Toyota says Not Enough Resources for BEV as Dominant Powertrain

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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19th May 2023

The world cannot rely on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as the main powertrain option for transportation because there simply are not enough resources available.

That’s the view of Toyota which has reiterated it strategic approach to continue offering a broad spectrum of powertrain options while reducing CO2 emissions. Reuters reports that the automaker’s top scientist warned that focusing on BEVs could lead some drivers to hold onto polluting vehicles.

The world’s top automaker has long championed a multi-fuel approach to powertrains citing its gasoline hybrid technology as the overall best greenhouse gas reducing current technology for the majority of vehicle users. Gill Pratt, chief executive of the Toyota Research Institute, told reporters this week that BEVs could make a positive difference in reducing climate change in countries such as Norway, which has a lot of renewable infrastructure. However, in other parts of the world, where coal is still used to produce power, hybrids were better for CO2 emissions.

Speaking before the start of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, He said: “Battery materials and renewable charging infrastructure will eventually be plentiful. But it’s going to take decades for battery material mines, renewable power generation, transmission lines and seasonal energy-storage facilities to scale up.”

Toyota, which intends to sell 1.5M BEVs by 2026 and introduce 10 new models, has frequently argued that reaching carbon neutrality will mean the use of hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. Last year former chief executive, Akio Toyoda, lobbied the Japanese government to make clear it supported hybrid vehicles as much as BEVs or risk losing the auto industry’s support.

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_