Gee, what a bad article. Betamax v. VHS is a bad analogy because both roads (so to speak) are going to be important. It's not a technology war, nor are both technologies incompatible. They're both electric drive as well as complimentary.
Second, it's probably not accurate to say that Nissan is betting the farm on all-electrics. Whether or not they're planning to release anything but electrics, they're at least hedging their bets by partnering on FCEV development with some other OEMs. I don't really follow them that closely, but those partnerships have been publicly announced. I guess the reporter had to make up his own facts to fit the article he wanted to write. Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 29, 2014, at 3:28 AM, brucedp5 via EV <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > % Tesla-S' near 300mi range is not mentioned, yet refueling time is % > > http://www.autotalk.com/global-automakers-split-on-green-car-strategy-24059/ > Global automakers split on ‘green car’ strategy > By AFP June 19, 2014 > > Global automakers are locked in a showdown evoking the video format wars of > the 1980s, as they bet on what eco-friendly vehicles will prevail in the > battle for dominance of the burgeoning low-emissions sector. > > In a contest reminiscent of the scrap for pre-eminence in the home video > market, which pitched Betamax against VHS, huge auto firms are going all out > for very different technologies. > > Toyota, which is ending a battery deal with US electric car leader Tesla, is > concentrating on mass-producing a fuel-cell vehicle, along with smaller > rival Honda. > > Nissan, by contrast, has bet the farm on all-electrics, unveiling its second > model this month — despite weak sales of its flagship Leaf — and is pushing > the technology in China, where officials are scrambling to contain an air > pollution crisis. > > Japan’s number-two automaker is also reportedly in talks with Germany’s BMW > and Tesla about standardizing re-charging systems, after the US company took > the rare step of agreeing to share its patents with competitors to boost > lacklustre electric vehicle production. > > “Nissan and Tesla… came out with very ambitious goals for the technology but > had to backtrack, partly because demand… wasn’t strong enough,” said Stefan > Bratzel, director of Germany’s Center of Automotive Management. > > “Daimler, Toyota and General Motors are the most advanced in fuel cells, but > the problem is the high cost of the technology and necessary > infrastructure.” > > Limited range, high price > Analysts say very low or zero-emission vehicles will dominate the next phase > of independent travel, with governments everywhere rolling out stricter > emissions standards. > > This near-certainty is sparking massive investment, with Japan’s seven major > car manufacturers expected to spend a record $24 billion on green car > research and development this year, according to the Nikkei business daily. > > Detractors says electric vehicles simply shift emissions to the fossil-fuel > burning power plants that provide the energy to recharge their batteries. > They are also _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
