Automobile manufacturers across the world are hurrying to convert their lineups to electric cars (EVs), but Toyota's President is not a supporter of an all-EV strategy.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Toyota President Akio Toyoda feels EVs are overhyped and that a wholesale shift to EV-only lineups will bring more difficulties than it will solve.
Toyoda specifically mentioned the environmental implications of charging EVs. The CEO believes that if Japan's entire fleet of automobiles were EV-only, the country's present energy system would collapse under the weight of charging vehicles. He also addressed the environmental impact of charging EVs, pointing out that the energy source utilized to create power still emits carbon.
“When politicians are out there saying, ‘Let’s get rid of all cars using gasoline,’ do they understand this?” Mr. Toyoda said at a news conference while serving in his capacity as Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Chairman.
Toyota has voiced fear that such a shift would result in the loss of millions of jobs, claiming that "the existing economic model of the auto industry would collapse" if the government moves too quickly to prohibit gasoline vehicles.
While Toyoda makes legitimate points, he is in the minority of auto executives, or at least among those who have publicly spoken on the shift to EVs.