Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, March 20 (Xinhua) Toyota's new CEO, Hiroji Sato (Koji Sato), said that although the company is stepping up efforts to develop and produce more attractive all-electric vehicles, hydrogen energy is still the company's focus.

"We want to make sure that hydrogen is still a viable option," Sato said in an interview at an endurance race at Suzuki in western Japan. "We need a production and transport supply chain. Unless we see progress in this area, we do not expect this increase in energy use."

Ironically, Toyota had planned to compete in the race with a new GR Corolla powered by liquefied hydrogen. However, it is reported that during a test run, the car caught fire due to a leak in the hydrogen fuel pipeline. Eventually, the hydrogen car was replaced by a fuel-powered GR Yaris.

Sato stressed the need for Toyota to adopt a "electric first" way of thinking. Toyota is currently developing a new platform specifically for electric vehicles, which is expected to be launched in 2026, which will provide better performance and lower cost. The company expects to sell about 3.5 million electric vehicles worldwide by 2030.

According to CTOnews.com, while Toyota can be said to be the mainstream recognition company for leading hybrid vehicles with its Prius, its bet on hydrogen-fueled vehicles is far less successful. The company currently offers Mirai, a hydrogen-powered zero-emission car, which has entered the second generation. Toyota is very confident in the second generation of the Mirai, increasing its production capacity tenfold to 30,000 vehicles a year. So far, however, Toyota has sold only 21700 first-and second-generation Mirai vehicles.

Still, Hiroji Sato points out that hydrogen energy will still play a key role in Toyota's multi-pronged efforts to achieve its carbon neutralization goal. "We are doing our best," the incoming chief executive said, noting that Toyota would use all-electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles as part of its overall strategy.

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