Tesla executives refute Toyota’s anti-electric car remarks Electrification is flawless!

Tesla executives deny Toyota's negative comments on electric cars, stating that electrification is perfect

【PhoneAuto News】At the recent G7 summit, Akio Toyoda, former president of Toyota and current chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), once again expressed his resistance to the comprehensive electrification. His comments have also gained support from companies including Suzuki, Isuzu, Yamaha, Honda, and Mazda.

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A document sent by Toyota to US dealers has caught the attention of the electric vehicle industry. Although this Japanese automaker’s skepticism about electric vehicles has long been known, Martin Viecha, Vice President of Investor Relations at Tesla, chose to correct some of the automaker’s data on Twitter.

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The document states that there are three major obstacles to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the United States. The automaker said, “By 2035, more than 300 new lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite mines will be needed to meet expected battery demand.” The automaker believes that if there is a comprehensive shift to electric vehicles in the next few years, the pace of mineral mining and processing will not be able to keep up.

Toyota also pointed out that only 12% of public chargers are fast chargers, and charging to 80% takes 20-60 minutes. Toyota also stated that the average transaction price for non-electric vehicles is $48,000 (about RMB 340,000), while the average transaction price for battery-driven vehicles is $58,000 (about RMB 410,000), not including the cost of installing home chargers. According to Toyota, installing a home charger will cost an additional $1,200.

Taking these factors into consideration, Toyota believes it is best to focus on hybrid vehicles. The automaker believes that the battery of one electric vehicle is enough to power six plug-in hybrid vehicles and up to 90 hybrid vehicles. Of course, PHEVs and hybrid vehicles are essentially internal combustion engine vehicles and are often complex because they use both internal combustion and electric technologies.

Tesla executives refute Toyota’s anti-electric vehicle comments

Martin Viecha, Vice President of Investor Relations at Tesla, responded by saying that renewable energy actually requires less mining and extraction because it does not require the extraction of fossil fuels. This is a key focus of Part 3 of the overall plan, which outlines ways to achieve comprehensive sustainable development. Viecha also pointed out that the demand for fast charging among electric vehicle owners is limited because cars are usually fully charged every morning. Viecha also corrected the issue of electric vehicle costs raised by the traditional automaker, stating that the cost of the Model 3 in the United States after electric vehicle credits is only about $37,500 (approximately RMB 266,000).

Toyota’s position on electric vehicles has led the International Clean Transportation Council (ICCT) to rank Toyota as a “laggard” in its 2022 Global Automotive Manufacturer Rating. The ranking ranks the top 20 automakers in the world based on their efforts in electric vehicles. Toyota, along with peers such as Honda, Nissan, Mazda, and Suzuki, ranks at the bottom of the ICCT rankings.

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