[nickik]

> The key difference between Toyota's approach and Tesla's was simple: Tesla built out their own charging infrastructure.

No it isn't. The key difference is that Telsa picked the right technology and Toyota didn't.

Tesla could build its own infrastructure because the grid exists already and building chargers is not that hard.

Toyota couldn't because building hydrogen infrastructure is insanely incredibly stupidly expensive. Even had they tried, it would have been a gigantic money shredder.

Building fuel-cell cars is really expensive, in addition the the infrastructure they are also losing money on each car.

So basically, your asking Toyota to spend billions to build infrastructure that loses money, and more billions to build cars that lose money.

The right technology choice matters!

[taneq]

If someone's choices don't make sense, you're not understanding their motivations. Toyota didn't mistakenly think that hydrogen was the way of the future, they chose it as a trendy "future tech" to make them look green and keep CARB at bay while they continued to sell exclusively ICE-powered vehicles. It was never intended to be a mainstream technology.

(Their hybrid cars are cool but for many years after introducing them, Toyota was actively hostile to any attempts to charge the batteries independently of the onboard ICE generator.)