A Toyota Motors senior executive made a bold prediction this week, saying that not only will they release a hydrogen car in 2015, but it could be as successful as the Toyota Prius, according to Reuters.
Bob Carter, senior vice president for Toyota's automotive operations, said in a speech this week that he believes a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that the company plans to launch in 2015 could become as successful as Toyota's premium gasoline-electric Prius vehicle.
Carter mentioned that "naysayers" like Elon Musk, founder of electric car maker Tesla Motors, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co, and former Volkswagen executive Jonathan Browning will have a hard time believing his prediction, but he "doesn't really care."
"Personally I don't really care what Elon and Carlos and Jonathan have to say about fuel cells. It's very reminiscent of 1998, 1999 when we first introduced the Prius," Carter said at a press conference at the Detroit Auto Show.
Toyota is investing a lot in fuel cells, whereas other companies like Tesla, Volkswagen, and Nissan believe electric vehicles are still the next big thing, while finding it hard to believe hydrogen could ever develop into a "practical automotive fuel," according to Reuters.
Fuel cell vehicles work by converting hydrogen to electricity and emit only water vapor, while still having similar range to vehicles running on petrol.
Toyota feels that this is why their hydrogen vehicle will be as successful as the Prius. The automaker has sold over 6 million Prius models since it was introduced.
"Ten years from now, I have a hunch our fuel cell vehicle will be viewed in similar terms. We truly believe it has the same potential as the first Prius," Carter said.
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