Toyota is one of the most conservative companies in the market. Its Japanese culture is printed in each of the decisions it makes. It takes a long time to evaluate, but once it is validated, it advances at a firm pace.
Under this philosophy, he announced that he will begin to produce a hybrid engine in Brazil, which means that it will be the first global automotive to develop propellers with alternative technologies in the region, since until now these vehicles have always been imported from other markets.
In this specific case, it is a development that will combine a battery motor with a Flex motor. That is, propelled by ethanol, an option that is not marketed in Argentina.
However, this advance opens the doors to the production of the most technological engines in Mercosur and lays the foundations of the plan called Environmental Challenge, which foresees that Toyota will commercialize in all the countries where it operates a hybrid or electric version of each one of them. your models sold.
This decision also applies to Argentina and that is why the step that is taking place in Brazil will also happen in the local market.
"The plan indicates that within six years, each model of our line up in the country will have to have a hybrid or electric version," they explained from Toyota Argentina.
Does that mean that the Hilux and SW4 that are manufactured in Zárate will have to do it with that motorization before 2024 ?, was the query of iProUP.
"Yes, from now until 2025 you have to launch a Hilux and an SW4 with alternative propulsion," the company confirmed.
The brand produces at its plant in Zárate, province of Buenos Aires, the Hilux pickup and the large SU4 SU4, which not only lead their categories but also head exports.
In this way, compliance with the plan implies that these models will be developed in Argentina with this hybrid engine option, becoming the first case in the country.
The Brazilian plan, step by step
The production of the hybrid engine in Brazil will start before the end of 2019 and will be implemented in a model that for now Toyota has not confirmed, although many comment that it is the Prius.
In terms of development, it is the result of the work of the engineering teams of Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan and the Brazilian subsidiary. It was oriented towards the extraction of the maximum potential of each solution: high efficiency, very low emission levels and capacity to reabsorb the impact of carbon gas emissions, when 100% renewable energy is used as a fuel source.
"The history of Toyota is characterized by facing with great force the new challenges and its incessant search for technological and innovative solutions," said Steve St. Angelo, executive director of the company for Latin America and the Caribbean.
"This was the case with the launch of the Prius in 1997 and it is now with the confirmation of the production of this great milestone, not only for Toyota Brasil, but for the entire national industry," said the executive, who also serves as President of the subsidiaries of Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.
"I am very proud of our Brazilian engineers, who worked together with our team in Japan to offer this technology based on ethanol for our customers in the neighboring country," he said.
The studies carried out by Toyota Brazil indicate that the flex electric hybrid has one of the greatest potentials of compensation and reabsorption of CO2 emissions generated since the beginning of the cycle of use of ethanol extracted from sugarcane, through the availability of fuel pumps. fuel and its combustion.
Since March of this year, the company has carried out several tests with a flex electric hybrid prototype in the carioca nation based on the platform of a Prius model, currently the only electric hybrid of Toyota sold this territory.
The idea was to test in the field the durability of the car in several types of routes, mainly to evaluate the performance of the internal combustion engine plant, when it is fed with ethanol.
During these months, a series of data related to the performance and behavior of the car was collected, which contributed to the search for the ideal balance of the whole.
"This is a job that has involved many agents, such as the government, entities, suppliers, distributors and, of course, our employees, who work tirelessly under the philosophy of continuous improvement," says Rafael Chang, president of Toyota Brasil to iProUP.
"In addition, it highlights Brazil in the world scenario of alternatives to electric mobility, as producer of one of the cleanest cars in the world, in line with the Rota 2030 Program", the executive completes.
In this way, the firm bets on the corporate vision announced in 2015, which includes six sustainability challenges. In particular, reduce the negative impacts to the environment caused to the closest possible to zero.
The Global Environmental Challenge 2050 aims to neutralize CO2 emissions by mid-century in new vehicles, in the life cycles of its products and Toyota's industrial units worldwide.
Other missions consist of lowering water consumption, encouraging recycling and establishing a society that is in harmony with nature.
In the case of Argentina, the same steps must be followed, since the firm seeks to improve sustainability globally.
The automaker was the first to sell the hybrid Prius, while a few weeks ago it also launched Lexus, its luxury brand, with a version of each of its models with this engine.
Toyota is not the only
The automotive industry is accelerating for the times. It is no longer about plans for the future, but innovation must be done today. In this transformation there are differences or rivalries between the main players in the market.
"We want to go from being a car manufacturer to a mobility services company," said Daniel Herrero, number one of Toyota Argentina, the most successful brand in the country. So, bluntly, he set his vision for the long term.
Beyond the chosen path, they agree that transport must be more sustainable. To achieve this, traditional fuels must disappear.
In fact, some already established specific dates for the end of the production of combustion vehicles to definitively migrate to those that are propelled with new technologies.
Among the options are hybrids, "plug-in" hybrids, those that run on hydrogen and 100% electric hybrids. Next, a review of each alternative.
Electric
Are those 100% electrified cars, the maximum innovation in terms of propulsion.
In these cases, both the motor and the rest of the systems only use electricity, which is stored in the battery to be consumed during its use. And it can be recharged during the journeys with the acceleration and braking of the car.
To fully charge it, you must resort to service stations with electric pumps (Axion Energy has just inaugurated the first in Argentina) or home equipment.
Some brands offer a wallbox, a box that is installed in homes and is faster, while there are emergency cables that allow you to connect to a conventional outlet. This demands more load time (hours), but it is useful to get out of trouble in any place.
Currently, the average time required for the total recharge is eight hours and the autonomy of the most advanced reaches 400 km. However, work is already being done on projects that can reach 600 km.
The hybrids
In this category are grouped the cars that have as their main engine one to combustion. That is, a traditional naphtero, but combined with an electrical system that supports the first lowering consumption.
How does it work? The fuel burns and releases energy that serves to move the wheels. In addition, thanks to an electricity generator, the hybrid partially recharges the battery thanks to the work of the inverter, which is located on the gearbox, in descents or situations of retention or reduction of speeds.
That energy will be stored again to be used at certain times, such as starting the vehicle or feeding the complementary systems.
The purely electric autonomy of these models is now reduced, with an average of 30 km and a maximum speed that does not exceed 50 km / h. They achieve a very low fuel consumption: about five liters per 100 kilometers on average.
Rechargeable hybrids or PHEV
These models integrate a traditional combustion engine and an electric self-rechargeable or additional external recharge. This means that they can regenerate their energy as a hybrid and, in addition, get it from intakes of the fixed electrical network.
Another fact is that they have a second battery, so they have a greater stored energy volume.
As a result, they have more electric autonomy and offer a wider range in EV mode, around 50 or 60 km, in addition to reaching maximum speeds of up to 130 km / h in electric mode.
A hydrogen
Unlike an electric car, the fuel cell is not recharged by a plug. Instead, it has hydrogen tanks that mix this gas with oxygen to generate the propulsion of the vehicle.
This process takes place in the fuel cell and generates electrical energy, in addition to water. While the resulting electricity is stored in the batteries to feed the motor, the surplus water, in the form of steam, is expelled.
Hydrogen cars only emit water vapor through the exhaust pipe. The main advantage indicated by the manufacturers of these models in comparison with the electric ones is the time for a complete recharge: they assure that it only requires five minutes.
Filling the hydrogen tank is a similar task to going to a service station: it is done through a hose, which is sealed to the tank while the process lasts.
In any case, the road is under way and the disembarkation of new technologies is already a reality. It just needs more companies to risk launching their models knowing that they will be a great bet for the future.
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