Japanese houses in confusion over electric cars
While Toyota's number 1 launches a new attack on supporters of electric mobility as the only solution for reducing emissions, the House of the Pleiades could focus its attention on electric and full hybrids by discontinuing plug-in models. What's going on in Japan?
If the USA and the EU run with conviction towards electricity as the only technology to mitigate car emissions (all the questions remain about the environmental impact of the energy needed to produce and then fuel electric cars for their entire life cycle, as well as the impact of battery production), Japan continues to writhe at not knowing whether to follow suit or go the other way. It is no small question for the archipelago which includes, among its historic brands, the one that twelve months ago established itself in the 50 US states, becoming the most widespread brand in America: Toyota. And the CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda , remains one of the best-known detractors of electric mobility. But let's go in order.
SUBARU WILL NOT MAKE ANY MORE HYBRIDS ON PLUG
In fact, let's start with Subaru, a brand that immediately brings to mind powerful engines, Japanese reliability and above all the baritone rumble of rally cars. Subaru, at least according to reports from the Japanese newspaper Nikkei (usually well informed), would have decided to revolutionize its industrial plan and to focus its attention on electric and full hybrids not on tap, with the aim of cutting costs and not disperse resources on models that are not too much in demand in dealerships.
Currently, the Phev offer of the Japanese manufacturer known and loved all over the world especially for the historic Impreza, is limited to a specific variant of the Crosstrek, which could disappear from the 'new' price lists as early as 2023.
TOYODA AGAIN LIGHTNING EV CAR SUPPORTERS
Meanwhile, the words that Akio Toyoda , in his dual role as number 1 of one of the major Japanese manufacturers and president of the automakers' association of automakers of the rising sun, recently uttered during a visit to Thailand, resonate gloomy: “People involved in the automotive industry are largely a silent majority. This silent majority is wondering if electric vehicles are really good as the only option, but they think it's just a fad and therefore can't raise their voices.
“Since the right answer is not yet clear, we shouldn't limit ourselves to just one option,” continued Toyoda, a longtime supporter of technological neutrality, which would require governments to finance multiple infrastructures and not just electric mobility control units. "Two years ago – he then commented -, I was the only person to make this type of statement".
THE WARNING FROM TOYODA'S CEO
And in fact, scrolling through the utterances of Toyota's number 1, who surprised the world 30 years ago with the Prius (object of desire for all Hollywood stars with a green soul), we can confirm their consistency.
Still recently, speaking to the industrialists of his country, he declared: “Japan is dependent on exports, therefore, carbon neutrality is equivalent to a problematic employment for the country. Some politicians say we need to turn all cars into electric vehicles or that the manufacturing industry is obsolete, but I don't think that's the case. To protect jobs and consequently also the lives of the Japanese, I think it is necessary to look to our future by working in the right direction so far".
Last year, the CEO Toyoda again supported his thesis on the need to proceed with a more reasoned and less sudden ecological transition by the fact that Japan produces about 10 million vehicles a year, of which about 50% is exported: well, the forecasts assume that the Japanese industry can produce 8 million vehicles a year only with the contribution of combustion engines, including hybrids and Phevs, even in 2030, while their elimination by law will paralyze the labor market .
"This means that the production of 8 million units would be lost and the industry could risk having to give up most of the 5.5 million jobs," Toyoda warned. “If internal combustion engines are the enemy, we will probably no longer be able to produce almost all the vehicles that we assemble today with all the negative consequences that this situation would have for our economy”.
WHAT TOYOTA DOES WITH ELECTRIC CARS
However, Toyota has a robust plan in the works for the transition to electric cars, although according to some rumors it could make significant changes to its most relevant projects. The Japanese giant, accused by environmentalists of having started late and with little conviction in terms of low-impact mobility, is scheduled to meet its main suppliers at the beginning of next year to illustrate substantial corrections to the strategy from 30 billion to 2026 , presented at the end of 2021.
Toyota is planning the launch of 16 electric cars but now some programs for the development of the heirs of the first two pure electric cars (the Toyota bZ4X and the Lexus RZ) risk slipping. Speaking of Lexus, let's not forget that, according to that industrial plan, the premium brand should in fact offer exclusively battery-powered cars in its main markets between now and 2035.
Overall, the announced strategies envisaged investments of 8 trillion yen (62.4 billion euros) in electrified vehicles, of which 4 trillion in electric vehicles alone. The resources allocated should have been functional to achieving the goal of selling 3.5 million electric vehicles every year already by 2035, almost double compared to the previous target of 2 million zero-emission vehicles set, however, for 2030 .
DOES JAPAN TAX ELECTRIC CARS?
All this while the Japanese government is evaluating the possibility of reformulating the delicate balance of car taxes which can go up to 110,000 yen (or about 760 euros), with a special regime set at 25,000 yen for battery or hydrogen vehicles . On the basis of the principle that the more polluted, the more I pay, in fact, even in Japan those who drive cars with larger engines are subject to higher taxation: however, this does not apply to electric cars.
After all, if those who have V8 or V6 supercars today scrapped them to switch to the EV equivalent, the loss of revenue for the state would be significant, which is why the government is thinking of replicating the same model for taxes on diesel and petrol cars. thus taxing the electric ones based on the power of the engine.
THE LOST REVENUE AND THE PROPOSALS
Moreover, according to the official data examined by the various ministries working on the reformulation, with an estimated presence of electric cars at between 1% and 2% of sales in Japan, the revenue this year will already be 14% in less than the 2002 record. Money that will have to be found somewhere.
There are those who propose that the new vignette for electric cars be parameterized on the kilometers travelled, but in this way there is the risk of disadvantageing the middle class, which usually uses private means to get around, giving an advantage to the richest.
JAPAN SURPASSED BY CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA?
For this reason, a public debate on the subject is not excluded. However, the manufacturers point out that such a reform could now stop the purchase of electric cars, especially since the Japanese government, unlike the EU and partly the USA, has not yet formalized any roadmap for goodbye to internal combustion engines. generically set at 2035 but never definitively stamped.
And while the government hesitates, the brands are struggling to find the answers: a situation that could lead Japan to lose its crucial role in the global automotive sector to the detriment of China and South Korea, far ahead in car development electric.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/case-giapponesi-in-confusione-sulle-auto-elettriche/ on Wed, 21 Dec 2022 07:03:13 +0000.