It’s just not feasible.
Some people believe once the government has mandated or ordered something, private citizens and businesses can easily comply. At least that seems to be the case with the much-talked-about California gas car ban. While some automakers have been loudly praising the move and the fact other states have followed suit, Toyota hasn’t exactly been enthusiastic about the whole battery-electric push. That’s why nobody was too surprised when Aiko Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, had some less-than-positive things to say about Governor Gavin Newsom’s crowning achievement.
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“Realistically speaking, it seems rather difficult to really achieve them,” Toyoda was quoted as saying through a translator last Thursday when questioned about EV mandates. “But just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now, BEVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe.”
Electric car fanboys and many self-proclaimed environmentalists are furious with what he said, but they already demonized Toyota years ago. It’s ironic, considering many of these same people were absolutely slobbering over the Prius 14 years ago, but that’s how a fickle, trendy society operates.
At the direction of Newsom, California’s Air Resource Board or CARB adopted a rule that means all new passenger vehicles in the state would need to be battery-electrics or hydrogen-powered by 2035. The move has led to another 17 states which have confirmed or are likely to jump on the bandwagon, putting increasing pressure on automakers to comply.
Of course, this move was done under the pretense that it would combat climate change. The argument Newsom, CARB, and others have made is that emitting carbon into the atmosphere by combusting fossil fuels will increase Earth’s temperature. By cutting down on those emissions, we’re essentially adjusting the planet’s thermostat.
However, Toyoda, who is the grandson of Toyota’s founder, made it clear he doesn’t want the company becoming a one-trick pony for future powertrain technology. He explained Toyota is “playing to win means playing with all the cards in the deck – not just a select few. So that’s our strategy, and we’re sticking to it.”
You’ve got to admire the man’s conviction for standing up against the prevailing cultural trend in favor of what he believes is a more vibrant future for the company and his grandfather’s legacy.
Source: Fox Business
Images via Toyota, Lexus
