In a discussion on Threads, the new social network from Meta, a lively debate unfolded around Toyota’s new internal combustion engine (ICE), which reportedly will fend off electric vehicles (EV) for years to come.

The engine – a collaboration between Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda announced in May – has been touted for its ability to burn any fuel type and generate more power while consuming less fuel. It sparked a heated conversation among EV enthusiasts and critics alike on a post I published on Threads on 27 August.

The main topic of discussion on Threads is with regard to the viability and relevance of the new combustion engine in the context of the growing electric vehicle market.

The new engine, known as the Renaissance engine, can use any fuel, producing slightly fewer emissions than other engines. It is relatively efficient in its fuel type, which may be petrol, synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, or hydrogen.

It felt clear to me that most comments were very much against the continuance of ICE in any shape or form, and some of the arguments supporting such a view were worthy. Other comments appeared to be emotionally charged opinions, making claims and statements without citing any reliable sources, as is often the nature of such discussions on a social network.

At least overall politeness reigned supreme (imagine if it had been taking place on X!).

Analysing the Discussion

I wanted a much clearer sense of the discussion, support vs criticism, common themes and opinions, sentiment, etc. So, early today I enlisted the help of Perplexity AI to analyse the overall discussion and provide a credible assessment of what’s taking place.

Common Themes and Opinions

• Skepticism about Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Many commenters express skepticism about the use of hydrogen as a fuel source, citing its inefficiency, high production costs, and lack of infrastructure.
• Comparison with Electric Vehicles: Several comments compare the new engine unfavourably to electric vehicles, highlighting EVs’ higher efficiency, lower operating costs, and simpler mechanics.
• Criticism of Toyota’s Strategy: Some commenters criticise Toyota for focusing on combustion engines instead of fully embracing electric vehicles, suggesting that the company is missing (or has already missed) the boat on EV technology.
• Concerns about Climate Change: A few comments emphasise the need for zero-emission solutions to combat climate change, arguing that slightly more efficient combustion engines are not enough.

Notable Comments

• Hydrogen Inefficiency: A commenter points out that hydrogen production is highly inefficient and that using it as a fuel source for cars makes little sense.
• EV Efficiency: Another commenter highlights the efficiency of electric vehicles, noting that they are 3.3 times more efficient than fuel cell vehicles and 5.6 times more efficient than combustion engines running on hydrogen.
• Infrastructure Challenges: A comment emphasizes the significant challenges in building a public hydrogen refuelling network, suggesting that it would be prohibitively expensive.
• Toyota’s Strategy: A commenter criticises Toyota for being late to the EV market and trying to cling to combustion engine technology, likening it to being bullish about horses in the 1920s.

Overall Sentiment

The overall sentiment of all the comments is predominantly negative towards Toyota’s new engine and the use of hydrogen as a fuel source. Many commenters express frustration and skepticism about the company’s strategy and the viability of the technology. Many commenters advocate for a shift towards electric vehicles to address climate change.

New Information and Perspectives

Several new pieces of information and perspectives emerged in the comments:

Hydrogen Production and Efficiency

• Hydrogen Production Costs: Commenters pointed out that producing hydrogen is highly inefficient and costly, with one noting that it costs three times as much to produce the energy as putting it into a battery and through an electric motor.
• Energy Density and Storage: The challenges of storing hydrogen were highlighted, including the need for high-pressure tanks and the inefficiencies of liquid hydrogen storage.

Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure

• EV Efficiency: Commenters emphasized the higher efficiency of electric vehicles compared to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and combustion engines running on hydrogen.
• Charging Infrastructure: The difficulty of building out a public hydrogen refuelling network was noted, with one commenter suggesting that it would be prohibitively expensive and that the focus should be on electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Toyota’s Strategy and Market Considerations

• Global Market Considerations: A commenter pointed out that Toyota’s global market is not yet ready for electrification, particularly in regions like Africa and South America.
• Competition from Chinese EV Makers: Toyota’s position in the market was criticised, with one commenter noting that Chinese EV makers are trouncing the company and that new engines won’t stop this trend.

Environmental Impact and Climate Change

• Emissions Reduction: The need for zero-emission solutions to combat climate change was emphasised, with one commenter noting that slightly more efficient combustion engines are not enough.
• Hydrogen’s Role in Zero Emissions: A commenter argued that hydrogen or e-fuels are necessary to make all transportation zero emissions despite the challenges and inefficiencies of hydrogen production and use.

These comments provide new insights and perspectives on the discussion, highlighting the complexities and challenges of transitioning to more sustainable transportation solutions.

I should add at this point that I drive a self-charging hybrid or HEV, a Toyota Corolla, which EV evangelists criticise as putting lipstick on a pig. I’m thick-skinned, though! The time may come for me to change to an EV. But for now, my Toyota HEV is just fine.

Into the Heart of the Debate

The discussion on Threads not only sheds light on the technical and environmental implications of Toyota’s new engine but also serves as a fascinating case study on the nature of sharing passionate opinions on social networks and online forums.

Post by @nevillehobson

View on Threads

It also highlights current limitations in including posts and replies from Threads in a post published on a WordPress site like this one. The above widget embeds my original post but not any of the comments – you have to go to the post to read those and add yours.

It is early days for all this, though, so expect an evolution sometime soon especially as Threads widens the ability to share and amplify content across the fediverse. (If your response is “What’s the fediverse?”, watch this short explainer video.)

Using a tool like Perplexity enabled me to get into the heart of the debate, exploring the main topics of discussion, the common themes and opinions expressed, and the overall sentiment of the comments, which were far from linear with people commenting on others’ comments at different levels in the overall discussion.

This analysis also provides additional insight into how individuals engage with complex topics and how tools like Perplexity can help in understanding and assessing such discussions on social networks.

Related Reading:

• Assessing the choice of self-charging hybrid cars vs EV (28 August 2022)
• Electric cars are coming, but where will you charge? (7 March 2020)
• Hybrid stepping stone (1 March 2020)