Toyota Executive Defends Slow EV Push: 'We Follow The Customer'

Toyota’s top North American product strategist says the company’s cautious approach to battery electric vehicles is finally paying off, even as rivals pull back on their own EV ambitions. Cooper Ericksen, who oversees product, battery electric vehicles, and mobility planning at Toyota Motor North America, describes the past decade of electrification as a ‘roller coaster ride’ in which predicting the right moment to launch EVs proved nearly impossible.

Ericksen argues that customer demand never matched the hype. During the era of federal tax credits, he says automakers were piling massive incentives onto EVs — often $10,000 to$20,000 per vehicle from the manufacturer alone, plus government support — which artificially inflated sales figures. Even with those subsidies, EV market share peaked at roughly 9%. He points to practical buyer concerns: uncertainty about reliability, confusion over charging, and an unwillingness to pay a premium. Toyota, he says, chose to listen to those customers rather than chase volume with discounted electric cars.

That strategy has left Toyota leaning heavily on hybrids. The RAV4, the world’s best-selling vehicle, is now hybrid-only for 2026, and the Camry follows the same path. Roughly half of Toyota’s U.S. sales are now electrified, with traditional hybrids making up the vast majority. Meanwhile, Toyota’s profitability remains the envy of the industry, a fact Ericksen does not shy away from.

He also acknowledges missteps. The original bZ4X, Toyota’s first modern mass-market EV, arrived late and underdelivered on range, charging speed, and EV-specific features. Ericksen admits the criticism was fair. The newer bZ improves on those fronts, though Toyota still trails rivals on some software features like EV route planning. With more electric models in the pipeline, Toyota insists it is serious about EVs — just on its own timeline.