Image: Toyota
Image: Toyota
NewsBy: Ryan De Villiers
Toyota, like many automakers, has been strongarmed by increasingly stringent emissions to reduce its fleet’s carbon footprint. However, Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, believes that full adoption of electric vehicles is still a ways away and that the firm should seek other alternatives for a means of achieving its carbon-conscious goals.
“I believe we need to be realistic about when society will be able to fully adopt Battery Electric Vehicles and when our infrastructure can support them at scale. Because just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now, I think BEVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe. And frankly, BEVs are not the only way to achieve the world’s carbon neutrality goals.” – Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota, Toyota’s 60th Anniversary celebration in Thailand last year.
Image: Toyota
So, if the implementation of EVs into society is still in its infancy, what is Toyota’s next best option? Well, Toyota has decided to rely on a multi-pathway approach. This essentially refers to a diverse environmentally conscious At the moment, it seems as though the firm, and a few other brands, have looked to hydrogen as a more attainable alternatively-powered mobility venture.
“A precarious supply of electricity which plagues millions of Southern Africans means a full BEV rollout simply doesn’t make sense, paired with financially strapped buyers and high prices of EVs has ruled it out for Global South markets.” – Leon Theron, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Despite a consistent roll-out of all-electric offerings, Toyota has emboldened its hydrogen-powered vehicles in recent years from simple passenger carriers to bonified race cars. Early this year, the firm showcased its hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan that trialled a hydrogen fueling “ecosystem”. The demonstration not only offered a look at the firm’s all-hydrogen-powered sedan but also its aspirations for future hydrogen vehicle support infrastructure, outlined by Akio Toyoda, which is a more significant obstacle than producing these hydrogen vehicles. In this display, the hydrogen used was provided by Sasol and dispensed using Air Products, a South African supplier and distributor of industrial and specialised gas products, and flow control system. Despite its ambitious hydrogen-powered projects, the Mirai has been labelled by Toyota Motors’ technical chief, Hiroki Nakajima, as an unsuccessful attempt at pioneering its road-going hydrogen-powered vehicles, and moving forward, the firm will reevaluate its approach to hydrogen mobility.
Image: Toyota
Toyota’s hydrogen technology has also made it into the world of racing. A specially modified hydrogen-powered GR Corolla has been burning rubber on track for some time. In this time, Toyota has been able to test various hydrogen powertrain configurations.
Will Hyrdogen prove fruitful for the Japanese brand, or is its best bet to commit to hybrid vehicles, as a way to bridge the gap between its ICE present and all-electric future?
Keyword: The Toyota President Believes “BEVs Are Going To Take Longer to Become Mainstream”