Japan

Japan, the world’s second-largest car exporter, risks a 14% drop in GDP if it does not move more swiftly toward producing electric vehicles, according to a new report by the Climate Group.

A recent report out of Tokyo says that Toyota is working on an SUV version of its Crown sedan, arriving in hybrid, PHEV, and fully-electric versions for its home country in addition to exports of some versions to China and North America. The Crown was the first Toyota vehicle to be exported to the United States in 1958, and it has remained a mainstay model in the Japanese market for 67 years.

Solid-state battery developer, QuantumScape, has shared plans for a new office in Kyoto, Japan, which will feature a state-of-the-art lab for battery research and development. The company hopes to work alongside experienced battery scientists in the Asia-Pacific region to further develop and manufacturer it battery technologies for electric vehicles.

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe recently spoke to proposals of hydrogen combustion cars by rivals like Toyota, stating his company studied the technology’s potential ten years ago. Mibe went on to say that unlike Toyota, Honda doesn’t see hydrogen combustion as feasible for cars. That doesn’t mean the Japanese automaker is abandoning the chemical element, however. Hydrogen Fuel Cell EVs remain a key part of its zero-emissions strategy looking forward.

At its Futures event in Yokohama Japan, Nissan unveiled an electric lunar rover co-developed alongside the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The prototype features AWD technology that will soon be featured on certain trims of 2023 Nissan Ariya.

(The following article was sent to us by a concerned Japanese resident who wishes to remain anonymous.)

Remember the first electric Toyota RAV4? Probably not. The early attempt at an EV barely had a range of 100 miles and Toyota sold very few of them. Back in 2010, Toyota and Tesla jointly worked on a second RAV4 EV project and Toyota had invested $50 million in Tesla, which it sold in 2017 (and which would now be worth $20 billion had they not sold it).

Japan aims to increase its clean energy use to nearly 40% by 2030, according to a new Basic Energy Plan draft released by the Japanese government today. The country also plans to reduce its use of fossil fuels.

Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, financial, and political review/analysis of important green energy news.

Today on EGEB, Japan updates its toothless energy plan. Oil-producing Alaska seeks carbon-free power to save itself from thawing permafrost. A new report shows how the 20 most water-stressed countries also have the most potential for solar energy and could thus alleviate their people’s thirst by going green.

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