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As Japan apparently heads to instigate a ban on the sale of combustion cars by 2035, the head of the country’s largest car maker is not happy.
Speaking in a recent Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association end of the year press conference covered by the Wall Street Journal, Akio Toyoda said that Japan “will be without electricity” in the summer months if everyone has electric vehicles.
“When politicians are saying, ‘We’re going to get rid of all the gasoline-powered cars,’ do you understand this?” he said.
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Hybrids and plug-in hybrids like the RAV4 Prime have been Toyota’s bread and butter for years. But as the automotive world heads toward full electrification, Japan’s biggest automaker is being pushed out of its comfort zone.
According to Toyoda-san, if Japan rushes to ban gasoline cars, “the current business model of the auto industry will collapse,” causing the loss of millions of jobs. Upgrading Japan’s electrical infrastructure to support a fleet of fully electric vehicles would cost between ¥ 14 trillion and ¥ 37 trillion (NZ $ 189.8 billion to $ 501.6 billion).
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Upgrading infrastructure to meet the 2035 deadline will be costly, but while jobs may be lost, new ones will be created. Also, that kind of work will have to be done at some point …
Jens Schlueter / Getty Images
Japan’s electrical infrastructure will need a massive overhaul if everyone is switching to an electric vehicle at the same time, says Toyota’s CEO.
Toyoda-san went on to say that in countries like Japan that rely primarily on coal and natural gas for energy production, electric vehicles actually worsen carbon dioxide production. There are studies that claim that both sides of this argument are true, although the generally accepted view is that while electric vehicles may have a larger carbon footprint due to the mining and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, the fact that they do not they emit carbon during the active life of the vehicle. it means that total carbon emissions are lower.
When batteries lose enough capacity to make them unsuitable for vehicle use, they can still have up to 70 percent of their capacity remaining, potentially collecting and discharging electricity for another seven to 10 years beyond the point of being. stripped of a chassis. That’s perfect for home energy storage.
Reused batteries also power supermarket refrigerators, forklifts, and street lights in Japan and power car charging stations in California. Electric vehicles can also be used as emergency power sources.
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Nissan has technology that can enable your Leaf EV to become a mobile power source in emergency situations.
Toyoda-san’s spiel generally points to Toyota’s traditionally conservative stance on a major change. It has championed hybrid and plug-in hybrids for the past decade as an easy transition to full power EVs, which could hit the mark next year as a shared SUV with Subaru. Previously, Toyota offered an all-electric RAV4 that actually used Tesla technology before Tesla was a proper company.
The brand also offers the hydrogen-powered Mirai as a green alternative.
Despite the reluctance of its boss, Toyota also has solid-state batteries in development, which will debut first at the Tokyo Olympics next year. The company plans to invest more than $ 13 billion (NZ $ 18.2 billion) in electrification, with the goal of electrified vehicles accounting for 50 percent of its sales by 2025.
