Toyota has been rather slow to enter the BEV (battery electric vehicle) market, despite being the brand behind the popularisation of hybrid tech.
In December 2021, the automaker revealed 15 new EV concepts under the Toyota and Lexus brands, which included the bZ (beyond zero) range of “reasonably priced mass production models.”
But now, Toyota claims it has figures which show that going all-in on pure electric tech, as many automakers plan to do, is both bad for business and bad for the planet.
The automaker's Chief Scientist, Gill Pratt, says it would be sensible for car companies to make cars fuelled by a range of energy sources, including hybrids and hydrogen.
Read More
He says this is down to the availability of lithium, the mineral used in the production of the car's batteries.
Pratt predicts that there'll soon be a shortage of lithium, as well as other minerals essential to the production of batteries. If there isn't enough lithium available to power tens of millions of BEVs, he says it makes sense to share it with hybrids.
Building millions of hybrids will have a greater impact on the CO2 output than using the same amount of lithium to make a smaller number of BEVs.
He also claims there'll be a lack of charging stations as the demand for BEVs skyrockets.
Pratt says that rival automakers are making a mistake in phasing out petrol. “There is a crunch that’s going to come,” Pratt told Automotive News.
“Time is on our side. These shortages — not only of battery materials, but of charging infrastructure — will make it abundantly clear that one size does not fit all, and that the best answer is actually a mix of different vehicle types.”