Japan, land of the hybrid car, takes slowly to EVs

Japan, land of the hybrid car, takes slowly to EVs

Japan take slow on everything, for every innovation inside company will need several layer of hankos to get approved.

The situation in Japan is increasingly inconsistent with priorities elsewhere.

That right there is the reason for Japan's lost decades. They live in a bubble where everything is manufactured for the Japanese consumer and NOT for the international market. This is a glaring difference with S. Korea which seems to put international markets first and then adjust the domestic market to meet them. This is the situation with K-pop vs J-pop, Korean movies and dramas where subtitles and dubbing is available in many languages where the Japanese ones only have Japanese subtitles and nothing else.

Also smartphones- I remember when the iphone came out and how the media and the electronic companies in Japan refused to go the smartphone route- instead continuing with their garakei or dumbphones as they are now called. They missed that opportunity, and the next big smartphone competitor, Samsung, burst on the scene and were even the first to launch the phablet.

Wait and see. Japan's auto market will be left behind in the dust the same way their smartphone market was.

We run our 30 year old Toyota Hilux Surf on waste vegetable oil (WVO) but have looking for a reliable electric SUV/pickup to replace it.

Many models available in Europe and the US, but nothing available in Japan.

Increasing charging infrastructure will probably also happen at a very slow pace.

Wait and see. Japan's auto market will be left behind in the dust the same way their smartphone market was.

I disagree Aly.

I imagine that Toyota (and other manufacturers ) are well aware of what is happening in Japan and around the world. and are quietly and efficiently preparing for what comes next.

There are still problems with EVs that no one has come up with answers to.

For example: How do you charge your vehicle when you live in a condominium or have on street parking.

That is not theoretical problem for many drive

Here is Matt's take on the battery supply situation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWi6RexsQRU

gary

I like how the articles on EV in Japan always ignore the elephant in the room, "charging" they glance over by saying plan on building Charging stations!

How long does it take, how many cars can charge at one time in each, etc... Most I see are 1 to 2 cars in places people stop for extended periods.

This is japan, Mr. I can afford a Tesla more than likely has a nice house with a private parking and pays a lot to have his electrical supply at a higher Amp and a private charging port.

I have a car, need it for work, hybrid, looked at EV, plug-in hybrid far to expensive, not only the car but the extra expenses.

I will need to buy a charger (using 100v outlet is possible but not great) then I need to pay for modification to the outlet to higher voltage, then I need to pay to change the total house Amp on the main breakers box to higher and doing that increases my monthly basic power bill even without using any electricity.

Now my previous home had a max of 30 Amp my present home 60 Amp max at 100 volts.

Plug in an EV have the air-conditioning on run a few appliances a boom the circuit will go off.

In the UK they are recommending a minimum 100A in North America home generally start at 100A.

Now all the above is if you have your own home with parking and outlet.

The house next door rents 6 spaces, all the vehicles are from the elderly and disabled daycare facility nearby.

EV vans would require finding another parking with charging stations with a reasonable distance from the care centre. Or the old man next door installing stations and having a separate power supply, and raise the monthly charges considerably.

Look around Japan look at the number of monthly paid parking, look at how many are also multi story elevator type outside.

Figure out how each car will charge in those places.

sakurasuki

Today 07:37 am JST

Japan, land of the hybrid car, takes slowly to EVs

> Japan take slow on everything, for every innovation inside company will need several layer of hankos to get approved.

Actually not true.

Japan was very quick to adopt hybrid, far faster than north america and Europe, fleet vehicles not only went hybrid but Natural gas hybrid such as taxis delivery trucks etc...

The problem with EV is changing and space to charge.

The future is going to be a combination of car types and EV will be one but EV will be for urban, developed countries with extended power grids.

Don't expect Mongolia, much of Africa, South America, Northern Canada, Siberia, far reaches of China, to go EV any time soon, black out and brown outs are already common in most of these places, long distances between even a filling station means carrying extra fuel.

No these places will eventually move to hybrid with alternate transportable fuels like hydrogen or alcohol (more likely hydrogen).

Your car runs out of power at -40°C to -60°C in the middle of the North West territory Canada or Siberian, in the middle of the Mongolian dessert, the plains of Africa, you might as well sign your death certificate.

A spare container of fuel is possible with gasoline, hydrogen even alcohol but a spare battery that will get you any significant distance, not practical.

And no solar panels are not going to do anything, to charge your car with 4 large panels it would take days and in winter in northern Canada and Siberia impossible.

We run our 30 year old Toyota Hilux Surf on waste vegetable oil (WVO) but have looking for a reliable electric SUV/pickup to replace it.

Many models available in Europe and the US, but nothing available in Japan.

Increasing charging infrastructure will probably also happen at a very slow pace.

That's awesome! As a fellow diesel owner myself, might I ask where you are able to purchase the oil for your car? I originally wasn't planning on buying diesel because of the potential harm it causes the environment but gas prices are in favor of diesel here and I also read about how algae can be used as a form of clean diesel so I decided to try it out. Still waiting on the DeuSEL project to come out...

Wouldn't mind getting one of those Rivian trucks here in Japan!

The world leader in mobile email was Canadian (Blackberry). The world leader in text messaging was Finnish (Nokia). Both got wiped out in no time by the Iphone. Neither was Japanese. Neither company used faxes or hankos or did bowing or whatever you want to accuse Japanese of.

Future commitments to all electric cars are simple government promises and are likely to be delayed when they prove to be impracticable. There is too much to do in too little time. As other posters describe, fast charging uses more power than most existing houses in Japan. It would need a vast upgrading of the grid to supply currently non-existent electricity. Upgrading the grid to this level, when it happens, will push the price of copper through the roof.

This does not mean electric cars are not fine cars, because some models will be.

Plug in an EV have the air-conditioning on run a few appliances a boom the circuit will go off.

In the UK they are recommending a minimum 100A in North America home generally start at 100A.

Correct. My dad, a retired electrician, has an EV. When he built his current house he hooked up a 3-phase system so can run all these systems at once and fast-charge his car. But that's not the case for most homes, which run on single-phase power.

An EV requires a significantly larger amount of energy to produce, and that energy emits carbon. This being the case, you need drive an EV around 140,000 km before it begins to offset the energy required to manufacture it. This doesn’t include the energy necessary to recycle the battery, or to manufacture a replacement battery. And then you have consider that since 2011, most of Japan’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. In Japan electric cars are actually much “dirtier” than conventional cars. Why should Japanese be quick to move to cars which have a greater negative impact on emissions than the cars they are already driving

The 3-phase in Japan is usually for commercial premises.

Japan has a massive stake in combustion technology, which is the reason it wants to the world to continue burning gasoline. Nearly all those tight-knit mom and pop suppliers in Aichi and surrounding regions would go bust if the world goes EV, and Japan's global position would fall a few rankings.

Toyota and the Japanese govt realize that mass-market EV makers will look to China, the US, Vietnam, and S. Korea to supply low-priced integrated modules and components.

As it stands, Japanese jobs are more important than the global environment, in the minds of most Japanese.

Algernon LaCroixToday  08:54 am JST

Correct. My dad, a retired electrician, has an EV. When he built his current house he hooked up a 3-phase system so can run all these systems at once and fast-charge his car. But that's not the case for most homes, which run on single-phase power.

Really? Depends on the country I guess. Where I come from, every house is connected vis 3xX, X being 16, 20, 25, …

It’s not even possible to get a single phase contract.

wallaceToday  09:02 am JST

The 3-phase in Japan is usually for commercial premises.

That sounds about right. In Australia you can get 3-phase power to a residence with a special application.

Both ICE and Electric vehicles require the emission of carbon in their manufacture. EVs have fewer parts, so it may be that less CO2 is emitted in their manufacture. Even if the two types of cars have the same emission quantity in their manufacture, EVs have potentially much fewer emissions during their use, if the electricity is made without burning coal or gas.

I would point out that where I live only about 0.4% of our electricity made in state is from burning coal, and that one plant is scheduled to be shut down. About half our electricity involves burning gas, but the fraction of electricity generated from burning gas is constantly being reduced. Last year we had a few days where over half of the electricity was generated using green methods.

Japan's goal however includes hybrids and hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles by the same year.

Which is the better goal, because hydrogen is the future not EVs.

I disagree Aly.

Fair enough Gary.

I imagine that Toyota (and other manufacturers ) are well aware of what is happening in Japan and around the world. and are quietly and efficiently preparing for what comes next.

Maybe. But my experience living here tells me that that is not something the Japanese do. After all, they didn't do that during the smartphone revolution. They were left behind. No reason to think this is any different.

For example: How do you charge your vehicle when you live in a condominium or have on street parking.

Simple. Pass legislation to install vehicle charging on the street and to have charging stations in ALL parking lots.

Why should Japanese be quick to move to cars which have a greater negative impact on emissions than the cars they are already driving

Well said. Add the fact that EV are on 1% of the market.

If you're environmentally conscious and live in the real world, you would buy an efficient hybrid vehicle and not a pure EV.

Just recently California announced a ban on new ICE and EV in a few years. 2 weeks after that announcement the same government requested EV owners not charge their cars because the power grid couldn't handle it, hilarious!

Now imagine tomorrow 10% of the ICE/Hybrid in Japan changed to EV.

I am talking just 10%, we are already getting ready for possible power rationing and a grid failure, add 10% of the cars and trucks on the road needing charging and watch the wave of blackouts happen.

The technology for charging EVs will catch up like wifi charging when traveling on an expressway or when stopped at a junction. New technology still relying on old tech will cause problems.

When the motor car was first introduced people claimed it would never replace horses.

first reason japanese people dislike changes,hybrid cars are common here but EVs are something different

Again debunked by the simple fact you said Hybrid are common here!

How did that happen? Everything was standard ICE before but Japanese changed rapidly.

Why? Because cost and efficiency. It doesn't change how the drive or refuel and saves on expensive fuel.

EV in Japan are extremely impractical, homes if you have your own parking don't have the power system needed to charge a car and run the house requiring changing to 80A 100A at an extra monthly base fee for electricity.

If you are like most and rent a parking space, then you have no place to charge and must find a charging station and the time to waste while you change.

If it was cheaper, practical and easy to use, the Japanese would buy them just like hybrids took off fast.

They were left behind. No reason to think this is any different.

Agreed, Walkman was peak Nippon co. Japan has expirted its best to China ever since. CATL was TDK.

Semi manufacturing using DUV (and EUV) started off in Japan...

But it's easier, risk free for corporations to lend money to the government of Japan, why bother taking on risk?

I like the Japan was left behind comments.

Toyota is still the number one car maker and number one hybrid sales.

Once hydrogen is available, the EV will plummet in many places.

If the guy with his pick-up truck on the farm in rural Canada, Australia, USA, can drive his hybrid go fill up in minutes at the same station he used for gasoline or he can plug his car in an wait have to calculate every trip to see where he needs to stop for 30 minutes to charge and get going again.

The hydrogen hybrid will be his choice, the same for people in places like Tokyo and Osaka where they rent parking, no personal charging port, hydrogen hybrid will be the go to.

In reality plug-in hybrid using hydrogen will more likely be what most people will want, best of everything.

I like the Japan was left behind comments.

Toyota is still the number one car maker and number one hybrid sales.

Hey brother! you miss understand me.

Japan was left behind comment refers to the smartphone revolution.

Apple Samsung and (unfortunately) Huawei dominate the market.

Japan is not a country with a temperate climate throughout the year. It can be too hot or too cold. I heard that EVs is best suited to temperate climate where the reliability of batter is depend upon temperature. Too hot or too cold will reduce the range of the battery significantly. I also heard that some Japanese car makers (was it Toyota?) are aiming for Hydrogen H2 as fuel which does not need to import from anywhere. Reliable on China for Lithium to make batteries was another issue, remember Japan was once threatened by China on rare earth minerals? Being slow to catch on to Smart gadgets was a mistake but to EVs, it may be not because of the issues of safety in mostly tight urban areas of Japan; of providing charging stations at home or in public (again relating to limited available space). The EV technology is not mature enough to ensure the environment is protected, and producing batteries is not an environment-friendly process.

If you have parking and an outlet here is what you will probably need.

The max on a standard home circuit board is 60A anything over that requires different equipment.

40% of homes in Japan have 30Amp circuit breaker box the charge requires a single 20 Amp outlet) most outlets are 15 Amp they also require 200v so you will need to install a 200 volt 20 Amp outlet and breaker just for the car.

At 30A for your entire home, turn on the microwave and refrigerator while the car is charging and the 30A main breaker will shut off.

So now you have to upgrade to probably 60A main breaker, not expensive or difficult but that means doubling you basic monthly fees From ¥858 to ¥1,716 (TEPCO as of today).

We haven't even looked at the cost of charging stations.

Yes cheap Chinese ones are available but read the warranty of your car carefully.

If you are not using a certified home charger then you void the warranty.

So the ¥50,000 charger looks good but the Brand ¥200,000 one will not void the warranty.

Or you can get a hybrid and avoid the whole mess above.

Hey brother! you miss understand me.

> Japan was left behind comment refers to the smartphone revolution.

> Apple Samsung and (unfortunately) Huawei dominate the market.

I got that but in today's world one country cannot dominate everything.

I don't see any a don't think Japanese companies saw smartphones as a profitable business.

The facts are none of the makers are making money on the phones even Apple is losing money on each handset.

The money is in the add on services and for that you don't need to make phones.

Cars are different, the main purpose is transportation, you are not looking up the weather, creating a spreadsheet, sending an email or storing photos in the Cloud.

It is to get physically from point A to point B.

So the car is the money maker not the services.

The facts are none of the makers are making money on the phones even Apple is losing money on each handset.

It costs Apple $501 to make an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the company sells it at a base price of $1099. This makes Apple's base markup on the latest iPhone model at 119% Apple is the only tech company able to sell its tech products at such a premium, thanks to a combination of hardware, software, and marketplace.

Apple generated $394.3 billion in revenue in 2022, 52% came from iPhone sales.

The Japanese government plans to ease regulations on the installation of fast-charging electric vehicle stations, aiming to boost Japan's EV charging infrastructure.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Japan-to-relax-rules-on-fast-EV-chargers-jump-starting-rollout

Seeing this is the 1 millionth time we have a similar article.

Let me remind people before we get the "we can install solar charging stations".

It would take 40 large full side solar panels on a nice sunny day functioning at peak performance 8 hours to change the smaller Nissan leaf battery pack.

In reality it will take about 16 hours..

So the solar charging thing is not going to happen unless some sudden scientific breakthrough happens.

I don't see any a don't think Japanese companies saw smartphones as a profitable business.

Well that was a miscalculation on their part. The companies thought the flip phones would stay

The facts are none of the makers are making money on the phones even Apple is losing money on each handset.

No that's not correct my friend. My little brother worked for Microsoft, and while their smartphones were not the best, they still made money off them.

The Japanese government plans to ease regulations on the installation of fast-charging electric vehicle stations, aiming to boost Japan's EV charging infrastructure.

That's good news.

Home charging of EVs is not the solution. Especially in Tokyo where the majority of people live in apartments. Public charging places in car parks. TEPCO is planning to provide charging points by using their utility poles.

The Japanese government plans to ease regulations on the installation of fast-charging electric vehicle stations, aiming to boost Japan's EV charging infrastructure.

> https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Japan-to-relax-rules-on-fast-EV-chargers-jump-starting-rollout

But

https://japantoday.com/category/national/power-supply-forecast-to-remain-tight-for-tokyo-this-summer

So now add in more charging stations and more demand for electricity.

California trucking company had to install a large diesel generator because the power grid couldn't supply the needed power to charge their fleet of trucks.

Again is the grip cannot handle the present power needs it will not be able to with more EV on the road.

This build them and things will come doesn't work with major infrastructure changes needed.

A massive increase in power production and a massive increase is all basic aspects of the electrical system in Japan and most of the world is needed and that is farore difficult, takes far longer to build than just making a legislative decision like in California.

The infrastructure isn't available and will not be for years even if we started a Multi billion dollars overhaul today.

TEPCO is planning to provide charging points by using their utility poles.

Great in a city without street parking!

Oh I am going to love to see how those elevator parkings are retrofitted to be charging points and then the elephant in the room.

The power grid can barely handle the present power needs, going to be interesting adding a load of cars and trucks.

Since moving to Japan, I love it, but there are a couple things that annoy me. One of those things is when someone is sitting (or sleeping) in their parked car with the engine running. In a country where people are so conscious of not causing 迷惑 (trouble or inconvenience) to others it is unbelievable that some people find it acceptable to spew out toxic fumes that others have to breathe in, not to mention the noise of the engine.

I understand they want to have their air conditioner running, but that means everyone else is breathing in your exhaust. EVs solve this problem. You can have the air conditioner on in an EV without any noise or exhaust fumes. I think the politeness and consciensciousness of an EV suits the Japanese culture better than a dirty, noisy ICE vehicle.

Why do facts bother some so much?

Fact the power companies are warning we main not have enough electricity this summer, this without millions of EV cars,

Fact, the infrastructure will need a minimum of a decade to be overhauled in order to accommodate all EV.

Fact it takes 40 solar panels 8 to 16 hours in full sun to change a small Nissan leaf.

Building more charging stations without the needed power is putting the cart before the horse.

First tackle the power issues then build charging stations then get the cars.

Not get a car then get charging stations then find electricity!

Why is logic so difficult to get?

I understand they want to have their air conditioner running, but that means everyone else is breathing in your exhaust. EVs solve this problem. You can have the air conditioner on in an EV without any noise or exhaust fumes. I think the politeness and consciensciousness of an EV suits the Japanese culture better than a dirty, noisy ICE vehicle.

Only one problem, running the AC on an EV will drain the battery, it will then require a considerable time to recharge. Or as I saw a few years back the car had to be towed because power levels dropped to low while the guy was sleeping.

I guess he could find a place to sleep while plugged in but that would block a charging port from being used by others.

The station near my place has 4 pumps, car go in and out all day probably a few hundreds of cars a day probably far more as there is a constant waiting line.

Now convert it to EV station, space maybe 6 cars let's say extreme rapid change Tesla takes 15 minutes a leaf takes 40 minutes so lets say every car only goes in for 20 minutes.

Let's pretend that everyone if quick and get in and out in no delays.

So we say 18 cars in one hour at the most 8 hours open that is a maximum 144 cars and most only getting a fraction of the charge the really need.

And again that is if the local power grid can handle it .

Hear! Hear!

sangetsu03

Today 08:59 am JST

An EV requires a significantly larger amount of energy to produce, and that energy emits carbon. This being the case, you need drive an EV around 140,000 km before it begins to offset the energy required to manufacture it. This doesn’t include the energy necessary to recycle the battery, or to manufacture a replacement battery. And then you have consider that since 2011, most of Japan’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. In Japan electric cars are actually much “dirtier” than conventional cars. Why should Japanese be quick to move to cars which have a greater negative impact on emissions than the cars they are already driving.

FACTS!

I have to agree with Aly Rustom's comments above.

Japan is behind due to the mindset of Japanese companies and the products they create. These companies want to dictate how their products are to be used. This is why their cell phones went the way of the dodo bird. Apple ( Jobs era ) focused on being intuitive to the user. Of course, there were restrictions and measures set in place to maintain Apple's values ( euphemism ), but for the most part, the product was set designed to satisfy the end user's expectations.

EVs are the future, but Japanese automakers won't relinquish their hold on Japan's society unless they are brutally defeated by TESLA. We need charging stations! If suburb apartments had access to expand the charging network, EVs would sell much faster. I believe that is where the bottleneck is. It can be done!

So who exactly is holding us back? Is it the Japanese Automakers? The government? I think it's TEPCO and Japan's Energy Commission. They would love to charge your TESLA / EV, but you're going to have to let us turn on the nuclear reactors for more power.

EVs are the future,

Now explain how you are going to power or get power in remote areas like in Africa, Far north Canada, Siberia, the plains of Mongolia, the Amazon regions , etc...

Please no solar panel stuff this has been debunked a single small Nissan leaf would require 40 large panels 8 to 16 hours of sun to charge

Then we have power grids, not a single country has the power grid to deal all EV.

Use the power to produce Hydrogen, portable non polluting and easy to use in new hybrids and can be transported in the same way we now do with fossil fuels.

I will like to see an EV deal with the mountain passes of the Himalayas.

Vehicles need to carry a lot of extra fuel to do the crossing not even a gas station in sight.

I guess they could carry a diesel generator and hundreds of litres of fuel and change that way.

Oh wait wouldn't that be the same as a hybrid?

Sold our tesla, and GLB and just have the GT3 and Leaf now.

The problem is the grid in Japan cannot even handle the current power consumption.

Already, this summer will feature darkened offices, lower AC power consumption, etc. The govt has made it clear already that this will be probably implemented later this summer.

And that by 2050, a lot of investment will be made to power infrastructure. Solar, tidal, geothermal. It will take time, and investment, but it will be a big positive change the much smaller Japan population.

Anyone who thinks solar and wind are useful for anything but auxiliary power have rocks in their head. There is no way that Japan can use these as main sources of power, so nukes, fossil fuels and perhaps geothermal and a bit of hydro are imperative if Japan wants a stable power supply to run EVs. No wonder Toyota and the like are cautious about them. Not to mention stable access to rare-earth metals needed for the batteries.

EVs made up 20 percent of new cars sold in China last year, around 15 percent in western Europe and 5.3 percent in the United States, according to a PwC study.

First try someone to tell me what this mega hype about a niche product is based on and should be good for. Those propagated garbage cars are statistical outliers for a reason, in all of those countries.

@SDCA That's awesome! As a fellow diesel owner myself, might I ask where you are able to purchase the oil for your car? 

We collect waste oil from local shops - tempura. And it's free.

Some posters are all over the place but the article is about Japan and EVs.

It would take 40 large full side solar panels on a nice sunny day functioning at peak performance 8 hours to change the smaller Nissan leaf battery pack.

In reality it will take about 16 hours..

No problem at all. How many people in Japan fill their car up once a day from empty?

Most urban dwellers go two weeks between fill ups, if not a month. So just a few hours a day of sunlight keeps your EV "tank" full (ie. fully charge) all the time.

Furthermore, most cars are parked 90% or more of the time.

Sure long distance truckers and people living in the NWT need ICE/hybrid. But the vast majority of people and their cars are in cities.

I recall an article about Toyota or Honda wanting to convert older models to EV. I'd love to covert a First Gen Civic to EV, but its way too expensive (¥1,500,000) right now.

happyhere

Today 01:24 pm JST

You seem to have the same problem as the rest!

When it comes to EV we are not just looking at Japan.

Think, can the guy living in an apartment building that uses street parking in North America and travels day wait 8 hours to charge him car?

A truck driver from Florida to New York with frozen goods, how much extra time will be required and that means more cost and possibly loss of produce if it is cool pack and fresh like vegetables, every extra hours causes loss.

But you still have the problem of power grid in Japan.

We are being warned of possible power outages this summer.

If just the delivery trucks were EV we would be blowing the grid daily.

Add in Taxis, busses and other businesses that require car/vans like the elderly and disabled daycare near my place with a total of 8 vans and no they cannot use public transportation.

Sure long distance truckers and people living in the NWT need ICE/hybrid. But the vast majority of people and their cars are in cities.

This is false and I have actually pointed this out multiple times, suburbs and countryside have more cars, lowest prefecture to have cars are Tokyo and Osaka where the vast majority use public transportation, in New York city car ownership even those with a driver's license is low, New York state outside the city is high.

People for outside the cities are more likely to have a car and us it daily.

I use my car for work only when I need to transport large items otherwise likey wife, and my children the train is much more practical.

My wife's family in Niigata have a car each, all drive a family of 4 have 4 cars all Kei my children don't even have a driver's license in Tokyo.

My ex-wife's family in a different prefecture not near a city have 3 cars 2 adult children and the parents.

I know no one in Tokyo with more than one car, nearly everyone I know in the countryside have multiple cars and more often it is a Large van and a Kei car.

In Canada my brother doesn't have a car in the city he uses share Rentals, my parents 2 cars as the nearest town is 15 km no bus no taxi.

The fact people go into cities by car contributes to the false impression cities have more cars

I think the politeness and consciensciousness of an EV suits the Japanese culture better than a dirty, noisy ICE vehicle.

I agree, but change does not suit Japanese culture. I don't just mean changing to EV, but all the other changes, like training older staff how to fix an EV engine and battery. But lets face it, Japan is not a polluted (smoggy) country in the way Los Angeles, Beijing or Vancouver is.

Kumagaijin

Today 01:51 pm JST

I recall an article about Toyota or Honda wanting to convert older models to EV. I'd love to covert a First Gen Civic to EV, but its way too expensive (¥1,500,000) right now

They said that to shut people up that are complaining.

Remember this 2 days ago?

https://japantoday.com/category/tech/japan-to-raise-hydrogen-supply-sixfold-by-2040-to-promote-renewables

That is what Toyota is banking on and once perfected EV will be far less appealing.

Think about the trucking company, the guy in Africa, the farmer in Canada,

They can fiddle around trying to get their cars charged and their trucks charged or they can buy a hydrogen hybrid and fill up anywhere any place anytime and carry extra fuel if need be.

I agree, but change does not suit Japanese culture.

So explain why Japanese were so quick to adopt hybrid cars.

That statement keeps popping up but doesn't fit the facts.

Japanese change when it makes sense to, hybrid gave the same convenience as regular ICE but saved on fuel, makes sense to change.

EV require far to many special steps and are highly inconvenient in Japan, so logically why change.

Will EV be practical? No!

Will EV save Money? No!

Will traveling by EV require special planning? Yes!

Look at the pro EV on YouTube they all claim no difference no problem, but they all used Tesla their routes were highly pre planned with every single stop and time for charging calculated by the Tesla system, short incremental charging to make it to the next charging stations and so on.

No deviations, no spontaneous changes or the whole trip needs to be re set and planned by the Tesla system to find charging points and calculate the amount of charge needed to the next stop.

I'm pro-choice for EV vehicles. If people like them and want to buy them, more power to you. EV cars work well for many people's lifestyles, but not everyone. I don't think EV vehicles should be mandated because there are issues with them for certain conditions. EV cars do not work well in cold temperatures, towing trailers/boats/etc excessively drains battery, limited charging stations for long distance driving, lack real 4wd models for snow or offroad, etc. Not to mention the batteries are very expensive, toxic, and only have a lifespan of 10 years.

Tesla built an EV truck due to go into production this year.

So much misinformation. Just because there is lack of charging infrastructure in Japan, we should not get started on building it out?

Nadrew

Today 03:56 pm JST

So much misinformation. Just because there is lack of charging infrastructure in Japan, we should not get started on building it out?

Not sure what you are trying to say.

The article talks about people buying more EV and the need for more charging stations.

Now if your country is without an airport wouldn't you buy a commercial passenger jet?

If your country has no rail lines and not even a survey to build one, would you purchase a full size commuter train engine cars and all?

No! In both cases you would first build the needed infrastructure then purchase the needed vehicles.

Japan doesn't have the power grid to handle millions of EV cars we know this because right now we are facing possible grid/power shortages this summer already.

It will take minimum to 2040 to expand and upgrade the power grid to accommodate EV more likely 2050.

To be exact mot many places have the infrastructure or power grid.

California has to request EV owners not to change their cars because of power issues. Texas froze the grip collapsed just by people turning up the heat in a cold spell.

Before pushing people to get EV we first need to build/rebuild the power grid and find more power.

They need to increase PHEV model availability. It seems that even foreign makers exporting to Japan are mainly doing ICE and BEV. There are very few HEV and PHEV import models. I may have to switch from Mercedes for our next vehicle, as they have no 4WD PHEV. And, their 4WD EQB BEV is ridiculously overpriced compared to the ICE version. They've been hitting the schnapps a little too hard, it seems.

Even domestic PHEV's are somewhat scarce. Lexus has like one BEV and one PHEV in their lineup. And, they're not even taking orders for the PHEV NX or any NX right now, due to the chip shortage. It might be too large for us, anyway. Gonna take a test drive when they become available again, just in case.

I may have to settle for a Mini Crossover, which is reasonably-priced. But, tiny infotainment screen and no Android Auto! They're a great size for Japan driving, though. And, still good-looking.

Whatever we choose, it'll be at least a PHEV, as 90% of our driving would definitely only use the e-motor(s).

wallace

Tesla built an EV truck due to go into production this year.

Designed. But, not quite "built". And, it was due to go into production last year, as well. And, the year before.

Once it finally does go into production, though, it's doubtful that it will have the same success as their sedans and SUV's. It will basically appeal to Tesla fans. Actual truck buyers, will prefer actual trucks, like the F-150 Lightning BEV, for instance, as opposed to something impractical that looks like it came out of a low budget 70's sci-fi movie. In fact, "Cybertruck" would have been a perfectly appropriate name for the movie

Still many 2023 Luddites.

wallace

Today 06:48 pm JST

Still many 2023 Luddites.

This from someone that claims to have not had a car in over 40 years!

Perhaps Mr, I was XYZ and British Tel engineer how Japan can get the power needed to add all these EV cars.

But before that why not use your great intelligence and know more than the rest to help Japan find more power to avoid problems this summer first!

Antiquesaving

   wallace

>  

>    Still many 2023 Luddites.

> This from someone that claims to have not had a car in over 40 years!

And so?

Perhaps Mr, I was XYZ and British Tel engineer how Japan can get the power needed to add all these EV cars.

Your sentence does not make sense except you must drag the bottom of your barrel. I was never a BT engineer. I was an engineer for BT. My own business.

There have been many techniques that had to be resolved to achieve success. Like going to the moon.

But before that why not use your great intelligence and know more than the rest to help Japan find more power to avoid problems this summer first!

You always reduce yourself to personal attacks and insults. You can't help yourself. The EV market will take years to achieve a majority market share but the day will come when fossil fuel engines are no more. Evs will be part of the mix probably with hydrogen and ammonia.

There is actually enough energy to power most of Japan. Only Tokyo with its huge consumption of electricity, 35% of the total consumed but less than 10% of the population.

The term Luddite is a common expression of those opposing new technologies.

My retired neighbour had a Nissan Leaf, that despite an advertised range of 400+km, he found himself lucky to get 150-170km during the winter, and around 250km the rest of the time. Got so worried about being stuck in the countryside, out of power, that he sold it and bought a similar sized car with a petrol engine. Happy now.

@antiquesaving

How many tanks of gas do you or any of your suburban friends use per week? I bet it is less than one, maybe less than two per month. So no problem even for slow charging an EV from solar.

The grid will not collapse even if a million EVs are added per year. Do the maths. The majority of the cars on the road will be ICEs for at least 20yrs. Plenty of time for Japan to fix its balkanized grid.

happyhere

Today 09:51 pm JST

@antiquesaving

> How many tanks of gas do you or any of your suburban friends use per week? I bet it is less than one, maybe less than two per month. So no problem even for slow charging an EV from solar.

> The grid will not collapse even if a million EVs are added per year. Do the maths. The majority of the cars on the road will be ICEs for at least 20yrs. Plenty of time for Japan to fix its balkanized grid

I living the city, in Japan my ex father in law fills his tank at least once a week.

In Niigata the family drive daily and fill their cars at least once a week.as for the grid will not collapse.

Perhaps you should Read the following.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/power-supply-forecast-to-remain-tight-for-tokyo-this-summer

Funny how people say things despite it being so obvious based on warnings give just a few days ago.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/power-supply-forecast-to-remain-tight-for-tokyo-this-summer

As I already posted, the power shortage will be in Tokyo.

Tokyo's population of 13 million (10%) uses 35% of the total power generated in the country.

Tokyo will need to reduce its massive power consumption if the summer is very hot.

Nothing to do with EVs.

As of March 31, 2021, the number of registered motor vehicles in Tokyo, Japan, reached a decade low of approximately 3.09 million vehicles.

Tokyo boasts just 0.45 cars per household, which is roughly on par with New York City, according to a University of Michigan study.

How many EVs are used in Tokyo?

Norway is the country with the most electric car population. In this country, the share of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) reaches 75 percent.

Even with long cold winters.

What 5 countries have the most electric cars?

The Nordic nations — Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland — take the five top spots in our chart of countries with the highest EV market penetration in 2021. All cold winter countries.

Tokyo has set a goal for all new cars sold in the city to be hybrids or electric vehicles by 2030.

TEPCO Becomes First Japanese Energy Company to Join Global EV100 and EV30@30 Campaign – Aiming to convert 100% of own commercial vehicles to EVs by 2030.

Why is Japan so slow in taking to Electric Vehicals?

When Japan was and, is so fast in taking over the world's highways and roads with ever-increasing always polluting cars ?

Japan must now make amends by quickly becoming the world's biggest and fastest manufacturer of Electric Vehicals.

Toyota's new CEO is banking on hydrogen to be able to reach a larger market than BEVs. BEVs are attractive to those who have access to a reliable charge source, people who live in single-family homes. Hydrogen reaches more people across the globe. In the meantime, invest in oil because that's still needed to build the future infrastructure.