12/06/08

Toyota confirms 2010 date for the Prius Plug-in

Available in Europe, Japan, United States, but only for corporation fleets

At the Toyota Environmental Forum, held in Tokyo yesterday, the latest clean technology developments were highlighted by the corporation’s top executives. The event was also attended by an important guest, the Nobel Prize winner Rajendra Pachauri, president of the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN agency which gets together worldwide scientists in order to study climate change.

Among the many announcements made by the Japanese automaker there is one concerning the latest version of the Prius Plug-in, the car which can be recharged from a home outlet and can run quite long distances on the electric mode. Its final version will be available only for company fleets by 2010 and it will be equipped with li-ion batteries. Still unknown the date when it is marketed: all depends on the results of the tests being conducted in Japan and the USA.

Anyway, Toyota’s main strategic target is to reduce gas emissions and make eco-compatible vehicles, as pointed out yesterday by the president himself, Mr Watanabe. There won’t be only one solution, said the Japanese managers; each vehicle will be marketed according to the energy trend of each single country, at the right place, at the right time but mainly with the right car. Over the last ten years in Japan the energy efficiency of the vehicles sold has increased by 28% and there will soon be new engines, for example a 1.3 l and 2.5 l gasoline engine as well as a 1.3 l diesel one equipped with a Start&Stop system.

But the Japanese automaker’s efforts are mainly concentrated on making hybrid cars: sales have reached 1.5 million units, which, according to Toyota’s estimates, means fewer CO2 emissions, as much as 7 million tons. Thanks to the investments in the production plants in China, USA, Thailand and Australia, the targets for the next few years are around one million hybrid cars per year. TMC is also interested in gearing up the development of electric vehicles; actually, it is working on next-generation batteries after establishing a joint venture with Panasonic and setting up a department of its own dedicated to the research of advanced solutions which may eventually lead to the replacement of li-ion batteries.

However, the production of lithium batteries will start in 2009 and will move into full capacity by the following year. Finally, the Tokyo Forum gave the opportunity to discuss alternative fuels, mainly cellulosic ethanol and high-concentration bio hydrofined diesel on which the automaker is conducting joint research with Nippon Oil Corporation.