EU is simply trying to ban the success of the Japanese car maker in Europe to defend the German car industry. I think the petrol Hybrid is much fuel efficient and perhaps the way to go(until eventual replacement of the ICE) without need for the infrastructure such as additional charging station or power station. The Japanese are making the Hybrid Car since the 90’s and they have patented everything they tried/found whether useful or not. The German cannot make Hybrid System without infringe the patent or pay a royalty fee. They don’t want to pay the royalty fee and also strong ego not to accept the Japanese trend hence they approached the EU politician to block the Japanese success here in Europe. At least, German has a level playing field in the EV sector.

A “silent majority” of car companies is concerned that electric vehicles will not alone be able to end reliance on fossil fuels, according to a senior Toyota executive.

The unidentified silent majority has the characteristics of a conspiracy theory, supported by self interest., and bereft of evidence. Pointless assertion IMHO.

That some parts of the world (compared to the UK and western Europe) are at different (a) stages of economic development, (b) access to green energy resources (wind, solar, etc) (c) transport needs (population density, distances etc) is no surprise.

The route they take to carbon neutral may de very different to UK - timescales, alternative sources of green energy, capacity to invest, relative cost of coal, gas and oil etc.

The campaigning is unfair.

You have the city centre dwellers who go about on a cycle, thihnking they are saving the planet, in the mean time ordering stuff which came from the other side of the world by container ships.

Good for them, rather that than drive half a mile up the road to get some shopping, then parking with a lukewarm engine. I can't believe you're criticising people who aren't burning the worlds resources needlessly. If I only need to go a short distance, I walk or use the bike, and I don't live in a city.

As for goods from container ships, you'll find it hard these days not to have any chinese products in your home, it's impossible to find anything else.

If the potatoes in my supermarket travelled 200 miles and bananas thousand of miles. Is that last 3 miles going to make a difference if made in a car?.

In a word, yes, of course it is. That difference may be small, but it cannot be denied simply because you consider it insignificant. In a nutshell, that is an important reason why we are where we are - everyone thinks 'one more won't make any difference', while unfortunately a thousand or a million thinking that way do make a difference.

Just checking that were talking about the same Just Stop Oil who spend most of their time being a nuisance at art galleries and football matches? I'm pretty sure they weren't targeting cars.