In 2022, HEV was the most-purchased vehicle type overall in Japan, surpassing vehicles that solely used gasoline. Hybrid electric vehicles were by far the most popular electrified vehicle type sold in Japan. The country has a comparatively long history of producing modern hybrid vehicles. Toyota Prius was the first widely available hybrid vehicle on the car market, launched in 1997.
The road to carbon neutrality in Japan’s transportation sector is still long and winding. While hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have become mainstream, this vehicle type is not emission-free as it also has a conventional combustion engine. Other electric vehicle types have zero tailpipe emissions but currently comprise a negligible portion of the vehicle market in Japan. Moreover, even vehicle types that have zero tailpipe emissions, such as BEVs and FCEVs, are often not entirely green. For instance, hydrogen refueling stations used by FCEVs often provide “blue” or “grey” hydrogen created in industrial processes that emit CO². Similarly, recharging stations for BEVs use energy from Japan’s energy supply grid which still largely relies on fossil fuel resources.
Carbon neutrality in the transportation sector
The transportation sector in Japan emits significant amounts of CO², most of which are caused by private and commercial road vehicles. In 2020, about 15 percent of Japan’s CO² emissions came from automobiles. Since Japan aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, the transportation sector has to undergo drastic changes to achieve this goal. One of the stated targets of the automobile industry is for all sales on the domestic market to be electrified vehicles by 2035.The road to carbon neutrality in Japan’s transportation sector is still long and winding. While hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have become mainstream, this vehicle type is not emission-free as it also has a conventional combustion engine. Other electric vehicle types have zero tailpipe emissions but currently comprise a negligible portion of the vehicle market in Japan. Moreover, even vehicle types that have zero tailpipe emissions, such as BEVs and FCEVs, are often not entirely green. For instance, hydrogen refueling stations used by FCEVs often provide “blue” or “grey” hydrogen created in industrial processes that emit CO². Similarly, recharging stations for BEVs use energy from Japan’s energy supply grid which still largely relies on fossil fuel resources.