While Japanese and Korean automakers such as Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda are investing into hydrogen fuel cell-equipped vehicles, German automaker Volkswagen believes they have failed to live up to promises and aren’t cost-efficient to produce.
Though Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn did state that the automaker will continue to study hydrogen-fuelled vehicles, the CEO recently commented that Europe’s largest automaker is unlikely to join its competitors in producing those vehicles.
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Winterkorn expects plug-in hybrids and natural gas engines to prevail over the next decade as alternatives to standard gasoline and diesel powerplants.
“I do not see the infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles, and I do not see how hydrogen can be produced on large scale at reasonable cost,” said Winterkorn during a press conference at the automaker’s headquarters. “I do not currently see a situation where we can offer fuel cell vehicles at a reasonable cost that consumers would also be willing to pay.”
Volkswagen’s stance is in sharp contrast to global rival Toyota, which has made a commitment to Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars, and has even gone so far as to announce it will begin public sale of such a vehicle in 2015. At last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota revealed a Prius-like concept called the FCV-R, hinting at just how important it believes hydrogen fuel cells will be.
[Source: Automotive News]
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