Toyota President Expresses Caution on Electric Vehicles
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
The president of Toyota Motor Corp. is publicly questioning whether the auto industry should transition as quickly to electric vehicles.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Akio Toyoda said during a recent visit to Thailand that a 鈥渟ilent majority鈥 of auto executives question whether EVs should be a single option.
鈥淏ut they think it鈥檚 the trend so they can鈥檛 speak out loudly,鈥 Toyoda said.
The comments come from the head of the world鈥檚 largest auto company which has resisted moves by other automakers to eventually switch to all-EV. And he鈥檚 not alone.
听
Host Michael Freeze relays the story of a cybersecurity crisis at a transportation and supply chain management company and discusses strategies to avoid cyberattacks with a 30-year veteran of automotive cybersecurity systems.听Hear a snippet, above, and get the full program by going to .听
As the Journal pointed out, Mazda Corp. executives once publicly worried that EV batteries were too big and expensive to replace gas-powered models. They also said that whether EVs are a cleaner mode of transportation depends on where the electricity is produced.
Those two companies comprise the $2.3 billion joint manufacturing factory in Huntsville, Ala.
Toyota, unlike other motor companies, has taken a go-slow approach on totally electric vehicles, in spite of its pioneering work with hybrids. Late in 2021, the company promised to release 30 electric vehicles by 2030 and invest $17.6 billion in electric battery technology.
Mazda has announced plans to have 25% of its global product line be fully electric by 2030, with all models having some form of electrification.
As of October, electric vehicles comprised about 6.5% of the total U.S. new-car market and rising, according to J.D. Power. But much of those gains is coming in states like California, according to the Journal.
Alabama鈥檚 other auto manufacturers have their own timelines toward electrification.
Mercedes-Benz earlier this year announced a commitment to produce only electric vehicles by 2030 鈥 as market forces allow. That鈥檚 after pumping about $1 billion into its Alabama operations to manufacture electric SUVs.
Hyundai has the Electrified Genesis GV70 and a $300 million investment in Alabama. Honda earlier this year announced plans to spend roughly $39.8 billion globally on electric models, launch 30 new electric vehicle models by 2030, and develop a lighter battery.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below听or go here for more info:
听
