The head of Toyota’s advanced R&D and engineering unit has predicted that the internal combustion engine will be phased out by 2050.
Speaking to Autocar, Seigo Kuzumaki said that by 2040, he expected the traditional combustion engine to feature in just 10% of all cars, as an element of a hybrid system.
“We expect that by 2050 we will have reduced CO2 emissions from vehicles by 90% compared to the figure in 2010,” Kuzumaki told the British publication.
“To achieve that from 2040, simple internal combustion-engined cars will not be made, but they may be the basis of some hybrid or plug-in hybrid cars,” he explained.
Of course, certain countries in Europe have already announced an intention to ban the sale of new combustion-engined vehicles in future, as global emissions regulations continue to tighten.
The Japanese firm believes that solid-state batteries are the key to succeeding with electric vehicles.
“We hold more patents on solid-state batteries than any other company. We are getting close to developing cars using the technology, and we believe that we will be ahead of our rivals in achieving that,” said Kuzumaki.
