Toyota: battery electric vehicles. The future of mobility roadmap.
A key role for battery electric vehicles
” We may be famous for our hybrid electric technology, but we know that petrol-electric hybrids are not the only solution we can use to help deliver better, more energy-efficient transport. We have also been developing battery electric vehicle technology as part of our future mobility roadmap. We believe battery electric vehicles are a great way to improve mobility and reduce pollution in urban areas. To maximise their potential, we need to encourage large numbers of people to adopt them, so we will be launching more than 10 battery electric vehicle models by the early 2020s. Our first target market will be China, after which we expect to roll them out to customers in Japan, India, the United States and Europe.
Our battery electric vehicles will help to sell more than 5.5 million electrified vehicles each year by around 2030.
Where our hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles are ideal for longer journeys, battery electric vehicles are best suited to short, low-speed journeys in towns and cities. Compact, zero-emissions vehicles powered by batteries that are quick to recharge can improve air quality and ease traffic congestion. They are quiet, easy to drive and have low running costs, making them perfect for commuting journeys or as delivery vehicles.
Toyota was a key contributor to an innovative partnership in Grenoble, France to test the benefits of battery electric vehicles in urban spaces. It provided battery electric vehicles and a car-sharing management system to Cité Lib by Ha:mo in a structured, three-year pilot project (2014-2017) to explore new possibilities in integrating private and public transport.
Cité Lib by Ha:mo was a partnership between Toyota, the City of Grenoble, the Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole metropolitan area, energy provider EDF, EDF’s affiliate Sodetrel and car sharing operator Cité Lib. As well as contributing a fleet of i-ROAD and COMS battery electric vehicles for the programme, Toyota also provided its Ha:mo (harmonious mobility) IT system to help people plan their journeys using different transport options, such as buses, trams, bicycles and walking.
At the conclusion of the project in 2017, the scheme had attracted more than 1,500 subscribers, more than 90% of whom were satisfied with the service and the way in which Toyota’s battery electric vehicles and Ha:mo system made for easier co-ordination with the city’s public transport. Around 70% of journeys were for city-centre shopping and leisure, with an average journey time and distance of 40 minutes and 5km. These findings are now being studied and interpreted to help with on-going research and development and the design of further car-sharing projects. “
from: https://www.toyota-europe.com/world-of-toyota/feel/environment/better-air/electric-vehicle
