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Toyota's green car strategy

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by austingreen, Sep 24, 2012.

  1. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Greener Toyota: 21 hybrids by 2015 and $46k eQ EV in December - SlashGear




    That should mean the camry and lexus es should improve efficiency in 2014 models with the new engine. The real news here is they will be making a very efficient 2L Turbo for 2014 (2015my?), that would be great in a fast Prius.

    The bad news, the Eq appears DOA, expensive and only to fleets in small quantities. With the RAV4 EV only in california, toyota doesn't look to be supporting BEVs.


    Toyota to Release their Smallest Car Yet, and it’s Electric! - SlashGear
    I can't see many wanting the eQ in america over a leaf, focus, or tesla S, so we shouldn't be that surprised.
     
    #1 austingreen, Sep 24, 2012
  2. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    #2 spwolf, Sep 24, 2012
  3. walter Lee

    walter Lee Hypermiling Padawan

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    A turbo charged Prius??:confused:

    A Prius that doubles as an emergency generator - yes! (y)
    I have something to look forward to -- swiss army knife Prius. :D

    I'll be really surprise if Toyota is able to pulls off any thing other than a prototype test vehicle using Hydrogen Fuel cell - those buggers are expensive...

    Mini cars like the eQ would sell in London UK and other urban EV friendly places but not the USA which is still dominated by FSP SUV - I think the Rav EV has a reasonable good chance here. The UsA seems anti EV at the moment.
     
    #3 walter Lee, Sep 24, 2012
  4. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    I know, I doubt it too, but one can hope. The 2.5L engine coming out next year is direct injected according to the announcement. I think the next prius will be.


    +1


    [/QUOTE]
    Mini cars like the eQ would sell in London UK and other urban EV friendly places but not the USA which is still dominated by FSP SUV - I think the Rav EV has a reasonable good chance here. The UsA seems anti EV at the moment.[/quote]
    I'm not sure an expensive mini ev is really on anyones list. Its much more expensive than the imev.
     
    #4 austingreen, Sep 24, 2012
  5. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    46k USD in Japan for a car does not mean the same price when it reaches US shores. In fact,the correlation of prices is poor, particularly for alt vehicles.
     
    #5 SageBrush, Sep 24, 2012
  6. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    The Bottom Drops Out? Toyota Electric Car Sales Nixed - Gas 2

    What is your point, that Toyota can make the cars in Japan and ship them to the US for significantly less than the Japanese price? They may give them away in the US like the prius plug-in demos, but they aren't planning on making or selling many.

    How much more expensive than the Nissan leaf do you think this car can be and sell well.
     
    #6 austingreen, Sep 25, 2012
  7. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    So would the turbo Prius be a different model altogether or would that replace the current ICE?
     
    #7 markabele, Sep 25, 2012
  8. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Sorry, I should have said I hope they make a turbo prius.

    Toyota has just said that they will make a very efficient 2L 4 cylinder engine that will be used in hybrids. I have no idea which model(s) it will be in. A 2L turbo is not much bigger than a 1.8L so it would be really cool if they gave the prius a turbo option, but I doubt it will happen.
     
    #8 austingreen, Sep 25, 2012
  9. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Hmm, I thought my point was simple to follow: Do not guess at US prices from Japanese prices.
     
    #9 SageBrush, Sep 25, 2012
  10. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Since this was about toyota red lighting direct sales for the EQ your point doesn't seem to be in context.

    My point, the car is expensive and toyota did not see a market at the price.

    Your point is I should not speculate on what that price. Well what price do you think Toyota would sell for in america. The twofour ev and imev ($34K for SE US, 26 M yen imev M japan) its most direct competitors have sold less than 600 cars combined in the US cytd. It is smaller and shorter range than the leaf and more expensive in Japan.

    So clearly you must have some point in context here. Is your point that you disagree with toyota and think they should price it for the US market and can sell thousands? Or do you have a different point.
     
    #10 austingreen, Sep 25, 2012
  11. walter Lee

    walter Lee Hypermiling Padawan

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    cnet's car tech show said that in the near future conventional gas car will get better fuel efficiency by replacing port injection with a turbo charged direct injection.
     
    #11 walter Lee, Sep 26, 2012
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Ford has already done that, and others have the direct injection or the turbo. The direct injection is the big gain for most. The turbo works by providing power when needed to a downsized engine. If a driver can't control their foot, the potential gains won't be seen.

    You can get a Kia here with auto start/stop now. The new Fusion will have it as an option for under $300. Mazda's system doesn't require beefed up starters or batteries. It's just fine control of piston firing. Start/stop hasn't appeared in the US until now because it doesn't show much benefit in the EPA test cycle. The new CAFE rules give credit for such systems.

    BMW has played around with regenerative braking on conventional cars. The 2014 Mazda6 will have such a system available. It's the first using a capacitor, which can capture more braking energy than a battery. Smart controlled alternators alone will also help.
     
    #12 Trollbait, Sep 27, 2012
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