Toyota to launch new lean compact engines to support natural fuels
Toyota unveiled its plans for a futuristic take on the internal combustion engine.
“An engine reborn.” That’s how Japanese automaker Toyota introduced plans to put a futuristic spin on the traditional internal combustion engine.
It also announced it would offer lean compact engines that run on natural fuels like hydrogen and bioethanol, or will be paired with zero-emission electric motors in hybrid vehicles. During a 3-hour presentation Tuesday in Tokyo, the car manufacturer giant announced it would offer green fuel-powered compact engines.
It coincides with a push for 100% electric vehicles by many auto industry competitors.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Toyota CEO Koji Sato said the vehicle’s engine has been optimized for the era of electrification, with the goal of achieving “carbon neutrality” for the planet.
There is already a hybrid car built by Toyota – the Prius – with an engine powered by a gas engine and an electric motor. A cleaner drive is delivered by switching between the two. Prius uses the bZ4X electric compact crossover, packed with what’s called the e-TNGA platform. That stands for “Toyota New Global Architecture,” also used in its Prius and Lexus models.
Electric motors will become the main driving force in future hybrids. Apparently, Toyota is planning to have the new engine take on a lesser role and assist it along the way.
As part of Toyota’s commitment to meeting upcoming stringent emissions standards, Subaru Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. also joined a workshop billed as a “multi-pathway workshop.”
“Each company wants to win, but we can be faster if we work together,” said Sato.
But executives didn’t disclose the details of when the biofuel engines hit to market.
Tetsuro Fujinuki, Chief Technology Officer at Toyota, said the company is working on a “Subaru-like” electric vehicle but not ditching its traditional engine.
The Toyota Motor Company is focusing on developing stylish BEVs.
The BEV production is complicated as the company representatives explained on Tuesday that energy supply conditions differed globally. Considering that, the future products must focus on meeting the needs of a variety of customers. Furthermore, there is also enormous investments required for mass-productions of battery–powered electric vehicle (BEVS).
If BEVs are powered by biofuels, auto industry can make significant positive impact on emission and global warming problems.
