Toyota on Wednesday reiterated it would start selling plug-in hybrids to fleet customers in Japan, the US and Europe from 2010 and announced a new battery development.
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“Verification tests are currently being conducted in Japan, the United States and Europe, as plug-in hybrid vehicles – which can be used as electric vehicles for short trips and as conventional hybrid vehicles for travelling longer distances – represent the most promising approach,” the automaker said at an environment forum in Tokyo.
“By 2010, TMC will introduce a plug-in hybrid vehicle equipped with a lithium-ion battery.”, geared toward
TMC also said it plans to accelerate development of small electric vehicles for mass production and, late this month, will establish a battery research department “to advance the development of an innovative next-generation battery that can outperform a lithium-ion battery”.
Toyota said Panasonic EV Energy, a joint venture with Matsushita Group that is conducting joint research on batteries for use in automobiles, will commence limited production of lithium-ion batteries in 2009, moving into full-scale production in 2010.
TMC said it was was working on initiatives to reduce vehicle size and weight such as the iQ model, for launch this year, with “revolutionary packaging” seating four people in a body less than three metres long.
By the end of 2010, Toyota will have a new range of engines with new 1.3-litre and 2.5-litre units introduced thus year. The 1.3-litre petrol engine has a stop-start system.
It will also introduce a new and highly efficient compact six-speed manual transmission this autumn.
The automaker said it was researching a cellulosic ethanol that can both avert competition with food supplies and ensure a stable supply; the focus is on technologies that involve yeast.
It is also conducting joint research with Nippon Oil Corporation on high-concentration bio hydrofined diesel (also known as BHD) as a bio-fuel alternative to petroleum-based diesel. So far, the research has led to vast improvement in the oxidative stability of BHD, enabling the fuel to perform on par with conventional diesel.
It is researching biomass-to-liquid (also known as BTL), which is derived from synthesising gas made from all types of biomass, including cellulose.
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