Toyota EV concept vehicleToyota Motor Corporation has announced it is investing more than €11.6bn in research and development (R&D) of batteries, electric motors and power control units for electrified vehicles between now and 2030.
Toyota say that given that renewable energy is not yet widely available for the masses in many countries, hybrids still have a pivotal role to play in immediate CO2 reduction. The brand claims that without an abundant supply of renewable energy, BEVs cannot effectively capitalise on their promise to deliver zero emissions in a mass market scenario.
For hybrids Toyota’s focus is on continuing to drive improvements in instantaneous power, and for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) it is focusing on battery capacity and endurance. Toyota believes its multi-billion investment will make for safer, longer lasting, and more reliable high-performance batteries at a lower cost, paving the way for more affordable zero-emission BEVs.
Toyota said it will achieve battery cost reductions of more than 50% by 2030, while also achieving improved power consumption of 30%. Furthermore, its newly developed batteries will have a significantly higher capacity retention rate after 10 years compared to what has gone before, and for the forthcoming Toyota bZ4X BEV, Toyota has set a target of 90% endurance performance after 10 years of use, which is one of the highest in the world.
In regions where there is an abundant supply of renewable energy, Toyota believes the increased use of zero-emissions vehicles such as BEVs and FCEVs is crucial, and it intends to ramp up its development of these through its R&D investment. In terms of next-generation battery technology, Toyota is investing in the development and commercialisation of solid state batteries, which it believes will provide the best opportunity for mass market adoption of affordable BEVs, providing high output, significantly longer cruising range and shorter charging times.
Toyota is already road testing a solid state powered electric car and is continuing to invest in the refinement and improvement of the technology to ensure it delivers upon its three key measures of safety, security and reliability.
Toyota’s ongoing strategy is to increase the selection of affordable electrified vehicles it offers to customers to ensure the right solution is available depending on where a particular region is at on its renewable energy journey. As such, Toyota will continue to develop hybrid HEVs, BEVs, PHEVs as well as zero emission hydrogen fuel call vehicles.
Zoë Bradley, Head of Marketing Communications, Toyota Ireland:
“Through Toyota’s pragmatic and holistic approach to providing a mass market solution to zero emissions we aim to continue to lead the market to carbon neutrality by 2050. With the rapid expansion of electrified vehicles, Toyota is working to build a flexible system that can stably supply the required volume of batteries at the right time while meeting the needs of various customers in different regions around the world.”