Toyota to install 500 EV chargers in Japan by 2026

Toyota Motor will add more high-speed electric vehicle chargers at its dealerships across Japan, according to an announcement made early Tuesday.

The company said it has 390 fast chargers and about 3,800 normal-speed chargers already running nationwide.

A spokesperson said Toyota plans to increase the number of fast chargers to 500 by the end of the fiscal year ending March 2026. In 2021, Toyota had pledged to install high-speed chargers at all of its roughly 5,000 domestic dealership locations by 2025 as part of a plan to launch 30 new electric vehicles by 2030.

“We do not focus on achieving a set number of chargers, but rather, install them based on needs and usage,” the spokesperson said during a media briefing.

Japan’s official policy is far more ambitious. By 2030, the government plans to make 30,000 high-speed chargers available nationwide by installing them at convenience stores, gas stations, and other public places.

The country’s trade ministry projects that about 10,000 of Japan’s 20,000 auto dealerships will have fast chargers by the end of the decade. Toyota Chief Executive Officer Koji Sato has also said the company might have to revise its target of selling 1.5 million electric vehicles annually by 2026.

Nissan and Mitsubishi said they have already put high-speed charging stations at most of their outlets. Nissan reports about 90% of its dealerships are equipped with fast chargers, and Mitsubishi says about 94% of its locations now have them.

Toyota reports slower domestic sales while expanding global operations

Toyota’s sales data show the company’s challenges at home. Global sales in August, including Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, rose just over 1% from a year earlier to 900,598 units.

Sales abroad increased almost 4% to a record monthly high, but sales in Japan dropped more than 10%. Global production grew almost 4% to 837,869 units.

Toyota built and sold record numbers of vehicles for seven straight months, driven by a rebound in gas-electric hybrid demand, even as it dealt with President Donald Trump’s 15% tariffs on cars and car parts shipped to the U.S. Toyota and Lexus brand sales in August rose nearly 14% in the U.S., but fell 12% in Japan.

Battery electric vehicle sales worldwide climbed 35% to 17,056 units, but only 18 units were sold in Japan. In August, Toyota cut its annual profit guidance, saying the tariffs would hit its bottom line by ¥1.4 trillion ($9.5 billion).

The company now expects ¥3.2 trillion in operating income for the fiscal year ending March 2026, down from its previous forecast of ¥3.8 trillion.

Toyota develops Woven City project as it seeks new technologies

Toyota also opened the first phase of Woven City, an experimental town near Mount Fuji in Shizuoka meant to serve as a testing ground for technologies including autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.

The 47,000-square-meter (505,903-square-foot) complex includes a dozen buildings, such as modern apartments where employees will eventually live.

During a Thursday tour for media and stakeholders, few people were seen on the clean pathways. Demonstrations showed electric scooters, automated robots that deliver groceries or park cars, and a nursery school where children will learn basic English.

The second phase will cover 182,000 square meters and include a test course. Toyota said around 2,000 residents are expected to move in during that stage.

“I honestly don’t know when this will produce results,” said Woven City Executive Vice President Daisuke Toyoda, the son of Chairman Akio Toyoda who plans to live there. “We could see unexpected results or output, or we might not.”

Automotive analyst Julie Boote at Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd. said it could take five years for Toyota’s new technologies to have a meaningful impact on its business. Bloomberg Intelligence senior auto analyst Tatsuo Yoshida said, “This certainly won’t create business today, tomorrow or even the day after — the point is, not doing anything is no longer an option.”

Plans to build a “living laboratory” were first announced five years ago by then-Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda. Earlier this year, Akio said Woven City might not earn money but would show next-generation technologies.

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