Toyota Spurning the Electric Vehicle Trend
From Engine Patrol:Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda cautions that an EV-only future could have serious repercussions for Japan’s auto industry.
He estimates that 5.5 million jobs, including those in Toyota’s supply chain, could be at risk. Toyoda also reiterated his backing for gasoline vehicles, voicing skepticism about completely shifting to electric options.
There is no question that the automotive supply chain will be badly shaken by the phasing out of internal combustion engines in favor of EVs. Most obviously, we have the gradual but certain elimination of fossil fuels, but we also have an enormous shift in parts, as we replace a drive-train with hundreds of moving parts (that are constantly wearing out) with one that is far simpler.
We all understand that, as the chairman of one of the world’s largest corporations, Toyoda has a profound responsibility to his employees and shareholders. But as one of the world’s most powerful human beings, he also has a responsibility to everyone living on this planet to act in a manner consistent with environmental sustainability.
The merits of his decision here will play themselves out over a period of decades, and there’s a good chance I won’t be on this planet to experience them. But my children will, and I predict they’ll ultimately be quite unhappy about what went down here, one-quarter of our way through the 21st Century.
