Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has laid out the path it will follow to have 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicle sales in Western Europe by 2035.
During a Kenshiki (meaning insight) briefing to media, TME communicated its latest European business strategy, sharing the company’s vision, new products and technology developments.
The Kenshiki briefing focussed on TME’s commitment to carbon neutrality, the acceleration of its electrification plan and its active role in building a hydrogen economy.
TME executives say the brand will roll out an increasing number of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) with the bZ4X being the latest model to be launched. By 2030, the ZEV sales mix is anticipated to be a minimum of 50% in Western Europe, with the capacity and capability to further increase should customer demand go even higher.
TME president Matt Harrison says beyond 2030, TME expects further ZEV demand acceleration and it will be ready to achieve 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicles by 2035 in Western Europe, assuming that sufficient electric charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructures are in place, together with the renewable energy capacity increases that will be required.
“Whilst Toyota is committed to making millions of Battery Electric Vehicles, the way to reduce the most net carbon emissions globally is to use every item in our toolbox, including Hybrid Electric, Plug-in Hybrid Electric, and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, with the proportions of each optimised to make best use of the infrastructure constraints and customer circumstances of every region, and the limited supply and improving performance of batteries,” TMC Chief Scientist Gill Pratt says.
TME R&D vice president Gerald Killman says commercial production has started on the world’s first bi-polar NiMh battery which, as well as using less precious minerals, is lower in cost with double the output density of a regular NiMh battery.
By applying similar techniques to Li-Ion batteries, combined with further efficiencies in vehicle energy consumption, Toyota expects to see a 50% reduction in battery cost per vehicle, without deteriorating range, in the second half of the 2020s; thereby making battery electric vehicles more affordable and accessible.
Killmann confirmed that, following prototype testing last year, solid state batteries will likely be first introduced in hybrid electric vehicles before wider deployment including battery electric vehicles with the aims of delivering higher output, longer range and shorter charging times.
TME expects to deliver 1.07m vehicles in 2021, for an estimated 6.3% market share – a new record and an increase of 80k units compared to 2020. In 2022, TME is planning to sell around 1.3m vehicles for a 6.5% market share – another new record.
It supported by new model introductions including the new bZ4X, the Aygo X, the GR86 and the Corolla Cross.
