Toyota Leads the Way to the Future

Toyota Canada, Inc. is just like you; they want to find ways to leave a smaller carbon footprint while diminishing the cost of fuel. Vehicles like the future Mirai and today’s Prius or other vehicles in the hybrid lineup are designed to lessen the impact of automobiles on the environment and your wallet.

The Chief Environmental Officer of Toyota Canada, Inc., Stephen Beatty said, “Toyota is committed to continue leading the industry in environmental powertrain innovation, with a strong hybrid product lineup that offers a vehicle to suit the needs of any customer.”

Hybrid Technology

Toyota was the first to offer a production hybrid that was readily available worldwide. In eight short years, over 100,000 hybrids have hit the Canadian roads. There are some locations like Vancouver that use the Prius in their taxicab fleet. Some of these cars have over 1,000,000 kms on the odometer.

The Toyota hybrids are powered by the Hybrid Synergy Drive that they plan to introduce into future models. For now, it is found in the Prius, Camry, Highlander and the Rav4.

The technology behind the hybrid offers you efficient power by operating the vehicle in one of three power modes. It can be powered by electric only, gas only or a combination of the two.

You might think that an electric car needs to be plugged in, but not this hybrid.

It recharges itself as you drive it, thanks to Toyota’s creative thinking. The Toyota engineers made the car recharge itself as you drive by taking the energy used by the brakes and turning it into electricity, which is then kept in the hybrid battery.

Not stopping to plug in your car is an efficient use of time, too.

Low Cost Maintenance

You may have heard that the maintenance cost of a hybrid is higher than a gas powered vehicle. Rest assured that is not the case. In fact, the hybrid engine is not under the same stress as the fuel driven vehicle, so there is less wear and tear on internal parts.

As you’ve seen, the brakes are regenerative, and that means that the rotors and pads have a longer life expectancy. Since there are no starters, alternators or belts, you save money on replacement costs.

The battery in the Toyota hybrid is designed to last the life of the vehicle, and in most cases, the battery never needs to be replaced. Toyota says that since 2000, 99 per cent of their hybrids have never had to have the battery replaced.

Fuel Cell of the Future

In addition to the hybrid lineup, Toyota has been working with fuel cell technology. They built it into the Mirai that already made its Canadian debut in June of this year. It was an entry in the 2016 EcoRun put on by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Every year, they organise an event that allows manufacturers to bring their latest eco-friendly vehicles for driving and comparison. This year, Toyota brought along the Mirai.

EcoRun’s purpose is to help consumers make informed choices about environmentally friendly vehicles.

The Mirai is powered by a fuel cell electric drivetrain. Unlike the hybrid, the Mirai doesn’t use gas. The fuel cell produces electricity by combining oxygen with hydrogen gas. You get no emissions and only emit water vapour. You leave no carbon footprint.

The Mirai has a Power Take Off option that lets you turn your car into a generator that can power a home’s essentials for a week.  If a snowstorm knocks out your power, the Mirai in your garage can keep your lights lit.

Toyota thinks the environment is an issue that we should all care about, and they are working hard to develop environmentally friendly transportation.

We’re really excited about the future of Toyota. Come by and we’ll show you the future today.