Toyota: Battery electric cars should not be universal

(Texas News Radio) — Toyota’s top scientist says battery electric vehicles should not be driven by everyone in the battle against climate change.

Those comments clash with what several American state governments have been pushing with their bans on internal combustion engines.

Toyota Motor Corporation chief scientist Gill Pratt told the Reuters Events Automotive Summit Thursday that a “diversity of drivetrains” will give customers different tools to cut down on carbon dioxide.

Among those options, pushed by Toyota president Akio Toyoda and others in the company, include the automaker’s gasoline-electric hybrid or hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars.

“It’s not for us to predict which solution is the best or say only this will work,” Pratt said.

He continued by saying government incentives should not be aimed at picking which car technology is best to achieve that, but aimed at reducing carbon emissions.