China, Japan in battle over future of electric car
29 Oct 2015
Japan and China are facing off in a battle of for the future of the car electric car drive- batteries or hydrogen-powered fuel-cells, Reuters reported.
The potentially high-stakes battle is reminiscent of Sony versus Panasonic in the Beta-VHS video war in the 1980s, with the winner getting to enjoy years of domination if the technology were to be adopted as a global standard by other manufacturers.
However, commentators, say this time there should be a place in the auto market for both electric battery and hydrogen fuel-cell cars. The key question was which one of the two would power more mainstream cars.
The market is dominated today by Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen.
"We're reaching a crossroads," says James Chao, Shanghai-based Asia-Pacific managing director for industry consultant IHS Automotive. "It's difficult to exaggerate the significance of the choice between batteries and hydrogen, Reuters reported.
"Billions of dollars will be invested in one or the other and may determine which companies will lead the industry through the end of this century."
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