Toyota keeps oil cars alive but pushes heavily for electric vehicles

The Japanese automaker Toyota has been a pioneer on hybrid and completely electric vehicles,  they issued a statement which read that they will continue to produce petrol-fueled engines for another decade with new powertrain units in order to cut down pollution emissions from their vehicles while also developing more affordable and eco-friendly battery-relying cars.

As battery prices are going down within their range, Toyota’s hybrids and plug-in hybrids will be the dominant kind of their sales, since they wouldn’t be as expensive as a full-on EV.

Toyota focuses on the oil problem without losing sight of EVs

Toyota’s powertrain chief engineer Mitsumasa Yagamata said that by 2030 petrol engine cars will remain to be the dominant kind of vehicle with a 90% usage around the world. This continues to be one of Toyota’s main concerns as their goal is to reduce emissions. As a result, they decided to upgrade their petrol powered engines in order to reduce emissions as efficiently as possible.

Yagamata stated, “Developing the most fuel-efficient powertrains using petrol engines and hybrid systems will be the best way to have an impact (on reducing emissions), and we remain committed to this,”

However investing in new petrol engines is no time loss, as Toyota’s petrol engine parts could serve as base components for electric vehicles and more advanced hybrids. According to Yagamata when it comes to launching gear, these components could function on regulating “swift initial acceleration and final deceleration.”

These new ecological innovations will be part of every new Toyota model starting this year.

Toyota’s New Hybrids: Auris and Corolla iM 2018

Toyota has revealed the new Auris after an 8-year gap, and both this new model and the upcoming Corolla iM will have a 2.0 engine, a 41% hybrid with 169 horsepower (126 kilowatts) at 6,600 rpm and 205 Newton-meters (151 pound-feet).

The 2.0-liter mill engine could serve as a token of trust for Toyota since the exact same process of knowledge transitioned into innovation was made with the Prius. In this case, the result was a 2.0 electric engine that guarantees a more efficient fuel usage.

Toyota’s hybrid innovations are not exclusively focused on engines and fuel consumption, though. A six-speed manual gearbox targeted the globe but proved to be perfect for Europe. It is seven kilograms (15.4 pounds) lighter than the current transmission and at the same time, it’s 24 millimeters (nearly an inch) shorter.

This new Auris model will debut on March 6th at the 88th Geneva Motor Show.

Source: Reuters