Akio Toyoda continues to speak up

Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, is still out there speaking his mind & I love him for it. Below are a couple quotes he recently gave to reporters in Thailand, regarding full-scale BEV adoption.

“People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority. That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly.”

“I believe we need to be realistic about when society will be able to fully adopt Battery Electric Vehicles and when our infrastructure can support them at scale. Because just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now, I think BEV’s are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe. And frankly, BEV’s are not the only way to achieve the world’s carbon neutrality goals.”

I am grateful for Akio Toyoda’s continued courage to share his wisdom.

Speaking one’s mind can be dangerous today… as common sense & rational thought has proven to be risky. That’s because political & social agendas have created an ultimatum where it’s conform or be canceled. And virtue-signaling has tragically silenced the most experienced & wisest voices in the room. For obvious reasons, we cannot accept that. When it comes to something as pivotal as – revamping our entire automotive industry for the good of the planet – we need to make sure we have all the facts & are continuously open to all the options.

Yet for some unexplainable reason…

Other automotive CEOs are (*slaps the desk) ‘all-in’ on EVs. I’m not sure a good CEO should ever be ‘all-in’ on anything. Being ‘all-in’ prohibits you from being open-minded & adaptable. In this case it marries you to a cause… that might not be the right one. And that seems very dangerous & short-sighted for the automotive industry and the planet.

Akio Toyoda continues to see clearly…

There is absolutely a silent majority that Akio speaks of. And they need to be heard. Because what we have here – are educated/experienced professionals from within the automotive industry asking intelligent questions. While inexperienced loudmouths from OUTSIDE the automotive industry shout over everyone chanting “EV is the future.” If we go all-in and get this wrong, it will take generations to undo.