Thought you all might like to see this

I don't think anyone outside of toyota knows how much they make or lose on each additional unit. The only reason we know about how much GM spent until a decade ago on the fcv program ($2.5B) is because they went to bankruptcy and it was made public.

How do you do the accounting? If it is strategic to not buy zev credits from a competitor as you have a policy to hurt bev sales, how much is each zev credit worth? Do you count the extra hydrogen stations being built by tax payers as a decrease in your R&D costs to have to pay drivers and set up fueling to test the models? How much they make or lose per additional vehicle really is part of the black art of accounting for complying with government regulation and R&D expense.

 

i would say, no matter how you do the accounting, toyota sees some value in continuing the program.

 

Yep, until the public wises up - & starts countering all the big dollar lobby money, cutting off the free taxpayers' money. Watch how quickly Toyota begins thinking hydrogen is stupid, after that.
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but that's a myopic view of politics in general.

 

Sure they want to do the program anyway, and are producing the minimal numbers that they can to keep governments subsidizing the program.

Let's say without government money, if you make 300/year you lose $600,000 per car - but 3000/year you lose $100,000 per car. I don't know the real numbers, but these are in the ball park. First way you lose $180M, second you lose $300M - or an extra $120M/year. Say also that you get better data from drivers to help your R&D, how much is that worth? Now kick in that if you don't do this, government is probably going to reduce subsidies (currently over $30K/car in the the US and Japan). How much is that worth?

 

likely a lot.

 

so it's not like the fiat, where the bozo said, i hope no one buys them, because we're losing money on each one.

 

Please fail bigly like the Hindenburg.