Featured Japan Is Reportedly Aiming to Go All-Electric and Hybrid Around 2035

Guess Toyota's long term fossil fuel dependent business plan is going to have to operate in a different country?

 

I would have expected more fuel cell advocacy. It seemed low keyed about a hydrogen economy.

Bob Wilson

 

Toyota won't be bothered by this. Their hybrids would still be available for sail in japan, and they are pushing hydrogen cars, and as long as the fossil fuel is made into hydrogen or ammonia before shipping to Japan, it is carbon free at home.

But neither did it say anything against hydrogen. While plug in subsidies for buying a car increased this year in Japan, they are still less than for a FCEV.

I just think the government is being pragmatic about it. While the Mirai is suppose to see a price decrease, it is still in the area of a Lexus GS, and they are well aware of what hydrogen infrastructure costs. The policy makers may have acknowledge that plug ins are simply more viable for the short term, and they can keep putting money into hydrogen for the long term.

 

But isn't Japan short on Electricity generating capacity still? So how does an EV fit in?

 

With half the round trip efficiency of batteries and slower response time, I don’t see many applications if the waste heat can not be used.

Bob Wilson

 

Japan has a lot of ocean current, wind, and solar resources available. They should have significant geothermal too.

Bob Wilson

 

Sounds like Japan will be going mostly hybrids, which is like Toyota is going. No probs really...reasonable.

In the USA, hybrids less popular: Repubs call them tax cheats, Dems say *all* fossil fuel use must be banned, and Detroit does not want to compete with Toyota hybrids.

 

Perhaps it has to with the fact the planet is on fire? I've been a student of western North America forests for 3 decades and the consequences of deforestation/loss of carbon absorption capacity combined with massive more amounts of carbon in the atmosphere means the most dire predictions of climate changes future showed up 50 years early.

In just this Summer I've seen more than 1/2 of all the areas I've worked in torched to oblivion. In the past 5 years I've lost 70% of all the forests I've worked in over the past 30 years.

In other words I think that the science is clear and Japan's point here is all about making an announcement that they can't ignore that it's gonna storm and burn like nothing we've ever known because the climate is no longer stable and we have to ban fossil fuels as quickly as possible!

 

Japan has an extensive CHAdeMO network.

 

CHAdeMO is the trade name of a quick charging method for battery electric vehicles delivering up to 62.5 kW by 500 V, 125 A direct current via a special electrical connector. A revised CHAdeMO 2.0 specification allows for up to 400 kW by 1000 V, 400 A direct current. Wikipedia https://g.co/kgs/yfwvne

 

Lest we forget, Toyota, for example, has already referred to their regular hybrids as electric cars - that don't need to be plugged in ... "self charging" mumbo jumbo. Terminology terminology terminology. Toyota has already advertised their disdain for ev's, prefering PHEV'S as the most extreme possibility for the plug. Between calling hydrogen cars EV's (only after refueling with fossil/non-renewables) and hev's 'electric' .... what's really being stated?
Don't count fossil free autos out in Japan just yet.
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Ha Ha.

Are you suggesting that they toss the hybrids into the ocean and see if they float like a sail boat?

Mike

 

Making batteries float is what Toyota thinks other car makers are doing... They're like nah, we'll just hire lobbyists to make sure we don't ever ban fossil fuel cars no matter how fast the planet dies off from the air pollution our vehicles make.

 

Wonder why I made that typo.