Favoring EVs In The Energy Transition Overlooks Options

Favoring EVs In The Energy Transition Overlooks Options

UNITED STATES - MARCH 31: A Toyota Prius is seen connected to a electric vehicle charging station in ... [+] a Washington, D. C., parking garage on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) When a self-driving Tesla TSLA car crashed last weekend in Texas it made national news, with reports of two deaths and a battery fire that lasted more than four hours, despite repeated efforts to extinguish it. It's a dark moment for the electric vehicle - or EV“” movement, raising questions about its role as the heir apparent to the internal combustion engine. Only a couple of days later, Toyota announced plans to expand its fleet of EVs with 15 additional models by 2025. Toyota's decision did not receive the attention of the unfortunate Tesla accident. Yet it is a significant indicator of how EV technology is embraced increasingly by latecomers like Toyota that invested heavily in hydrogen fuel. "They were the big hydrogen holdouts for the last several years," said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer for the University of Houston. "It raises the question - what is the future of EVs? Are EVs going to dominate the market, as many