The article was spurred by comments done by industry insiders and by the 2012 hard sales data released during January.

The authors are wondering – given that automotive executives across the world are seriously considering hydrogen-powered vehicles – whether this indirectly points to an abandonment of electric cars.

Not helping the cause of the electric car is the lack of interest shown sales-wise by the general public toward this technology.

The recent move by Nissan-Renault’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, towards hybrid-electric vehicles does reinforce some minds towards the conception that pure electric vehicles may not be ready for prime time. Ghosn was, up until his December shift towards hybrids, a fierce defender of the pure electric vehicle.

Not helping the cause, the father of the Prius, Toyota’s Vice Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, has said numerous times that he believes fuel-cell vehicles hold far more promise than battery electric cars.

Commenting on the sales of the Nissan Leaf, Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan executive vice president and head of research and development said that “when new technologies are launched, sales do not grow as quickly as everyone expects. But with EV technologies continuously improving and with prices falling, there is a possibility that sales could explode.”

While everyone is on the lookout for when said sales could explode, both Toyota and Nissan have forged alliances to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars; Toyota has done so with BMW; and last week Nissan announced a deal with Daimler AG and Ford Motor Co.

Reuters ended its article by quoting Yamashita on electric vehicles: “We don’t regret it yet. We might in a few years. No, we probably won’t.”

Curiously, what the article does not mention or quote is representatives from other manufacturers, like General Motors, who are launching electric vehicles in the near future.

Reuters’ full article can be found here.

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Uchiyamada used to be Toyota’s R&D Chief, and is celebrated as the “father of the Prius.” He was made Vice Chairman last year. If confirmed, he would replace the 75-year-old Fujio Cho. A Chairman at Toyota has more of an oversight role. The executive power rests at President and CEO Akio Toyoda.

With Uchiyamada, another manager with a long and strong technical background will be at the levers of the company. With Uchiyamada also comes an outspoken critic of too much exuberance about electrification of the automobile. Last year in Tokyo, Uchiyamada said:

“The current capabilities of electric vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge.”

With Uchiyamada as the chairman, expect Toyota to increase its research into hybrids, in order to make them smaller, easier to package, and less expensive to sell. Hybrids still have three-percent market share in the U.S. and play a negligible role in Europe. In the U.S., their tipping point will be reached when the price premium narrows. In Europe, hybrids would have to displace diesels. After diesels reached a similar tipping point in Europe, they now have around 50-percent market share.

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