Toyota is convinced that the internal combustion engine still has a promising future despite the rise of electric vehicles. The world’s largest automaker has reaffirmed its long -term commitment to internal combustion engines by associating with Japanese brands Subaru and Mazda to develop a new range of petrol engines. Smaller and lighter four -cylinder units presented as a “revolutionary solution” by the company’s technical director, Hiroki Nakajima.
We now know that the Japanese car giant plans to use future 1.5 and 2.0 -liter engines in almost all types of possible powertrain. Andrea Carlucci, vice-president of product strategy and marketing at Toyota Europe, told Automotive News that the versatility of the new equipment is essential: “We are trying to optimize the new engine for any type of application, whether electric, hybrid or hydrogen”.
Although the idea of a petrol engine in an electric application may seem strange, a plausible scenario exists. Toyota is probably referring to electric vehicles with autonomy extension (EREV), where the combustion engine does not propel the wheels but only serves as a generator to recharge the battery along the way. This configuration allows the engine to operate at optimal speeds for maximum efficiency. Among the examples are the BMW i3 Rex, Ramcharger, the Mazda MX-30, and the Nissan models equipped with E-Power technology.
Toyota has already announced its intention to sell electric vehicles with extended autonomy in China through its local joint venture with GAC, thus offering the Highlander SUV and the Minivan Sienna the EREV treatment. These models should use a small engine that is not mechanically connected to the wheels. Instead, propulsion will come exclusively from electric motors, the engine only used to extend the autonomy without completely abandoning petrol.
Toyota reached 41 % thermal efficiency in 2018 and could seek this figure further. Its new generation engines will operate not only with fossil fuels, but also with biofuels, hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Beyond complete hybrids and EREV, Toyota also explores long-distance rechargeable hybrids, Carlucci believing that 100 kilometers without consuming petrol represent the “tilting point”.
Confirmed engines include 1.5 liter atmospheric and turbocharged units, as well as a larger 2.0 -liter turbo. Efficiency will not be the only objective, because it will also have a powerful version for the Gazoo Racing (GR) models, delivering up to 600 horsepower in racing cars.
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Carlucci also discussed vehicle architectures:
“Everyone has taken an Ice platform and transformed it into something electrified to a certain degree. So, why not design a native EV platform and see how much we can adapt to be used for a rechargeable hybrid or a complete hybrid without sacrificing any of the forces of the new platform?”
Of course, dedicated electrical platforms are not new. Tesla is the obvious example, but there is also the Meb of the Volkswagen group, the E-GMP of Hyundai and Kia, and the Eva of Mercedes, among others. In addition, certain native EV platforms can also accommodate combustion engines, such as Stla Small, Medium, Large and Stellantis platform. Future scout models enter this category, as are VW group vehicles on the future scalable Systems Platform (SSP).
Like the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, who said that the VE will never reach a market share of 30 %, Carlucci maintains that electric cars are not the only way to decarbonization. He pleads for the diversity of motorcycle groups, giving customers the freedom to choose: “We will not push the VEs on the markets where there is no request”.
