Hydrogen powertrain has a strong future, believes Toyota CEO

Toyota may be increasingly focusing on battery electric powertrains after realising that it has been a laggard in the segment compared to other companies. But that is not hurting its positive sentiment towards the hydrogen-electric powertrains. Just like his predecessor Akio Toyoda, Toyota CEO Koji Sato strongly believes that hydrogen powertrains have a strong future.

In an interaction with British automotive publication Autocar UK, Koji Sato said that hydrogen powertrains have a strong future in the world of greener and cleaner mobility. He said that emission reduction should be done with only hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles and synthetic fuel, but also with hydrogen. Besides emphasising on fuel cell technology, Sato also said that internal combustion engines too should be modified to run on hydrogen fuel. Interestingly, this technology is already seen in experimental GR Yaris and GR Corolla race cars. Besides being optimistic about hydrogen fuel, he also believes that synthetic fuel could be a good alternative to reduce emissions but this technology needs time to evolve.

Toyota is increasingly investing in solid-state batteries as part of its multi-pronged approach towards adopting cleaner mobility technologies. Speaking about that, the company's CEO said that the durability of solid-state batteries remains a huge challenge. However, he is optimistic that the technology will be durable over time. “If we get through this point, the energy efficiency will be really fantastic. We're on that – but we still need some time," he said. Interestingly, the Japanese car brand announced in January 2022 that it would have a hybrid car with a solid-state battery on sale by 2025.

Speaking about Toyota, Sato has admitted that the auto company lags behind some of its rivals when it comes to electric vehicle development, as it is not offering a variety of zero-emission models.