Electrification Archives

Toyota Suggests That There Could Be A Future For Old Models Like The AE86 With EV Conversions

Toyota, like some of the other top carmakers, has expressed a view that the goal of carbon neutrality to prevent climate change is not a single-solution – going electric with motor vehicles – approach. While they do recognise the importance of moving towards that goal, they feel that the electric-only solution is not practical and is also costly. A choice of solutions that include some existing technologies (improved, of course) is being promoted as a more realistic approach.

Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, is very vocal about this and was among the first car company CEOs to state the position. Perhaps that encouraged the CEOs in the other companies to also echo similar views but still committing to increasing production of zero emissions battery electric vehicles (BEVs). They are probably under a lot of pressure to allocate massive funding for BEV R&D and at the same time, they still need to continue some development of combustion engine powertrains.

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Mercedes-Benz To Develop Global High-Power Charging Network

In order for electric vehicles (EVs) to be more readily adopted, not only do they need to cost less but the issue of the charging network has to be addressed. The liquid fuel network around the planet where you can find somewhere to refuel – in the desert or in the jungle – is the product of 100 years of development but charging stations are very recent. In fact, it’s only during this decade that the charging network has accelerated as more EVs began appearing on roads.

Ideally, governments should build the infrastructure but it is a costly exercise, so they are leaving it to the industry players to make the investments. On their part, governments typically offer incentives (like tax exemptions) to buyers to reduce the cost of purchasing an EV. So it is up to the carmakers to either build a network themselves or partner companies in the power supply business.

At CES 2023, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will launch a high-power charging network in key markets that include North America, Europe and China, starting with the USA and Canada this year. The aim is to have the full network in place before the end of the decade, when Mercedes-Benz intends to go all-electric wherever market conditions allow.

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Peugeot Inception Concept Begins New Era Of Electrification For The Brand

Concept cars used to be fanciful models created by carmakers to dazzle visitors at motorshows. They had amazing technologies and features but a lot was also for show as it was either to complex or too expensive to put into production models. These days though, concept cars serve to preview the next generation of models and much of the technology shown is already under development.

With the Inception Concept presented by Peugeot at CES 2023 (the Consumer Electronics Show), the French carmaker is giving a preview of what its future models in the electric era will be like, and what advanced features they will have.

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Akio Toyoda Gives A First Look At Future Pick-Up Truck Models

Like other types of motor vehicles, trucks too are electrifying. Some companies like Ford and GM have already begun selling fully electric trucks and eventually, the bestselling truck outside North America will also go electric. This is the Toyota Hilux, a popular model in many countries for decades, which has built up a strong reputation for durability and reliability.

Toyota already has a development program ongoing for an electric Hilux as evident by a prototype shown in Thailand recently. On the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of Toyota Thailand, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally presented the Hilux Revo BEV to give a preview of a future Hilux with electric power.

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Volkswagen Group To Introduce MEB+ EV Platform With Improved Range And Charging Speeds

Although electrically-powered cars were in existence over 100 years ago and were common in the early 20th century, they faded away as the combustion engine became more favoured for vehicle propulsion. The technologies available at that time prevented improvements being made to batteries – the ‘fuel tank’ for electric vehicles (EVs) – as well as related systems such as the motors. As combustion engined vehicles improved in performance, the limited performance of EVs saw them losing popularity.

Since the beginning of the 21^st century, though, there has been a revival of the EV as concerns about the environment have grown. With emissions from the combustion engine affecting not only air quality but also causing climate change, governments have demanded that the auto industry find alternative propulsion systems and EVs, with zero emissions, are seen to be the quickest solution.

Huge sums have this been allocated for R&D to rapidly switch over to EVs as fast as possible. As such, the pace of technology evolution has accelerated and improvements are taking place within shorter time-frames. Each year, batteries are having greater storage capacity without growing in size and, together with other efficiency improvements, the range is extending. From less than 100 kms for the few EVs sold in the 1990s, 400 to 500 kms is now a common figure for new models.

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6th Generation Nissan Serena Launched In Japan

Since being launched in 1991, the Nissan Serena has had a varied model cycle through 5 generations, as long as 8 years (first generation) and as short as 5 years (third generation). Nevertheless, it has been a popular MPV in Japan because of its family-friendly design which has evolved with the changing needs of customers.

The sixth generation (C28) launched recently continues with this successful formula while offering new powertrain technologies and safety systems. Though having some visual similarities to the C27 generation, the new Serena has revamped styling, while maintaining roughly the same footprint. It also has the widest windscreen in the MPV category (1.2 – 2.0 litre class with 7/8-seats).

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BMW Group Malaysia Continues To Grow Charging Network For Its EV Customers

With the government helping to promote the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) by exempting them from as well as providing some other incentives, the car companies are also doing their part by participating in the development of the charging network nationwide. After all, if they want people to buy their EVs and enjoy using them, then enabling owners to travel far is necessary as part of ‘aftersales’

BMW Group Malaysia, having been among the early pioneers in electric mobility in Malaysia, is one of the companies that has been helping to grow the number of charging stations. Besides having such facilities at its dealerships, it has now introduced BMW Charging to gives its EV customers peace of mind when they wish to go on long journeys.

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Mazda Announces 1.5 Trillion Yen 3-Phase Plan For Electrification Of Model Range

As Mazda Motor Corporation continues its progress after the challenging COVID-19 pandemic years, it has updated its mid-term management plan and management policy up to 2030. And despite the highly uncertain business environment, the carmaker is renewing its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in all its operations by 2050.

In recent years, the environment in which the auto industry operates has changed dramatically, particularly in Europe, with the growth of electrified products and the associated regulatory demands. To be able to flexibly respond to these future changes, Mazda has a 3-phase plan which will see it spending up to 1.5 trillion yen (around RM48,600,000,000) during this decade.

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All-New Toyota Innova Launched In Indonesia, Now Includes Hybrid Option (w/VIDEO)

From the time it was first introduced in the mid-1970s, the Toyota Kijang has been a top-seller in Indonesia to the extent that it’s been regarded as country’s ‘national car’. Toyota had come up with a product that was ideal for the market, providing versatility to carry people and goods as well as robustness to handle the wide variations in road conditions.

After 45 years, the third generation has now been launched and takes a big step forward with a new electrified powertrain. The model’s name in Indonesia is Kijang Innova Zenix, somewhat lengthy but the ‘Kijang’ name is so strong that Toyota Indonesia has to retain it. ‘Innova’ is, of course, what Malaysians (and customers in other markets) know it as although we had a Kijang earlier that was called the Unser. Zenix is probably to highlight the transition to an electrified model.

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Toyota bZ Compact SUV Concept To Go ‘beyond Zero’

Toyota, it seems, is eager to show the world that even though it will continue to offer mobility solutions that include combustion engines, it is also giving a lot of attention to developing new battery electric (BEV) models. Behind the scenes, there must be a lot of R&D going on and at the end of last year, Akio Toyoda showed no less than 17 prototype BEV Toyota and Lexus models.

Since then, the company has been rolling out new models to show that it is making rapid progress and will have a growing range of BEVs in the near future. This will soon include a model that is presently known as the bZ Compact SUV concept. It looks production-ready so expect it to be on sale sometime in 2023.

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