Toyota Chairman Drops Bombshell: Claims Electric Cars Are Three Times More Polluting Than Hybrids—Production Process Under Fire! Auto Industry Shaken as EV Environmental Benefits Questioned; Debate Erupts Over True Green Choice. Is the Electric Revolution Built on a Dirty Secret? Consumers Demand Answers After Stunning Industry-Leading Statement!

The leader of the world’s largest automaker continues to emphasize the view that it is unreasonable to “force” people to buy pure electric vehicles, and that a hasty transition will have enormous consequences for both the industry and the environment, especially in countries with grids that depend on thermal power.

Mr. Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Corporation

Electric cars are “more polluting” than hybrid cars: Toyota Chairman’s controversial statement

Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Toyota Group, has repeatedly emphasized for years that it is unreasonable to force people to switch to pure electric vehicles. He said that the transition from vehicles using internal combustion engines (gasoline cars) to electric vehicles cannot take place in a hurry.

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, once again confirmed this point and even made a shocking statement: electric vehicles are far more environmentally harmful than hybrids. when taking into account both vehicle production and battery production.

Calculation “1 electric car = 3 hybrid cars”

To prove his argument, Mr. Toyoda came up with a calculation. He claimed that Toyota has sold about 27 million hybrid vehicles since the launch of the first-generation Prius in 1997. According to him, the carbon emissions generated during the production of these 27 million hybrid vehicles are equivalent to the emissions to produce 9 million pure electric vehicles. Thus, according to this calculation, a pure electric car will pollute during the production process equivalent to three hybrid cars.

However, it is important to recognize that, although the production of pure electric vehicles and batteries actually produces more carbon emissions than the production of a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle, studies from organizations such as Inside EVs show that, when viewed over the entire life cycle (from production, electric charging, up to operation), pure electric vehicles will still produce less total emissions than traditional gasoline or diesel vehicles.

However, Mr. Toyoda has another argument to refute this, especially in the context of Japan: “If Toyota produces 9 million pure electric vehicles in Japan, then in fact carbon emissions will increase, not decrease. That’s because Japan still relies heavily on thermal power plants (coal, gas, etc.) to produce electricity.” This is a familiar argument that a “dirty grid” can reduce the environmental benefits of electric vehicles.

Toyota’s “reluctance” and resounding success

Toyota’s reluctance to fully embrace the trend of pure electric vehicles has caused a lot of criticism from the media and environmental activists. Some have even questioned the company’s future, arguing that Toyota is “lagging behind” in the global electric car race.

In fact, this has not yet happened. Last year (2024), Toyota remained the world’s largest automaker for the fifth consecutive year.

This Japanese automaker has “compensated” for the lag in the pure electric car segment by focusing on its strengths in hybrid models and continuously improving and upgrading current models using internal combustion engines. The latest gasoline car to use hybrid technology is the Aygo X, the company’s smallest model. Toyota claims that this model has the lowest CO₂ emissions among non-plug-in vehicles on the market.

“Multi-aisle” strategy: From hybrids, hydrogen to electric vehicles and even gasoline vehicles

In addition, Mr. Toyoda has said that electric vehicles will never be able to exceed 30% of the global market share, and said that the auto industry should focus on both hybrid vehicles and synthetic fuels.

Although the company has had to admit that the Mirai compressed hydrogen model was a commercial failure, Toyota still shows a long-term commitment to hydrogen fuel. The company sees a lot of potential in combining hydrogen with internal combustion engines. Currently, Toyota is making it possible for BMW to launch its first mass-produced hydrogen-powered car in 2028.

On the other hand, in addition to hybrid models, Toyota is still continuing to develop other electric models. Recently, the company has refreshed the bZ Woodland model and launched the all-electric C-HR model. Toyota’s luxury car brand Lexus has also launched the ES electric model and upgraded RZ model, which is expected to be launched in the US market in 2027.

Even gasoline-powered cars are still “taken care of” at Toyota. Koji Sato, the company’s chief executive officer, recently stated, “A car is no longer a car if it’s not interesting.” Many reports suggest that Toyota will soon launch a new version of the Supra and even revive the legendary Celica sports car.
Lexus will also introduce a GT3 racing car-style road car, using a V8 engine in the next few years.

Toyota’s strategy is clear: they want to meet almost every customer need, from traditional gasoline lovers, who are looking for the economy of a hybrid car, to those who want to switch to electric vehicles entirely.