Lexus Boss Says Electric Technology Is Not Ready For Prime Time - What Does He Know That The Others Don't?

Electric cars are not yet ready for the mass market, nor is the environmental impact fully understood according to Lexus boss Yoshihiro Sawa.

Speaking to Autocar, Sawa said that Lexus is working on all types of powertrain, including battery electric and fuel cell technologies, but the Japanese company would not enter the market until customer and environmental benefits are clear.

“Our philosophy is to provide freedom of movement, so we have to develop technology on all fronts,” said Sawa. “We understand that electric is very necessary – more than some, perhaps, with our early move to hybrid, but we can also see that full EV will not suit everyone. You can’t make an electric Land Cruiser work, for instance – and there are people in remote parts of the world whose lives depend on that car.

MDarringer - 7/18/2018 9:54:06 AM

+3 Boost

An EV costs roughly double its ICE counterpart. Thus the technology has a long way to go before it is a viable alternative to the the tens of millions of Americans on a budget.

We simply do not have the charging infrastructure to support a mass move to EVs and the grid has not been added to with power-producing capacity to handle such a move.

The clean energy alternatives simply do not produce enough electricity to be viable contributors to the solution.

Battery packs in land fills.

EVs merely shift the pollution from the tailpipe to someplace else.

Hauerg - 7/18/2018 1:23:19 PM

-3 Boost

Wrong 5 times out of 5.
That‘s cool even fro Md.
Congrats.

zlives - 7/18/2018 2:47:26 PM

-3 Boost

GE

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 7/18/2018 12:55:54 PM

-1 Boost

Minority Report...

TomM - 7/18/2018 12:57:11 PM

+7 Boost

The biggest problem with EV CARS is charging them. For people who live in suburban America- have their own home - or dedicated off street parking on their own property - many of them have the ability to set up a charging station of their own.

However - for people who live in Apartment Houses - in cities without dedicated parking or even driveways - or live in rural areas with long driving distances - NOTE this is MOST people - there is no convenient way to charge an EV. Until charging is reduced to MINUTES - current Long hour rates will simply make EVs a non-starter.

supermoto - 7/18/2018 1:21:58 PM

+7 Boost

TomM is correct about charging and city living. I live in a condo with a multi-level parking garage. To install a charger in my parking spot would cost me about $5k due to having to run electrical conduit many hundreds of feet to a different floor. I'd much rather apply that $5k to the upcoming Porsche 992!

zlives - 7/18/2018 2:48:36 PM

-4 Boost

nice, if you can afford the new tariff price... 5k is nothing.

TheSteve - 7/18/2018 4:41:28 PM

0 Boost

Here's a good video about EV's being "affordable" or not:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSkB88RYIns

Remember, Tesla is not the only EV show in town.

ricks0me - 7/18/2018 7:21:49 PM

+2 Boost

MD said: EVs merely shift the pollution from the tailpipe to someplace else.

Hauerg: How is MD not correct?