Japanese auto makers don't care much for EVs

[Richard230]

There was a long interpreting article in my newspaper today, written by Den Dooley and Hisako Ueno, published by the New York Times. It is titled "Japan holds back during rush toward electric vehicles". In general it says that the major Japanese automakers are holding back on developing all-electric vehicles, depending instead on gas hybrid-electric technology. Here are a couple of interesting statements in the article:

Japaneses automakers are "hanging on by there fingernails", he (Toyoda) added, and if Japan mandated a shift to all-electric vehicles which have fewer components and are easier to manufacture it could cost millions of jobs and destroy a whole ecosystem of auto parts suppliers.

Japanese automakers' reluctance to make the leap to all-electric vehicles, Yajima said, could lead them to suffer he same fate as the country's consumer electronics firms, which have largely faded into irrelevance because of the failure to stay ahead of market trends.

This article, while about Japanese auto manufacturers, makes me wonder if the same thing is going on with the four Japanese motorcycle manufactures. 

[Ultratoad]

Did not see that coming....  The Japanese have been very smart about the automotive industry....  Must be some truth to it....

[HadesOmega]

I think it is just Toyota that is saying that.  I know Nissan has had the Leaf and now the Ariya is coming out.  Honda has the Clarity EV and PHEV.  But even Toyota is going to release a new EV this year.  Exciting times for EVs I got to drive the ID4 and Model Y pretty recently and they were really nice, still pricey though especially if you want AWD.

But yeah I think Japan and South Korea are big on the hydrogen right now.  They are loosing massive amounts of money on them.  I honestly hope hydrogen fuel cells take off but it's a gamble right now, I suppose it would be good to lease.  The depreciation on FCEVs is crazy.  A Mirai that sold for like $60k is now like $15k used!

I think the way to go is have an EV and charge it with solar power. 

I'm actually planning to buy a Toyota Rav4 Prime btw =p

[sunchaser]

Toyota seems to be all over the place when it comes to electric vehicles.  One minute they're against them and the next minute they tease us with upcoming electric models.  Very confusing.  I understand that the switch to electric will be extremely disruptive to the automotive industry, but it's going to happen whether the auto makers like it or not. 

Nissan had an early lead with the Leaf but fell behind the competition.  Hopefully the Ariya will be change that.

I think that hydrogen has huge potential for trucking, shipping and other use cases with predictable routes where the fueling infrastructure can be cost effective.  It would also be great if the hydrogen could be produced without the use of fossil fuels.

Solar is FANTASTIC.  Anyone who is considering a system will absolutely love it.  We installed our own system and it has already paid for itself.  Being able to charge an EV at home with your own electricity is both convenient and liberating.  In my opinion, one of the downsides of hydrogen for passenger vehicles is that you're still dependent on another entity for your fuel, just like gasoline.  Although, to be fair, EVs require charging at third party stations when travelling longer distances.

Happy to answer any questions about PV for anyone who is interested. 

[Shinysideup]

What I don't get about those pushing hydrogen: How can it possibly be efficient when you have to compress the hell out of it?
I used to own a scuba shop, and high pressure compressors use a LOT of energy. It just seems the wrong approach to me.

[HadesOmega]

One good thing about hydrogen is it yields more power compared to the weight of EV batteries.  Batteries are so heavy compared to a tank of hydrogen.  FCEVs only have a very small battery to smooth out the power.

[skuzzle]

The problem with hydrogen is that it is part of a classic bait and switch.  They talk up "green" hydrogen, but in the end the vast majority of it comes from natural gas.

[HadesOmega]

That's true but the same could be said about EVs depending on where you are getting the power from.

I think there is a station that can make it's own hydrogen from solar power, not how much it can make and how much does this cost I don't know...