A top Toyota executive says hybrid cars are a better fit for n drivers right now but Tesla and the industry are hitting back in a fiery debate.
‘s most popular car brand has launched a stinging attack on electric vehicles, claiming they are not ready for our roads, not as green as they seem, and remain ‘impractical for the vast majority of n motorists’.
But ‘s most popular electric car brand is hitting back, alongside industry groups, claiming the argument is a ‘cynical’ attack by a company ‘too slow off the mark’ and at risk of losing the future automotive race.
‘s most popular car brand has launched a stinging attack on electric vehicle (pictured, the Tesla CyberTruck electric vehicle)
The organisations, including Tesla and the Electric Vehicle Council, say Toyota’s allegations also have the potential to slow cuts to transport emissions and harm a promising local industry exporting in-demand battery minerals.
The argument is the latest, and potentially fiercest, in a series of debates about the suitability of electric cars but it comes after their sales in have more than doubled and as future legislation promises to increase supply.
Toyota previewed new vehicles at the Japan Mobility Show and continues to back hybrid technology.
Toyota sales vice-president Sean Hanley sparked the war of words with comments to journalists at the Japan Mobility Show.
The company used the event to show off future products, including its first electric car due to launch in , the delayed bZ4X SUV.
Despite showing off an electric vehicle, Mr Hanley told journalists hybrid vehicles were ‘a better fit’ for n motorists and could have greater environmental benefits.
‘(Battery electric vehicles) make sense right now in places like Norway where most energy is renewable and incomes are high but is not Europe,’ he said.
‘In countries like , our data suggests that hybrids can have a greater impact than full electrification in getting carbon off the road.’
He argued Toyota could make more hybrid vehicles with the same materials used to create one electric car, that EVs were ‘powered, in many cases, by electricity generated from coal’ and that they remained ‘impractical’ for drivers.
But Mr Hanley’s comments prompted immediate rebukes from other parts of the automotive industry, including one of Toyota’s newest and biggest rivals.
Toyota’s first electric vehicle to go on sale in is the bZ4X.
Tesla public policy vice-president Rohan Patel issued a statement on social network X, saying Mr Hanley is ‘obviously not much of an expert on the n electricity grid’.
He pointed to ‘s growing use of renewable electricity and said thousands of drivers were using ‘100 per cent clean energy from the sun’ to fuel their cars.
‘Already today the lifetime emissions of electric vehicles are far better than internal combustion (cars) and that gap is widening as the grid gets cleaner,’ he said.
‘Aussies are too smart than to be tricked by cynical (public relations) that aims to slow the sustainable transportation transition to help sell internal combustion vehicles in the short-term.’
Figures from the federal energy department show renewable sources generated 32 per cent of ‘s electricity last year, with most from solar followed by wind and hydro.
Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari says the comments from Toyota also have the potential to undermine a lucrative local industry.
produced more lithium than any other nation in 2022, according to the United States Geological Survey – the main element used to produce electric vehicle batteries.
‘You’d think that common sense would tell you to push back against arguments that talk down Aussie jobs and opportunities in a booming battery sector,’ Mr Jafari said.
‘These comments go against what’s in the best interest of both n consumers looking to save on fuel bills and ‘s economy by talking down the battery industry when we’re the ones who can supply the world with electric vehicle batteries.’
Mr Jafari says Toyota’s criticism of electric cars and elevation of hybrid vehicle technology had more to do with what the company had to sell than the best interests of motorists.
‘This is an attempt by them to try to defend their own failings rather than admitting, as they have at a global level, they got it wrong and they’ve been too slow off the market with EVs,’ he said.
‘Toyota’s market share has been dropping in and the electric vehicle market share has been growing.’
Figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show Toyota remains the top-selling brand in but its lead is narrowing.
The Japanese car maker sold more than 21,000 fewer vehicles this year than during the same period last year, while electric rival Tesla sold almost 24,000 more cars.
Electric vehicle sales from all brands have more than doubled in 2023.
Electric Vehicle Council boss Behyad Jafari says Toyota has been too slow to develop EVs.
n Electric Vehicle Association national president Chris Jones says their popularity had been boosted by the arrival of more electric models that are ultimately cheaper to run than petrol cars and more environmentally friendly.
‘When it comes to buying a new vehicle, the cost difference between a hybrid Toyota Corolla and a full-electric MG4 is small: less than $8000,’ he said.
‘People would spend $8000 on fuel in the next five years so on a financial basis if you’re going to hold on to a car for a reasonable time, the EV is the better option.’
Dr Jones says there are a small number of circumstances in which electric cars do not yet meet motorists’ needs but they represent a minority of users who tow ‘extremely heavy loads’ in ‘very difficult driving conditions’.
‘Everyone else’s needs are entirely met by what’s on the market and what will continue to come to market,’ he said.
‘Toyota will soon come up against the fact they do need to make an EV and a compelling one.’
It comes as Toyota and Hyundai have partnered to expand the number of hydrogen refuelling stations in and boost popularity of renewable energy.
Four companies, including the automakers, Ampol and Pacific Energy, announced the deal on Tuesday, revealing plans to share expertise and build hydrogen infrastructure in Canberra.
Toyota and Hyundai are the only companies to have released hydrogen fuel-cell cars in – the Mirai sedan and NEXO SUV – which have had limited adoption due to the lack of refuelling options.
has fewer than 10 hydrogen stations.
The announcement also came as the n Renewable Energy Agency revealed it had approved record funding during the last financial year for projects including hydrogen infrastructure.
Ampol chief executive Matt Halliday said the four companies had signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop hydrogen projects to support vehicles in the nation’s capital.
“Hydrogen can play an important role in delivering decarbonisation benefits for transport and developing the right infrastructure to support a successful rollout is key,” he said.
Toyota shows off the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Mirai
“The (deal) establishes a collaborative working relationship between the parties who are all required to develop the necessary hydrogen ecosystem to make hydrogen use as a transport feasible.”
Hyundai deployed 23 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles in Canberra as part of a deal with the ACT government in 2021, making it the first hydrogen car fleet in .
Toyota has been trialling its Mirai line of hydrogen fuel-cell cars in since 2018 and offers the vehicles on extended lease in Victoria, where the company operates its own refuelling station.
Toyota president Matthew Callachor said the automaker was committed to developing hydrogen as an alternative energy source.
“This month we announced plans to locally assemble and distribute the EODev GEH2 fuel-cell generator in and this joint collaboration announced today provides further opportunities to explore and grow this vital technology,” he said.
The latest partnership follows several recent announcements for hydrogen technology, including BP’s launch of the first hydrogen facility at a service station in August and Ampol’s deal with US firm OneH2 to develop more refuelling stations.
It also comes after record funding from ARENA, which on Tuesday revealed it had approved $544.1 million to 60 projects during the last financial year.
Hydrogen projects to receive funding included a $50 million investment in the HyGATE Initiative to develop pilots in hydrogen supply, and $50 million in research and development projects.