Why? How? When?

Hybrid technology's potential is becoming clearer by the day. At Toyota, we do not regard hybrid technology as simply a steppingstone to the age of fuel cell vehicles. We see it as the core technology that will become dominant in the eco car market and eventually evolve to form the basis of what we call the "ultimate eco car."

Toyota has a long history of continuous improvement when it comes to conventional engines, including lean-burn gasoline engines, direct injection gasoline engines and common rail direct-injection diesel engines, as well as engines modified to use alternative fuels, such as compressed natural gas (CNG) or electricity (EV). In December 2002, we launched limited sales of the Toyota FCHV, a Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle that runs on high-pressure hydrogen.

This is all part of our search for the ultimate eco-car.

Our engineers may disagree about which fuel or car propulsion system is best. But they do agree that hybrid technology is the core for eco-car development.

We develop these key technologies in-house to reduce costs and rapidly commercialize their application.

One of the yardsticks to assess the environmental cost of a future technological scenario is well-to-wheel efficiency. This expresses the overall efficiency of an energy source, from extraction to when it turns a vehicle's wheels.

Well-to-wheel calculations (see-chart) illustrate that, regardless of power source, Toyota's hybrid technologies increase efficiency substantially.

A Strategy For Life

Hybrid technology is a rediscovery of an energy strategy that living things depend on. Humans and other animals store energy temporarily so that they can access it quickly when needed.

Like our metabolic system, Toyota's hybrid technology saves fuel by storing energy and adjusting intelligently to each situation.

A high-performance battery stores energy that is ordinarily wasted while driving or stopping, and then applies the stored energy when starting and to supplement engine power when accelerating. Since the system recharges itself, it never needs plugging in.

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