Based on a comprehensive new survey, it seems leading automotive executives cannot agree on whether electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the future.
In a report complied by research firm KPMG which surveyed almost 1,000 senior executives from a number of automotive firms, 78 per cent said they believe that fuel cells are the “real breakthrough” of zero-emissions driving. Additionally, 62 per cent of respondents said that electric vehicles will fail due to infrastructure issues.
The study says that one of the key reasons why so many executives believe fuel cells to be the answer is “their strong attachment to the existing infrastructure and traditional vehicle applications.”
For those that keep a close eye on the industry, you’ll know that in recent years, many automakers have been exploring both electric and fuel cell vehicles, believing that one of the two will provide the answer for clean driving. Audi, for example, is developing both electric and hydrogen vehicles and Toyota, a firm believer in fuel cell technology, recently formed an electric car division.
Additionally, Hyundai said last year that it was only developing plug-in hybrid vehicles as “an intermediate step before hydrogen fuel cell vehicles take hold in the coming decades.”
Respondents to the survey asserted that the success of electric vehicles depends on coordinated actions for appropriate infrastructure for urban and long-distance uses.
Beyond the electric vs hydrogen vehicle debate, the survey found that 76 per cent of the executives that responded believe vehicles with internal combustion engines will still remain important for quite some time. Interestingly, 53 per cent said that diesel engines are dead.
If you want to read more, check out the full survey here.
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