated 0-60 mph time of under seven seconds would make the Tacoma EV quicker than the current V6-powered model.
We expect that the Tacoma EV will ride on a platform adapted from the one used for the new gas-powered Tacoma, rather than a dedicated EV platform. This differs from a pickup like the Rivian R1T which was developed to be an EV from the start. Ford previously said that the new Ford Ranger's T6 platform is flexible enough to support a fully electric drivetrain, and it's this sort of flexibility that we expect from the Tacoma EV's underpinnings.
Potential TRD versions could be available, making the Tacoma EV a formidable off-roader just like the current model.
Gas Mileage
Because trucks are less aerodynamic and efficient than crossovers and sedans, it's difficult to extract a long electric range from them. However, Ford has managed a 320-mile range with the full-size F-150 Lightning in Extended Range guise. Toyota seems to have put less emphasis on range since the bZ4X crossover only manages between 222 and 252 miles based on the trim, but with a possible battery capacity of around 90 kWh (somewhere between that of the bZ4X crossover and larger F-150 Lightning full-size pickup), the Tacoma EV could get closer to 300 miles.
By the time the Tacoma EV arrives, we hope that Toyota will have increased charging speeds from the bZ4X's mediocre 100 kW (AWD) and 150 kW (FWD) maximums.
Toyota Tacoma EV Interior And Cargo
We have absolutely no inkling of what the interior of the Toyota Tacoma EV will look like, as even the leaked patent images of the new Tacoma were only of the vehicle's exterior. What we do know is that Toyota will have to dramatically step up its game inside, as the current Tacoma's cabin (pictured below) suffers from poor space utilization, an outdated design, and cheap-feeling materials. Fortunately, we've seen the leap forward inside the new Tundra relative to its predecessor, so we have high hopes for the Tacoma EV.
Being an electric vehicle, technology should be a highlight of the Tundra EV's cabin. A digital driver's display should be available, if not standard, and the latest infotainment system may even match the available 14-inch touchscreen of the Tundra, but this will only be the case on top trims. Toyota's usual safety suite will include forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and pedestrian detection, but the Tacoma EV is expected to come with blind-spot monitoring and a surround-view camera on upper trims too.
The seats in the Toyota Tacoma EV will probably be upholstered in cloth on base trims, making way for SofTex imitation leather higher up in the range. As manufacturers are keen to promote their EVs as more sustainable alternatives to conventionally-powered cars, genuine leather may not be available at all for the Tacoma EV.
As mentioned, legroom in the second row of the current Tacoma isn't great, so we expect the new Tacoma EV to be an improvement in this area. Cargo space in the Toyota Tacoma EV will be determined by the size of its bed, which could match the six-foot bed offered on the current Tacoma. What would be most welcome is a frunk, something that Ford engineers incorporated to great effect in the new F-150 Lightning.
