Toyota officially outlines eco-car plans & battery research progress

Following the post about Toyota's "eco" future lineup, the company has now officially announced details of its plans for “eco-car” development and launches (confirming what has already been posted), as well as the progress in next-generation secondary-battery research.

1. Hybrid Vehicles: TMC plans to introduce 11 models by the end of 2012, consisting of all-new models and redesigned models.  Of the planned new models, one is a compact with fuel efficiency in excess of 40 km/L under the 10-15 Japanese test cycle.

2. Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles: By early 2012, TMC plans to begin sales of a “Prius”-based PHV, mainly in Japan, the United States and Europe.  Sales are targeted at more than 50,000 units annually, and the price for Japan is expected to be in the 3-million-yen range.

3. Electric Vehicles: In 2012, in addition to the U.S. market, an iQ-based EV will also be introduced in Japan and Europe.
• Launch preparations call for road trials in Japan, U.S., and Europe starting in 2011.
• Launch in China is also being considered, with road trials planned for 2011.

Separately, the “RAV4 EV” concept, which was developed jointly with Tesla Motors, will be on display until November 28 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, United States.

4. Fuel Cell Vehicles: TMC is continuing development of a sedan-type fuel-cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV), with sales aimed to start in around 2015 in Japan, the U.S. and Europe—markets in which hydrogen supply infrastructure is expected to develop.  Although currently a price under 10 million yen seems attainable, TMC aims to further reduce costs to bring the vehicle to market at a more-affordable price.

5. Next-generation Secondary Batteries: TMC is researching development of next-generation secondary batteries with performance that greatly exceeds that of lithium-ion batteries.  Such research is aimed to help bring about the revolutionary advances in battery performance that will be necessary for the broad adoption of electric-motor-propelled eco-cars.
• Solid-state batteries: TMC has successfully reduced what is known as particle resistance and has made progress toward creating full solid-state batteries in a promising compact package.
• Metal-air batteries: TMC has determined the reaction mechanism of lithium-air batteries and has clarified its research policy regarding the batteries as rechargeable secondary batteries.

In January 2010, TMC established a division charged with studying production of next-generation batteries.  The division, with a staff of approximately 100 researchers, is accelerating its research.