Yoshikazu Tanaka, Toyota’s deputy chief engineer, outlined why the Japanese car manufacturer was instead betting on hydrogen fuel-cell technology as a serious alternative to conventional cars. “If you were to charge a car in 12 minutes for a range of 500 km (310 miles), for example, you’re probably using up electricity required to power 1,000 houses,” Tanaka told Reuters. “That totally goes against the need to stabilise electricity use on the grid.”  Tanaka didn’t dismiss electric vehicles (EVs) entirely, but said their use in the future would be limited to short journeys.