What makes Toyota president Akio Toyoda not believe in electric cars?

Although Toyota is one of the leading global automakers, it is not keen on using all-electric vehicles in its electrification strategy. The president of the Japanese car brand Akio Toyoda has repeatedly expressed skepticism about all-electric vehicles. He believes most people in the auto industry think the same thing but never expressed opposition to the electric-only strategy. He believes the silent majority of the auto industry is wondering if EVs are really okay with having a single option for electrification, but they’re not saying it because it’s a trend.

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While the Japanese car brand is under pressure to introduce electric vehicles due to growing demand for zero-emissions models and increasing competition, Akio Toyoda has reiterated that Toyota does not want to adopt a strategy. strategy to use only battery electric vehicles for its electrification plan.
The Toyota president has said that the automaker wants to focus on more options to explore zero-emission mobility. This is why the car brand is exploring a range of electrification technologies for its vehicles. These electrification technologies include hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell, electric battery, etc.
Akio Toyoda’s recent comments on electric vehicles are the clearest summary of his company’s long-term strategy of exploring multiple options for electrification. His comments come at a time when a number of automakers worldwide have set deadlines to transition to all-electricity. In addition, governments around the world are increasing pressure on the auto industry to adopt cleaner and greener powertrain solutions through tightening emissions norms to cut emissions. vehicle emissions into the environment.
Toyota sees a way forward for hybrid and hydrogen vehicles alongside electric vehicles. Toyoda believes that hybrid vehicles that combine a gasoline engine with an electric motor to generate electricity while cutting emissions could be the perfect bridge to fill the gap between internal combustion engines and powertrain technology. completely electric. The reason behind automakers’ lack of enthusiasm for electric vehicles may be partly because they haven’t had as much success with electric vehicles as other automakers. On the other hand, its enthusiasm for hybrids lies in the success of models like the Prius Hybrid. However, it remains to be seen how long Toyota will stick with its current strategy.
Date of first publication: December 22, 2022, 11:24 a.m. IST