We’ve been seeing the switch to electricity since before the turn of the decade. But we’re not even in the middle of it – by the end of the decade, many carmakers have already committed to stop selling internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. For what purpose? To curb the world’s carbon emissions and hopefully stop climate change.
But Akio Toyoda believes that this is not enough. Automotive News According to reports, the CEO of Toyota Motor Corp., it will still do little to reduce emissions from millions of ICE-equipped cars – even if all new cars sold someday are electric.
Toyota’s solution is to convert existing vehicles to carbon-neutral propulsion – either by converting them to full electric or hydrogen engines.
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Toyota has shown how this is done at the Tokyo Auto Salon where the automaker showcased two AE86 concepts. One is electric while the other is powered by hydrogen.
Dressed in the iconic black-and-white body, the hydrogen-powered AE86 H2 concept was equipped with two Mirai-sourced hydrogen storage units housed in the trunk. Under the hood, the four-cylinder engine comes with modified fuel injectors, fuel pipes and spark plugs to meet the specifications of the hydrogen system.
The Toyota AE86 BEV concept, on the other hand, uses an electric motor sourced from the Tundra Hybrid, a battery pack from the Prius plug-in hybrid, and components from other production Toyota and Lexus models. Surprisingly, it came with a manual transmission.
Both concepts should provide proof that Toyota’s vision can be realized, though Toyota admits that talking about it is just the first step in a long development process.
“Many automakers are targeting a 100 percent shift to battery EVs anywhere between 2030 and 2040,” Toyoda said. Automotive News The report “But the reality is that we cannot achieve carbon neutrality by shifting all new car sales to EVs by 2050. … It is important to provide options for cars that are already owned.”