Diesel engines have the potential of making hybrids more fuel efficient but a number of automakers stick to petrol. Toyota is one the leaders in hybrid technology, and it has revealed it won't be offering a diesel hybrid anytime soon.
According to The Detroit Bureau, Toyota executive general manager Shizuo Abe told reporters diesel engines are more expensive than petrol ones and hybrid systems are costly due to their sophisticated technology. “When combining the two systems together, the price has to go up", he added. "Therefore, it will take some time before finding the right solution to cut costs to meet customer demand."
Besides downplaying the possibility of diesel hybrids, Abe seemed to suggest the company has put electric vehicles on the back burner. As he explained, the lack of an electric recharging infrastructure remains a major hurdle and the only way to solve the problem is building expensive charging stations similar to what Tesla is doing with its Supercharger network.
For this reason, most of the company's upcoming "green cars" will be hybrid or plug-in hybrid models. According to Abe, plug-in hybrids as well as fuel cell electric vehicles "can be charged easily at home and offices, making them a more feasible option.”
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