The Japanese government said that on Friday the country intends to stop selling gasoline-powered cars in 2035, which is tantamount to a ‘face-slap’ behavior against Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda.
Akio Toyoda recently claimed that the hasty shift to electric vehicles could weaken the auto industry. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s plan is similar to the measures taken by California and major European countries, but it certainly faces resistance from auto industry executives, because Japanese automakers produce tens of millions of vehicles that use gasoline engines every year.
However, according to the plan, Japan will still allow the sale of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles after 2035. Many models of Japan’s largest automakers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have conventional and hybrid models.
Earlier this month, Toyoda stated that if Japan bans gasoline-powered vehicles too hastily and switches to electric vehicles, ‘the current business model of the auto industry will collapse.
As per the news, the power grid in summer will not be able to meet the changing needs of electric vehicles, and that almost all electricity in Japan is supplied by burning fossil fuels, which will increase greenhouse gas emissions.
However, Japanese government officials said that the shift to clean energy and electric vehicles should be seen as major development opportunities, and the private sector should make major changes to existing strategies and business models.
The Japanese government’s plan calls for electrification of all new cars sold in the country from 2035. This includes electric cars, hybrid cars, and cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The plan states that the price of batteries should be lowered so that the price of electric cars will be roughly the same as gasoline-powered cars in ten years. In the field of electric vehicles, Japan is concerned about falling behind Europe and China.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan noted that in the third quarter, the total sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the EU more than tripled to about 270,000 units, while sales in Japan during the same period were only about 6,000.
However, Japanese auto industry executives are angry at this statement, claiming that Japan provides more gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles than other countries.
Many people question whether, given the carbon dioxide emitted during the production of electric vehicles and their parts, are pure electric vehicles like Tesla really more environmentally friendly than hybrid vehicles.
(Via)
