WHY IS HEV THE MOST REALISTIC, IMMEDIATE AND PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO BRIDGE VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION.

Toyota’s push towards vehicle electrification underlines its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality, a major topic that was also recently discussed at the Leader’s Summit on Climate in April 2021, in line with a global initiative to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions.

Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor, Akio Takeyama said that for the automotive industry, carbon neutrality involves a very challenging process to ensure that zero emissions can be achieved throughout the lifecycle of manufacturing, transporting, energy generating, fueling and/or charging, and the recycling and disposal of vehicles.

For Toyota, navigating these challenges in order to achieve carbon neutrality means it must adopt a more holistic approach. This means offering consumers sustainable solutions which meet their diverse needs.

These can come in the form of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV); Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV); Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV), depending on what is best suited to the energy policies and readiness of different countries. Toyota is also actively pursuing the development of e-fuels made from hydrogen designed to improve fuel efficiency dramatically

“For the immediate future, we are absolutely positive that the HEV is the most accessible and realistic choice for Malaysian customers in terms of practicality and infrastructure, with an enormous potential in Malaysia. It is a realistic bridge towards vehicle electrification while efforts are still being undertaken to help realize enablers for BEV, such as cost reduction, energy mix improvement and infrastructure development,” said Takeyama.

In terms of CO2 emissions, both HEVs and BEVs have almost similar values in the process of vehicle production, energy generation and ownership over a period of 10 years, making HEVs equally effective as BEVs, based on the current energy mix in Malaysia.

“Toyota HEVs are at their most advanced today, and presents itself as the most realistic, immediate, economical and practical solution for mass market production and sale in terms of reduced CO2 emission, practical usage, and price acceptance by customers.”

“It also requires no new infrastructure to be built, for instance charging stations, the vehicle does not need to be charged and it completely eliminates any anxiety users may have in terms of limited driving range,” he added.

Winning Technology: Technology advancements will continue to be put to the toughest test and validated through Toyota’s participation in international motorsports. This includes grueling events such as the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race and the World Rally Championship. This pursuit is to engineer a new generation of vehicles that are built with high performance and superiority to not only power daily drivers, but also world champions.

Toyota’s Hybrid Electric System has endured extreme conditions since the manufacturer returned to the prestigious and most grueling race in the world, the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2012, and went on to becoming the TS050 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar won Le Mans in 2018, 2019 and 2020, as well as holds the distinction of being the fastestever car around Le Mans’ 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe with a time of 3mins 14.791secs at an average speed of 251.9km/h recorded in 2017.

Made to Last: Building on Toyota’s reputation of offering vehicles that are engineered to be reliable, durable and dependable, the new generation of HEVs are capable of withstanding the test of time, terrain and distance.

The HEV battery powers the electric motor, and is automatically recharged when the driver brakes (regenerative braking), when the driver lifts off the acceleration pedal, or when the petrol engine is on and running. The system does not require drivers to plug-in to recharge the batteries thus eliminating all concerns pertaining to limited driving range.

The 4th generation Toyota Hybrid Electric System battery has also been designed to last throughout the vehicle’s life, developed to satisfy five critical parameters for complete peace of mind - safety, long life service, high level of quality, affordable high quality products, and high level performance. The key to achieving this battery durability and performance has been in understanding how the vehicle is used and the state of the battery under such conditions – something that Toyota has been able to significantly improve over the years.

Less Emissions: The strategy is to develop vehicles that not only produce less emissions, but to adopt new processes and technology to reduce the amount of resources and energy required in the manufacturing of these vehicles.This translates into reducing the amount and dependence on fossil fuels used to generate the electricity required to operate machines at factories that also emit CO2. The road to vehicle electrification will also be complemented by efforts to replace vehicle components that operate on conventional energy source. The adoption of fewer moving parts, by eliminating many of the components found in a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle (for instance in the powertrain), also helps to achieve exceptional fuel economy, lower cost of ownership with smooth, quiet and confidence-inspiring power delivery.

TOYOTA HYBRID SYSTEM EXPLAINED

Malaysians have aplenty to be excited about as the Hybrid Electric technology promises an advanced and smart yet fun and powerful driving experience:

Dual-power: Combining a highly efficient petrol engine with two electric motors, the synergy of two energy sources, provide efficiency, drivability, performance and a long range between refueling. Toyota’s Hybrid Electric System has been designed as a reliable and future-proof vehicle. It offers less fuel costs, greater controllability and instant torque, and an environmentally-conscious alternative in line with the company’s aspirations of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

In order to improve fuel efficiency when starting off and accelerating, as normally experienced in an internal combustion engine, the system uses an electric motor that provides an efficient and powerful acceleration. Performance on the move is automatically delivered by the best combination between the electric motor and petrol engine in response to driving conditions. The system automatically shuts down the petrol engine to avoid wasting fuel when idling. Working in tandem and seamlessly, the system produces significantly better fuel efficiency than any petrol engine vehicle in the same class.

Silence: Redefining what constitutes performance and comfort levels, Toyota’s HEVs no longer needs to roar to make its presence felt. Its new generation of HEVs is designed to be exciting to drive, offering new and higher levels of performance, responsiveness, acceleration and handling, while delivering enhanced levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

The vehicles can be stealthy when desired, for instance when drivers select the EV mode which only allows the vehicle to run only using its electric motor, but still capable of coming to live as soon as the driver demands a spirited drive.

This year, Toyota not only returned to win Le Mans for a fourth consecutive time, but stamped its authority with the newly-introduced GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar that dominated the race with a 1-2 finish.

"We have the right technology, the right products in support of the existing infrastructure and energy policies. We are in an ideal position to contribute to Malaysia's ambition of becoming a hub for advanced technologies and to reduce its carbon footprint. This will be an important cornerstone towards ensuring future policies and the people are well positioned and prepared to accept vehicle electrification," said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

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