Toyota planes to launch six new hybrid vehicles within the next two years; just part of the latest news that is pushing hybrids to the top of the auto agenda
Toyota Prius Image: Toyota |
The Japanese car giant announced its plans in Detroit, stating that it would add four of the hybrid petrol/electric vehicles to its Toyota stable and two to its Lexus brand, extending its hybrid range to 20. Toyota have already set the standard for hybrid vehicles with the success of it's Prius which has become the 'must-have' vehicle for the environment-conscious. The company also stated it would launch a new all-electric version of the RAV4 sports utility vehicle later this year in conjuction with its US electric partner, Tesla.
Within a few days of Toyota's news, Jaguar Land Rover's hybrid boss, Mike Richardson, addressed the British Science Festival in the UK stating that "“Hybrid engineering is the most exciting, challenging job for any science graduate in the car industry today". The company is already investing around £1bn annually in green technologies, with Richardson stating that plug-in hybrids are showing the most immediate potential.
And a UK auto consortium, including Land Rover, was revealing a prototype flywheel hybrid system for premium vehicles (FHSPV). The system, which is designed to reduce the number of energy conversions in the vehicle and thus improve regenerative braking efficiency, uses a high-speed flywheel which spins at speeds of up to 60,000rpm.
The system is being configured by motorsport and auto consultancy, Prodrive, along with Ford, Ricardo, Flybrid Systems, Torotrak and Xtrac.