Asia's two vehicle-making powerhouses, Japan and China, are jostling for supremacy over how future electric cars should generate their power — from batteries or hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
In a potentially high-stakes clash reminiscent of Sony versus Panasonic in the Betamax-VHS video war in the 1980s, the winner could enjoy years of domination if their technology is adopted as a global standard by other manufacturers.
This time, though, there should be a place in the autos market for both electric battery and hydrogen fuel cell cars. The question is which will power more mainstream cars — the market dominated today by the likes of Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen.