To achieve the objectives of our Life Cycle Zero CO2 Emissions Challenge we are working on more environmentally-friendly vehicle designs that use raw materials with lower amounts of carbon. We are designing vehicles with fewer parts too. We are making greater use of biomaterials from renewable sources while making our vehicles easier to dismantle and recycle.
Our goal is to completely eliminate CO2 emissions from the entire vehicle life cycle.
By 2030 our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 per cent or more over the entire vehicle life cycle, compared to 2013 levels.
CO2 emissions from the new Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle were 5% lower than the previous model; CO2 emissions can be further reduced by 31% by using renewable energy.
The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is an organisation that recognises companies with high-quality environmental impact disclosure in its annual scoring process. The top companies make it onto CDP's A-List. In 2017, Toyota received an A-List score in climate change.
CO2 emissions from the new Yaris Hybrid were 38.4% lower compared to the previous Yaris
Toyota supports the world’s first hydrogen-powered boat
Launched in 2017 in the French port of Saint-Malo, Energy Observer is the first autonomous hydrogen vessel that emits no greenhouse gases or fine particles. This electrically propelled vessel of the future operates by using a mix of renewable energies and a system that produces carbon-free hydrogen from seawater.
As hydrogen is at the heart of the Energy Observer project, it gave Toyota Motor Europe a good reason to become a project partner. We are proud to be part of the 6 years journey around the world to test the vessel under different climate conditions.
Toyota has been pioneering hydrogen technology for the last 20 years. In-depth testing has been carried out in demanding conditions to ensure hydrogen can work as a practical fuel alternative. Hydrogen allows for quick refuelling, a significant driving range and a great emission-free driving experience that is helping to power cars, buses, trucks, forklifts – and now of course, boats!
FCEV trucks move goods emission-free in Los Angeles
An outstanding example of how FCEV technology can be successfully applied to heavy-duty trucks is an innovative logistics project that started up in the Port of Los Angeles. This zero-emission hydrogen freight project is supported by Toyota, amongst other partners. It will incorporate 10 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks and four zero-emission cargo handling units.
In addition, two new fuelling stations will join the three existing ones located at Toyota facilities around Los Angeles.
This large-scale project will make a significant contribution to the zero-emission “shore to store” transfer of goods throughout the Los Angeles basin and ultimately to locations further inland. It will help reduce annual exhaust emissions by 465 tons of greenhouse gases and 0.72 tons of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen.
It’s further evidence that hydrogen is a promising zero-emission solution for the heavy-duty transport sector.
Read the full story on the Toyota newsroom
Producing hydrogen fuel from thin air
It sounds like magic: you put a dedicated device in contact with air, expose it to sunlight and it starts producing fuel, for free! That is the basic idea behind research being conducted by the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) in association with Toyota in Europe. The partnership aims to develop a device that absorbs water vapour and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen using the sun’s energy.
To date, DIFFER and Toyota in Europe have demonstrated in a joint feasibility study that the principle does indeed work. The researchers developed a novel solid-state photo electrochemical cell that was able to first capture water from ambient air and then generate hydrogen upon illumination by sunlight.
In the next stage of the project, the partners intend to significantly improve the set-up. This will involve applying state-of-the-art materials and optimizing the system architecture to increase both the water intake and the amount of sunlight that is being absorbed. When this hurdle has been overcome, the research will shift toward upscaling the technology.
Who knows, maybe one day such a system will be used to fuel a car!
Read the full story on the Toyota newsroom
