Daimler may be hedging its bets with work on both
electric and
hydrogen fuel cell cars, but it sees a front runner emerging. In
a chat with
Euro am Sonntag, company chief Dieter Zetsche says he believes EVs are "more likely" to come out on top. Simply put, he believes the electric camp has more answers. EVs with
long range and fast charging are "within reach," while it's still not clear how you'll make
hydrogen both cheap and widely available. That doesn't mean that
fuel cells are out – however, their future isn't looking good.
Just don't expect Daimler to lean on the government, whichever power source comes out on top. Zetsche likes Germany's goal of 1 million EVs on the road by 2020, but he doesn't believe that subsidies (such as tax breaks in the US) are the way to make that happen. They represent a short-term "bridging function" that won't last long, he says. While it's doubtful that Zetsche will turn down discounts that come his way, he's clearly putting more trust in technological solutions.
Related Video:
This piece by Jon Fingas originally appeared on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.
Just don't expect Daimler to lean on the government, whichever power source comes out on top. Zetsche likes Germany's goal of 1 million EVs on the road by 2020, but he doesn't believe that subsidies (such as tax breaks in the US) are the way to make that happen. They represent a short-term "bridging function" that won't last long, he says. While it's doubtful that Zetsche will turn down discounts that come his way, he's clearly putting more trust in technological solutions.
Related Video:
This piece by Jon Fingas originally appeared on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.