Toyota Launches New EV Charging Partnership To Juice US Sales

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For years, Toyota has been a wallflower on the walls of the US vehicle electrification movement. Now would be an unfortunate time to take the gloves off, considering the abrupt U-turn in federal support for EVs. Nevertheless, Toyota has awoken from its slumber with the launch of the new C-HR EV in the US, and the company has just announced a new home EV charging partnership with the US firm Treehouse to help juice sales.

Home EV Charging With Treehouse

The home charging angle is essential because the overwhelming majority of EV owners prefer to charge at home. Driver satisfaction with the availability of public EV charging stations has also ticked up in recent years, but home charging is still the sweet spot.

Treehouse sailed across the CleanTechnica radar back in 2022, when Steve Hanley took note of the company’s home EV charging station model.

“Lots of automakers and car dealers offer EV buyers discounts on home chargers but few offer help in determining how much it will cost to install those chargers,” Hanley wrote. Treehouse fills that gap by collecting data from prospective EV buyers, enabling the company to produce an estimate tailored to their home.

Treehouse also partners with other stakeholders to push down costs. In 2023, the company introduced a partnership with the financing company Tenet, enabling car buyers to bundle in the cost of their home EV charger with their monthly auto loan payments. The up-front savings in charging costs can be substantial.

“For instance, EV owners who exclusively use public chargers typically pay around $150 per month in fees,” explains Treehouse’s Chief Product Officer, Chief Product Officer. “In contrast, financing home charge installation and paying for electricity at home would only cost around $105 per month, resulting in immediate savings.”

Treehouse produced that estimate about three years ago, and much has changed since then. Electricity rates have gone up, but EV owners also have new opportunities to save money by enrolling in a managed charging program offered by their local utility.

Managed EV Charging & The Toyota Model

The discounted managed charging model dovetails nicely with Toyota’s new home EV charging partnership with Treehouse. Toyota has always clung to the notion that most EV drivers are satisfied with a long, slow overnight charge, and utility rates typically fall during those off-hours.

The Treehouse partnership applies to all Toyota and Lexus hybrids as well as pure battery EVs. “All 2026 and newer Toyota and Lexus BEVs and PHEVs come standard with a dual-voltage 120V/240V AC home charger to allow for both Level 1 and faster Level 2 charging,” Toyota explains.

“With a maximum output of 7.7 kW, under ideal conditions, the dual voltage charging cable is capable of charging a vehicle from approximately 10% state of charge to full capacity overnight,” the company adds.

The Faster Charging Option

The hookup with Treehouse enables Toyota customers to skip the hassle of vetting home charging station installers. The company deploys its data-driven questionnaire to provide prospective buyers with an estimate. Once approved, Treehouse deploys its team of pre-vetted, licensed electricians to take care of the rest.

Toyota customers can also exercise a faster, Level 2 charging option through Treehouse by deploying the cable provided with their car (added to BEVs from 2024 model year, and added to PHEVs starting in 2026).

“With the inclusion of the dual-voltage charging cable, Toyota and Lexus owners have the flexibility to access Level 2 charging by simply installing a 240V outlet through Treehouse,” Toyota notes.

“A hardwired ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger is also available through Treehouse and can further reduce charging time by up to 30% depending on the vehicle and setup,” they add.

Catching Up With Treehouse

CleanTechnica hasn’t caught up with Treehouse since 2022, so now would be a good time to see what else the company has been cooking up. “By operating as a centralized, end-to-end partner, Treehouse helps companies – including auto retailers and manufacturers, fleet providers, utilities, and electrification hardware manufacturers – scale electrification programs nationwide and deliver seamless, delightful installation experiences for customers,” Treehouse (not to be confused with similarly named companies) says of itself.

To date, Treehouse has attracted more than $25 million in financing from Flourish Ventures, Eaton, Veriten, MassMutual Ventures, and other investors and partners. With the addition of the Toyota/Lexus combo, the company also lists Tesla, Ford, and Rivian on its “trusted installer” roster.

Of particular interest is Treehouse’s recent hookup with the leading US energy firm Constellation. Last week, Constellation announced that its Constellation Home branch is working with Treehouse to install Level 2 home EV charging stations in the EV-friendly state of Maryland. “Ultimately, this agreement works to fill the void in post-purchase services with a focus on accessible charging solutions and a superior installation experience,” Constellation explains.

Under the new agreement, Constellation Home will continue to support home installations in and around Central Maryland, while Treehouse will handle installations outside of Constellation’s service area, enabling customers to take advantage of discounted utility rates. Eventually, the partners expect the new program to expand Constellation’s business along the East Coast and beyond.

“Electric vehicle owners do not need to be current Constellation customers to register for a charger installation,” Constellation also notes.

Next Steps For EV Sales In The US

As the hour approaches for US President Donald Trump to deliver his annual State of the Union Address, don’t expect to hear any three cheers for the domestic EV industry. Still, Toyota is among the automakers expecting that consumer choice will support EV sales over the rough patch of federal policy.

On February 18, the company reaffirmed its intention to bring the C-HR back to the US. The model flopped on these shores as a gas-powered vehicle just a couple of years ago, but Toyota anticipates that the all-electric upstyled version will fare much better.

“With an eye-catching, wide, athletic coupe-like profile, the model joins the revised bZ and the new bZ Woodland SUVs when it goes on sale next month. The C-HR also offers powerful electric performance, with dual motors and standard electronic All Wheel Drive (AWD) for 338 combined system horsepower,” Toyota states, drawing attention to the car’s 25.3 cubic feet of cargo space, with almost 60 cf available with the rear seats folded down.

Although Toyota continues to rely on hybrids to polish its electrification profile, the company also notes that the new C-HR is its third all-battery vehicle to be sold in the US.

The MSRP starts at $37,000, which appears to be a fairly competitive price in today’s market. If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the discussion thread.

Photo (cropped): Despite the sharp U-turn in federal policy, Toyota has added a new home EV charging station partnership to its plans for selling more BEVs in the US (courtesy of Toyota).