In recent years, electric vehicles, as a new energy means of transportation, have gradually occupied a place in the domestic market. According to the data, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has exceeded 40%, and domestic cars are dominant. However, in this trend of electrification, some traditional fuel car companies such as Toyota, Volkswagen, BBA, etc. seem to be left behind. While brands such as Volkswagen and BBA are trying to catch up with electrification and launch a variety of electric models to cater to the Chinese market and consumer demand, Japanese automakers have remained relatively restrained. Toyota, as one of them, is very resolute on this issue, and Toyota CEO Akio even directly criticized electric vehicles, calling them "low-grade products" and not environmentally friendly, and emphasizing that the development of electric vehicles needs policy support. In addition, Toyota advocates a resolute resistance to the development of electric vehicles. For this point of view, we need to look at the environmental protection of electric vehicles and their development from multiple perspectives.
The degree of environmental protection is an important criterion for judging the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles. In the past debate, on the one hand, some people believe that electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly, mainly because they still consume the same energy as traditional fuel vehicles, that is, through coal, oil and other fossil energy to generate electricity, and then use the electric energy to drive electric vehicles. At the same time, the disposal of batteries can also have a negative impact on the environment. On the other hand, there are also those who support the environmental protection of electric vehicles, arguing that they are more environmentally friendly because they have lower energy consumption, higher energy efficiency, and lower energy consumption than gasoline vehicles. For Toyota, its complaints about the environmental friendliness of electric vehicles are largely due to the poor development of its own electric vehicle products, which will also help to promote its hydrogen vehicles and buy more time. Therefore, Toyota's CEO has categorically characterized electric vehicles as "low-grade products" and resisted the development of electric vehicles, mainly based on Toyota's own plight in the market competition of electric vehicles.
One of the core components of electric vehicles is the battery, and its technical level also plays a significant role in the performance and development of electric vehicles. There is fierce competition around battery technology around the world. For example, lithium-ion batteries, as energy storage devices commonly used in electric vehicles, still have a series of challenges in terms of performance, safety, life, and cost. That's why many automakers, such as Toyota, have turned their attention to hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen as fuel and react with oxygen to generate electric energy to drive the vehicle, and their characteristics such as zero emission and long cruising range have attracted much attention and expectations. However, at present, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are still facing problems such as high manufacturing costs and imperfect vehicle supporting facilities, and their progress is not smooth. Therefore, Toyota's resistance to electric vehicles can also be seen as a propaganda ploy for its differentiated hydrogen vehicles.
The development of electric vehicles is also inseparable from policy. Each country** has adopted a series of encouraging and supportive policies to promote the popularization and promotion of electric vehicles in the market. However, with the expansion of electric vehicles, the problem of grid pressure is becoming more and more prominent. If all the world's cars were to be electric, they would require as much as twice as much electricity as the existing grid, putting a huge strain on grid operations. Moreover, the vast majority of countries still rely on fossil fuels for electric vehicles, which also brings more carbon emissions. Therefore, only by rationally planning and supporting the construction of power grids and fundamentally solving the problem of energy supply, can the development of electric vehicles truly achieve environmental protection goals.
As an emerging industry, the development of electric vehicles is full of opportunities and challenges. In the current market environment, China's electric vehicle industry has developed rapidly, and companies such as BYD and Tesla have achieved considerable market share in the field of electric vehicles. For traditional car giant Toyota, the development of its electric vehicles is relatively slow, and it is facing pressure from domestic and foreign competitors. However, it is certain that electric vehicles, as a trend in future transportation, will continue to be driven by ** support and market demand. Therefore, Toyota's choice to focus on the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is only expanding its market share in a different way.
As a trend of future transportation, electric vehicles will inevitably achieve better environmental performance under the continuous development of policies and technologies. Although there are some controversies and challenges, such as energy consumption, bottlenecks in battery technology, etc., it represents a path for people to shift to low-carbon, environmentally friendly travel methods. Whether it is a pure electric vehicle powered by batteries or a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel, the future development direction still needs to be explored. In this process, the joint efforts of enterprises and consumers will promote the electric vehicle industry to move towards a more environmentally friendly and efficient direction. As a consumer, when choosing an electric vehicle, you should rationally evaluate its performance and adaptability to use. Only by giving full play to the environmental protection advantages of electric vehicles and closely combining them with first-class policies and enterprise technological innovation can we achieve sustainable transportation and make positive contributions to our environment and health.