Hi all, Toyota Reinforces Efforts for Environmental Technologies and Environmentally Friendly Vehicles. http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/06/0613.html They states the plug-in hybrid development too. This is the first time I saw Toyota's official announcement about the plug-in hybrid. Ken@Japan
This is really good news. plug-in hybrids is the logical next step and a step that will (over time) convince people that we can do pure EV cars
I found their statement about a vehicle capable of using E100 interesting. That will upset the competition even more. They only delivered E85 abilities because there was some rather difficult barrier to overcome. But the challenge to achieve that final 15 percent appears to have been a successful one on Toyota's part. Being a leader on so many fronts really is going to shake up the automotive market. Cool! I was sick & tired of the same old-school nonsense.
Okay, so it IS the more powerful 2ZZ (woo!) variation that gets used in a lot of hot rod cars like the Lotus Elise, but seriously detuned from 134kW to 100kW (compression 11.5 -> 10.0) and so runs on regular instead of premium. This would be Toyota's equivalent of Honda's new 1.8L engine upgrade. Now, it's wondering what the probable 2ZR-FXE specs would be and its probable use in the Prius.
Following up to the Toyota's announcement on June 13, 2006.... President Watanabe's presentation is available at... http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/environmen...n/forum_300.asx Enjoy, Ken@Japan
Interesting this post is from 2006. While trumpeting their eco-friendliness they downplay an equally important product push. NEW FOR 2007!!!! The 17 mpg FJ Cruiser, and 14 mpg Tundra. Nothing environmentally friendly there.
Maybe they have been downplaying it because grain fuel is a net loser, after factoring in costs for fermentation, petro fertilizer/pesticides, irrigation power, etc. Then there's the ever popular C02 controversy of just making those products. Never mind the crime of destroying rain forests (as Brazil does), just so you can grow a few seasons of grain, leaving nothing but steril land in the wake ... requireing more rain forrest stripping. Oh yea, alcohol fuel is just lovely And of course, after all that, you end up with a fuel that gets worse mpg. It's no wonder that almost all flex fuel vehicle owners have never used grain fuel, even if it was more available.