Toyota continues to assert that hybrids are the most sustainable option for the planet and that electric cars are not a good solution.
Now, a new statement comes from Gill Pratt, who is the chief scientist and chief executive officer at Toyota Research Institute, and according to him, the Earth lacks the resources required for a swift transition to electric vehicles. A slower pace is necessary, and Toyota believes that hybrid solutions and even hydrogen, before solely relying on electric cars, are the way to go.
Gill says to Bloomberg:
Eventually, resource limitations will end, but for many years we will not have enough battery material and renewable recharging resources for a BEV-only solution. Battery materials and renewable charging infrastructure will eventually be plentiful. But it will take decades for battery material mines, renewable power generation facilities, transmission lines and seasonal energy storage facilities to scale up.
Toyota aims to sell 1.5 million electric vehicles per year by 2026, and before that, ten new fully electric models should be launched. Last year, Toyota sold ten million cars, but only 25,000 of them were fully electric.