A top scientist with automotive manufacturer Toyota has said that a lack of resources will hamper the widespread uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).
Gill Pratt, chief executive of the Toyota Research Institute, told such a message to reporters in Hiroshima on Thursday, a day before the start of a G-7 summit in the Japanese city.
"Battery materials and renewable charging infrastructure will eventually be plentiful," Pratt said.
"But it's going to take decades for battery material mines, renewable power generation, transmission lines and seasonal energy-storage facilities to scale up."
Under Criticism
Toyota has been under criticism from environmental groups, echoed by some investors over the slow progress in the push for embracing EVs, saying it has lagged behind Tesla Inc and others amid growing global demand.This has been rebutted by Toyota, who say that EVs represent just one possible option, whereas gasoline-electric hybrids, including the Toyota Prius, offer a more feasible choice for drivers and certain markets.
Reports surfaced in 2022 about Toyota's former chief executive, Akio Toyoda, lobbying the Japanese government to express clear support for hybrid vehicles as much as EVs, at the risk of losing the auto industry's support.
Toyoda, who is currently chairman of Toyota, was quoted as saying earlier this month, in the ongoing support of hybrid vehicles, that EVs are "one very important option" for achieving carbon neutrality, as is hydrogen.