Toyota Motor Corp. may bet strongly on the hybrid vehicle market in the coming decade after an executive of the firm discarded the idea that electric vehicles can become mainstream for some time unless a breakthrough in battery technology is invented.

Hybrids will be the best “green” choice for some time and the company plans to have a hybrid version of its entire lineup of vehicles by 2020, Toyota executive vice president Masatami Takimoto told reporters at the company’s headquarters in Japan today according to the Associated Press.

Governments around the world are pushing automakers to produce vehicles with better energy efficiency and fewer emissions in an attempt to curb effects on climate change. In the U.S., efforts have been increasing to promote electric vehicles under the Obama administration. Aims include reducing oil imports, cutting tailpipe emissions and even contributing to energy independence.

However an important issue with electric vehicles today is that with the current technology the cars can only offer short-distance urban commuting, Takimoto told reporters according to the agency.

Toyota’s hybrid system applied in the Prius is the most important of the company's energy-saving technologies, Takimoto said, according to AP.

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