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© KYODOGov't aims to make all passenger cars electric by 2050: panel report
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Yubaru
Once again, urges from the government. I wonder if they have Toyota and the other makers on board with this too?
This is a worthy idea, but even 30 years down the road folks are not going to buy cars that are for here anyway, still unreliable.
I have friends who are taxi drivers,and their company purchased electric vehicles as a part of their fleet. At first they were great, but after a couple of months on the road, they are having to recharge the cars every three to 4 hours, and it's ending up costing them lost customers because of it. They only use the electric taxis now for contracted customers.
thepersoniamnow
That’s like 30 years away. Not really that hard is it?
Yubaru
If they can't clean up the Fukushima reactors in 30 years, how do you expect that automakers are going to be able to put out a reliable electrical car that people can actually afford within 3 decades?
There needs to be a push by these automakers and others in the industry to invent batteries that dont cost an arm and a leg, that do not use rare earth metals, as they are limited as well and build a car that people will feel comfortable driving.
Pipe dream.
BertieWooster
Including hybrids?
How can you make a hybrid electric? You cut out the petrol engine?
"• (also hybrid car) a car with a petrol engine and an electric motor, each of which can propel it." (Oxford English Dictionary)
Strangerland
If oranges are green, why isn't tea cheaper?
Or in other words, those two things literally have nothing to do with each other whatsoever. Any other completely random non-equivalencies you want to bring up?
BertieWooster
Just worked out how they're going to do it. The new hybrid cars will have only an electric motor. The motor will carry the car up hills and cut out when it reaches the top so that the battery gets charged as the car coasts downhill. Brilliant! It won't be exported to Holland though.
Belrick
I doubt I'll be driving by then at 80 years old but comparing today's electric vehicles to those in 30 years, is nonsense. 3 decades from now, technological advances will likely allow vehicles to travel thousands of kilometers before the next charging is required. A good move in the right direction.
kohakuebisu
Does the failure to mention hydrogen mean anything?
I doubt hydrogen is viable without government money to roll out storage and filling stations around the country. There is little point in investing in infrastructure if all cars are going to use batteries by 2050. Get the efficiency of hydrogen from hydrolysis up a certain percentage and hydrogen could be a better form of energy storage than batteries. In certain uses anyway.
Akie
Too late, unfortunately. Abe missed the golden opportunity to lead the industry, because his anti-China policy. Just imagine afew years ago when China announced her plan of ev cars, if Japan responded positively and joint hands with China, perhaps, Japan will be at least a part of leading force on this new adventure. The United States of Northeast Asia is very practical concept, Japan already lost a lot to Germany and USA in Chinese Market, both are thousand miles away from Northeast Asia.
Disillusioned
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Hydrogen vehicles are a much better option. They run on water and don't require the use of rare metal batteries. What's the bet the nuclear power cartels are pushing for more electric vehicle use? Hydrogen engines were perfected in the 80's, but the patents were bought by the oil companies and shelved. This dramatically slowed further development. Pushing to have every passenger vehicle in Japan powered by electricity is a very bad idea. No electricity = No transport!
BakabonPapa
But the electricity has to be generated somehow. And electric cars are sometimes inadequate in snowy/icy conditions. Hydrogen might be better.
Ganbare Japan!
Great news. I like the LEAF. I will buy the new model LEAF when it comes out, maybe
Samit Basu
@Ganbare Japan!
Are you sure?
https://electrek.co/2018/07/09/nissan-battery-cell-fails-leaf-lg-batteries/
Bye Bye Japanese Battery powered Leaf.
Hello Korean Battery powered Leaf.
But Nissan isn't alone in ditching Japanese battery in favor of Korean battery.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-battery-honda/gm-to-sell-new-electric-car-batteries-to-honda-in-north-america-idUSKCN1J31S6
gogogo
Pushing a tech and not enforcing a policy. What if a new tech comes along that is better than electric? Enforce zero emitance rather than forcing a tech.
Blacklabel
We should have spaceships and personal jet packs well before then.
So I think the government can safely predict this while doing nothing except having meetings and charging travel and entertainment expenses to the taxpayers. Which is usually the goal of things like this.
Halwick
How thoroughly has the electric car proponents thought about the power grid infrastructure needed to handle the increase in electric cars? How much additional electricity will be needed to power the millions of EVs involved, and how much will it cost?
Without additional power plants, today's power grid would fail catastrophically when the entire country switches to electric cars. To expand Yubaru's comments, if they can't clean up Fukushima reactors in 30 years, how do you expect the government and utility companies will be able to install the required infrastructure to meet the additional electrical demands required by electric cars within 3 decades?
Japan is planning to phase out nuclear power by 2040. How do you balance the shortfall from renewable energies when the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing? I doubt renewable energy sources alone will be able to handle the increased energy demands electric cars demand.
JustAGoodOleBoy
Put this in the same file folder as the Kyoto Protocol.
Shikisai
OMG finally!So common sense!
I thought the government will keep kicking the 'we need to support traditional industry' bullsh"" forever,and end up destroying its autonomous industry producing something no one needs anymore.
Strangerland
You act like they're going to flip a switch one day, and suddenly all the gas cars will be gone and only electric cars will remain.
This is a gradual change. It needs a strategy for the government to find the most effective way to move it forward. It's not something that is just going to happen one day.
thepersoniamnow
Yubaru
I actually didnt think about it in that way...that the vehicles arent reliable. I actually have no idea havig no exp with EVs.
I meant that since most manufacturers have EVs already, to have an all EV lineup isnt exactly innovating at a level that Im impressed at.
Wakarimasen
Maybe I am a dummy, but doesn't a car use the same amount of energy to get from A to B however it is powered. If so, doesn't burning oil or gas or coal in power stations to charge these cars use the same amount of resource and pollute the same? So unless we use more renewables oe nuclear, isn't the net result the same?
Someone enlighten me please.
kohakuebisu
I like looking at second hand cars when I'm bored and it looks like the Leaf is Japan leader in depreciation. You can get a low mileage one for very little compared to a Prius or Aqua of the same vintage. The original Leaf had problems in that its air con would cause a big hit in range. Combustion based cars use waste heat, so the effect on fuel economy is much lower. I think the Leaf now uses a heat pump.
An electric car is even more of a computer with wheels than modern cars today, so there is potential for huge disruption regarding who makes them. What might save existing manufacturers are their sales, distribution, and maintenance networks, not so much their knowledge in building what will be outdated petrol cars.
Ganbare Japan!
That model is the latest LEAF model. The new LEAF model will be release in around 2 years and wiil have an extended life battery and other features.
Samit Basu
@HillClimber
The batteries are not interchangeable and the next Leaf will have LG's battery regardless of AESC's fate, because it was designed for the LG battery.
Matthew Slinn
My electric car saved me £1860 last year. So Electric cars will be main stream way sooner than 2050. There are loads where i live.
Hydrogen will never happen in cars.