Toyota Has Developed A New Combustion Engine That Will Fend Off EVs For Years To Come

[AVANTI R5]

Toyota Has Developed A New Combustion Engine That Will Fend Off EVs For Years To Come

Toyota's new engine can run on gasoline, synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, and hydrogen.


Toyota Has Developed A New Combustion Engine That Will Fend Off EVs For Years To Come

Toyota has developed a new thermally efficient internal combustion engine that can run on gasoline, synthetic fuel, biodiesel, and hydrogen.

New tech has been developed thanks to the company’s involvement in racing with its hydrogen-powered GR Corolla race car.

Toyota says it remains committed to developing ICEs.

Toyota has come under fire for being anti-EV and has even been accused of weakening nations’ climate policies through industry advocacy groups. Despite teasing the world with promises of a solid-state battery and introducing its own EVs, the company remains committed to furthering existing tech, with a “multi-pathway approach” to reducing emissions.

Toyota’s goal of carbon neutrality involves not only battery electric vehicles but plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, and internal combustion engine cars. The company also remains committed to developing hydrogen technologies.
Read: Toyota Chief Believes EVs Can Only Capture 30% Of Future Auto Market
This furthering of hydrogen tech, it says, has resulted in the creation of a new breed of thermally efficient engines that can run on a variety of fuels, including conventional gasoline, as well as carbon-neutral options such as synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, and hydrogen.


Racing Heritage
Toyota’s chairman and former CEO, Akio Toyoda, pushed for the development of an H2-powered racing car. Rather than creating a fuel-cell vehicle like the pioneering Mirai, Toyota’s engineers sought a way to make the concept viable in a combustion engine. They settled on the 1.6-liter three-pot engine used in the GR Corolla. The car was later entered successfully in the Super Taikyu Series.
One of the challenges the company faced was balancing thermal efficiency, with hydrogen burning faster and hotter than gasoline. However, using lessons learned from the hydrogen-powered GR Corolla racing car, Toyota’s engineers have cracked how to make these engines even more efficient for the street.


Toyota Has Developed A New Combustion Engine That Will Fend Off EVs For Years To Come

Toyota’s hydrogen-powered GR Corolla racer

Speaking to Auto News, Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima said Toyota’s experience in developing the hydrogen racer fed directly into these future production engines. “Hydrogen engine development has really contributed to our deeper understanding of engine heat efficiency. It was a trigger that brought this technology.”


A New Generation Of Engine
Toyota’s engineers claim that, thanks to engineering advances, these new engines can be 10 to 20 percent physically smaller than they are today but, crucially, are more fuel efficient and can produce more power. While the concept can run on a variety of fuels, including hydrogen, the short-term goal is to incorporate these new efficient engines into a hybrid drivetrain.

See Also: Toyota Tests Tech That Sucks CO2 From The Air On GR Corolla
A 1.5-liter engine with turbo and naturally aspirated configurations has been developed, as well as a 2.0-liter turbocharged version. The new engines will have shorter strokes and less torque. But as they’re designed to work in conjunction with a hybrid system, the electric motors will fill in any gaps. The trade-off, at least with our enthusiast’s cap on, will be fewer revolutions per minute.

Specs are being kept under wraps for now, but the engines will likely start to appear in time for new Euro 7 emissions regulations that require stricter emissions control from gasoline engines. In the long term, the plan will be to develop an engine that runs on carbon-neutral fuels.

Whether this approach will benefit Toyota in the long term remains to be seen. However, one thing is for sure: the Japanese automaker is sticking to its guns and will continue to commit to a future that involves internal combustion engines – whether naysayers like it or not.

Drivespark
Toyota's New Engine: No Need For Electric Motors?

Published: Saturday, June 8, 2024, 12:40 [IST]
Toyota has created a new internal combustion engine (ICE) that can run on gasoline, synthetic fuel, biodiesel, and hydrogen. This innovation emerged from their work with the hydrogen-powered GR Corolla race car. Toyota remains committed to ICE development despite industry trends pushing towards electric vehicles (EVs).

The company has faced criticism for its stance on EVs and involvement in industry advocacy groups. However, Toyota aims for carbon neutrality through a "multi-pathway approach".

This includes battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, and ICE cars. The advancement in hydrogen technology plays a key role in this strategy.

The new engine is a result of Toyota's efforts to make hydrogen combustion viable. Engineers used a 1.6-litre engine from the GR Corolla, which was successfully raced in the Super Taikyu Series. A challenge was balancing thermal efficiency as hydrogen burns faster and hotter than gasoline. Lessons from the GR Corolla helped Toyota's engineers overcome this.
Technological Advances and Efficiency

Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima stated that developing the hydrogen racer improved their understanding of engine heat efficiency. These new engines, thanks to engineering advances, can be 10 to 20 percent smaller while being more fuel-efficient and powerful. The goal is to use these engines in hybrid drivetrains initially.

Toyota has developed a 1.5-litre engine with turbo and naturally aspirated configurations, and a 2.0-litre turbocharged version. These engines have shorter strokes and less torque but will work with electric motors to fill performance gaps. The engines will start appearing in time for new Euro 7 emissions regulations.

DriveSpark Thinks

The specifications are currently under wraps, but the long-term plan includes developing engines that run on carbon-neutral fuels. Toyota's commitment to ICE development continues despite external pressures.
It remains to be seen if this approach will benefit Toyota in the long term. Nonetheless, the company is dedicated to a future including internal combustion engines, regardless of opposing views.

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[AVANTI R5]

Volkswagen Will Spend Billions To Keep Combustion Engines Alive


The automaker has had to rethink its EV plans and will use money once
earmarked for electrification to keep its combustion engines competitive.

Volkswagen Golf GTI engine bay

Volkswagen is diverting billions from EV plans to keep gas engines competitive.
One-third of $193.5 billion earmarked for electrification efforts will be used to keep its combustion engines competitive.

Other automakers, like Mercedes-Benz, GM, Kia, and Land Rover, have also adjusted their EV strategies.

Once determined to topple Tesla as the preeminent maker of electric vehicles, Volkswagen is backtracking on its EV ambitions. Executives have confirmed the brand will funnel billions formerly earmarked for electrification into keeping its gas- and diesel-powered engines competitive, reports Automotive News Europe.
Speaking at a recent Reuters event in Munich, Germany, Volkswagen Group CFO and COO Arno Antlitz announced that the automaker will continue investing in combustion engines despite its move to electric cars. Previously, the automotive giant had plans to pour €180 billion ($193.5 billion) into electrification and digitalization efforts. Instead, two-thirds will be used for electrification and digitalization efforts, with the rest for ICE development.

2024 Volkswagen ID.4

Base MSRP
$39,735
Horsepower
201 hp (RWD Base) | 282 hp (RWD 82 kWh) | 335 hp (AWD)
Torque
229 lb-ft (RWD Base) | 402 lb-ft (RWD 82 kWh)
0-60 MPH
7.3 seconds (base) | 4.9 seconds (AWD)
Top Speed
112 mph
Not The First Automaker To Rethink Its Electrification Strategy

One-third of the capital will "still be allocated to keeping our combustion cars competitive," said Antlitz. "The future is electric, but the past is not over." However, it seems the automaker will not invest more than announced. "It is a third, and it will stay a third," he added. Volkswagen is not the only brand that has reached this conclusion in recent months. Mercedes-Benz has also had to rethink its electrification efforts and will no longer go all-electric by 2030, where markets allow. Instead, it will offer a mix of hybrids and PHEVs to broaden its appeal.


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General Motors also had lofty EV goals but has had to readjust them to suit market needs. As a result, the Detroit-based marque is developing plug-in hybrids to meet demand, with the first PHEVs due in 2027. Land Rover and Kia have also made similar adjustments to their EV roadmaps. Despite this change in strategy, Volkswagen is still betting on electric vehicles. There are plans to introduce a small, affordable electric car priced at around $22,000.

Plug-In Hybrids On The Way

Volkswagen and Renault were exploring a potential partnership to co-develop a small EV, but they split earlier this year. Working together would have reduced costs further and given both brands a tool to fight the scourge of cheap Chinese imports. The automaker has also admitted that it needs to drum up more PHEV sales. When VW USA announced the delay of the ID.7 in America, the automaker hinted at the introduction of plug-in hybrids in the US.


Volkswagen Golf R 20th Anniversary
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Volkswagen has already said the R division is going electric, just like the Golf. But until, Wolfsburg will milk the EA888 engine for all its worth.
Whether this affects Volkswagen's plans for its battery factories remains to be seen. The company expects the first factory to be functional by 2025, but the facility may take some time to operate at maximum capacity. The automaker may slow battery production down for the first few years in response to slowed EV sales. While the ID.7 has been delayed for the United States, VW still offers the ID.4 locally, and has plans to introduce the ID. Buzz later this year.

Source: Automotive News Europe

*****

[Genericuser1]

Good for Toyota.

I hope VW decides to make a cheaper, hybrid version of the ID buzz but I doubt it.

[Reynold Yundt]

I am also waiting for the best VW version

[kh2950]

hydrogen is the future and now

[mcarb002]

Originally Posted by kh2950

hydrogen is the future and now

Lulzzz