Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a26703778/toyota-why-not-selling-electric-cars/ . . . At the 2019 Geneva auto show, Gerald Killmann, Toyota's vice president of research and development for Europe, enlightened us as to why the automaker hasn't embraced EVs: battery production capacity. Now, Toyota isn't exactly limited in its battery production, although its capacity is significantly lower than that of, say, Tesla. It is how Toyota is allocating that production that matters. According to Killmann, Toyota is able to produce enough batteries for 28,000 electric vehicles each year—or for 1.5 million hybrid cars. Per Toyota, selling 1.5 million hybrid cars reduces carbon emissions by a third more than selling 28,000 EVs. Put another way, the company is generating a more positive environmental impact by selling many times more gas-electric hybrid cars than it would by selling far fewer EVs (and therefore, far more fully gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles), while also providing its customers more practical vehicles (because of no range or charging anxieties) at more affordable prices. There are only so many batteries to go around, after all. . . . Manufacturing and retail hydrogen sales remain a problem. Bob Wilson
Promoting the myth of limited battery supply, I see. I get rather irritated with comments and articles written based on the false assumption that EV battery cell supply is a finite and diminishing resource, like petroleum. No, EV battery supply is growing substantially year on year, and it will continue to grow by leaps and bounds before it hits any limit of finite supply. Even there, manufacturers usually react to a limited supply in one component or mineral by finding alternatives to use. This is just another excuse from Toyota. They've been claiming there is no market for BEVs. Well, Tesla has thoroughly demonstrated just how wrong that is! Toyota denying the reality won't actually change the reality. It might, however, be a harbinger of Toyota being unable to make the transition from making and selling gasmobiles to making and selling plug-in EVs. In every disruptive tech revolution, some of the old market leaders fail to make the transition. A couple of examples: During the motorcar revolution, the Stanley Motor Carriage Co., maker of the former best-selling Stanley Steamer; during the digital camera revolution, Eastman Kodak.
