Volkswagen fully relies on the electric car. That became clear at the latest this week. Toyota is going a different way. The Japanese car maker wants to further develop the fuel cell in addition to the battery.
The Japanese carmaker Toyota continues to rely on fuel cell technology in alternative propulsion systems, clearly taking a different course than the German competitor VW. "We have to start with the fuel cell now, not sometime later," said company spokesman Hisashi Nakai of the "Welt am Sonntag".
VW relies on electric cars. The battery drive was "for the foreseeable future, the best and most efficient way for less CO2 in road traffic," said CEO Herbert Diess. He had called on politicians and competitors to align themselves with this - and thus triggered a directional dispute in the German industry.
Following an open dispute, VW, BMW and Daimler recently agreed that electromobility is a priority. In the start-up phase pure e-cars and plug-in hybrids could be promoted. BMW boss Harald Krüger had spoken out in contrast to the VW boss for technology openness. He did not rule out that politics could oblige manufacturers to offer fuel cell cars.
"We can understand when someone wants to focus on technology," said Toyota spokesman Nakai of the "World on Sunday". "But we think we need both the battery and the fuel cell. This is not just a question of business, but also one of climate protection. "
In a fuel cell, a fuel - usually hydrogen, but there are others - reacts with oxygen, which releases electrical energy. However, this drive of the future for cars has not yet been successful.
The VW rivals are believed to reduce costs with increasing market penetration, which also hydrogen models below middle and upper class are competitive: "Even if we need time, there will also be compact cars with fuel cells," said Toyota spokesman Nakai. Toyota builds among other things the Prius. The group also includes the small car specialist Daihatsu and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino.
Toyota relies on hydrogen technology
The Japanese carmaker Toyota continues to rely on fuel cell technology in alternative propulsion systems, clearly taking a different course than the German competitor VW. "We have to start with the fuel cell now, not sometime later," said company spokesman Hisashi Nakai of the "Welt am Sonntag".
VW relies on electric cars. The battery drive was "for the foreseeable future, the best and most efficient way for less CO2 in road traffic," said CEO Herbert Diess. He had called on politicians and competitors to align themselves with this - and thus triggered a directional dispute in the German industry.
Following an open dispute, VW, BMW and Daimler recently agreed that electromobility is a priority. In the start-up phase pure e-cars and plug-in hybrids could be promoted. BMW boss Harald Krüger had spoken out in contrast to the VW boss for technology openness. He did not rule out that politics could oblige manufacturers to offer fuel cell cars.
"We can understand when someone wants to focus on technology," said Toyota spokesman Nakai of the "World on Sunday". "But we think we need both the battery and the fuel cell. This is not just a question of business, but also one of climate protection. "
In a fuel cell, a fuel - usually hydrogen, but there are others - reacts with oxygen, which releases electrical energy. However, this drive of the future for cars has not yet been successful.
The VW rivals are believed to reduce costs with increasing market penetration, which also hydrogen models below middle and upper class are competitive: "Even if we need time, there will also be compact cars with fuel cells," said Toyota spokesman Nakai. Toyota builds among other things the Prius. The group also includes the small car specialist Daihatsu and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino.
Toyota relies on hydrogen technology