E-cars are not the future
With its future planning, Toyota is persistently opposing the rest of the market: In contrast to Tesla, VW and Co., the Japanese are not just betting on the electric horse. The car company sees no reason for this and rejects a future only with e-cars in its range.
E-cars, hydrogen, hybrids: the future at Toyota is colorful
For the next 30 years, Toyota customers will be able to choose from a wide range of drive types. This has now been confirmed by leading managers of the Japanese automaker. Be it “Too early to concentrate on just one option”said Shigeki Terashi, manager at Toyota. Instead, customers should have a choice: There will continue to be hybrid vehicles and cars with fuel cells (hydrogen) at Toyota.
Compared to other manufacturers Toyota moves slowly towards electrification. The first purely battery-electric powered car from the Japanese was announced a few months ago and is due to appear next year. European manufacturers such as VW and Volvo, on the other hand, have set specific goals for switching to e-cars and, according to a recent study, the best chances of meeting them.
Toyota, however, wants to keep the various drive variants competing internally so that the best options remain. “Some people love battery electric vehicles, but others don’t see the current technology as practical,” says CTO Masahiko Maeda. “Ultimately, it’s about what customers choose.”
Even if Toyota doesn’t want Japanese manufacturers to be able to make electric cars, the Honda E im shows Video:
How Bloomberg reports Costs and production also play crucial roles: Toyota’s decision is based on a calculation according to which the production of e-cars is more expensive and there are significantly more emissions. There is much to suggest that people in Japan are skeptical about the advantages of electric cars over other alternative drives.
Toyota drives a risky course in calm waters
If you take a look at the motivation behind Toyota’s plan, it is obvious: there is hardly any other way. The Japanese manufacturer was ahead of its time with hybrid vehicles and does not want to give them up now. In any case, the chance to become a pioneer in pure electric drive has long since passed. Instead of acting quickly, one trusts in the usual successful model of the last few years and decades. The years to come will have to show whether this will pay off.
