In 2015, Toyota announced its global environmental challenge 2050, which seeks to contribute towards establishing a ‘future-proofed’ sustainable society that is in harmony with nature. For this, Toyota has set itself six challenges, the first three of which include goals towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 throughout the entire lifecycle of its products. Toyota not only aims to address the impact of its vehicles but also to cover the entire value chain including manufacturing activities.
Toyota has developed all clean technologies and believes in introducing many green energy pathways in electrification and alternate fuels based on each country’s unique requirements and context, so as to minimize fossil fuel usage and achieve carbon reduction in the fastest possible time. Ethanol holds tremendous potential for India as it is an Indigenous and clean energy source, that can significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption, the energy import bill, and carbon emissions. Being agriculture-based, Toyota looks to use ethanol as fuel which will increase farmer incomes and create new jobs, thereby boosting the rural economy. The Government has recently launched second-generation technologies for producing ethanol from agricultural residues like parali, which is currently otherwise burnt. This possibility will not only prevent severe air pollution but also help generate wealth from waste. Toyota can be benefitted from these and can increase multi-fold with the introduction of Flexi Fuel Vehicle (FFV) technology, which can flexibly use higher ethanol blends from 20% to 85%.
Brazil has already introduced Flexi fuel-strong Hybrid electric vehicle technology (FFV – SHEV) by Toyota Brazil, which has the lowest Well-to-Wheel (W2W) carbon emissions for any technology in the country. During the launch of Toyota’s first-of-its-kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in Delhi, the Toyota Corolla Altis FFV-SHEV, which has been imported from Toyota Brazil for the pilot project was unveiled. An FFV– SHEV has a Flexi Fuel engine and an electric powertrain, thus providing the dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency, as it can run for significant time periods in its EV mode, wherein the engine is shut off. This project can play a vital role in the development and introduction of flex-fuel technology in India.