Toyota Hybrid Vehicles Hit the 1 million mark
A decade after Toyota first unleashed the Prius, the manufacturer has sold it’s one millionth hybrid car. Cumulative sales for gas-and-electric powered vehicles totalled 1.047 million at the end of May 2007. Of these million or so vehicles, 345,000 hybrids were sold in Japan, with 702,000 sold abroad.
Sales of hybrid cars have climbed dramatically in the last ten year. In 1998, Toyota sold just 18,000 hybrid cars. In 2005, they sold 312,500 hybrids. The demand for hybrid cars is a mix of concern over global warming, carbon dioxide emissions and pollution, combined with the superior mileage a hybrid can get from a single tank of petrol thanks to the mix of gas-powered engine and electric motor.
Not all hybrids sell well. Honda have recently pulled their version of the hybrid Accord sedan due to poor sales. Toyota have dominated the hybrid car market since they launched the Prius. Although other manufacturers have tried to follow suit with their green, hybrid cars, Toyota still lead the way. Over 40% of all hybrids sold in the US last year were Prius’s alone.
Toyota are intending to continue to stay ahead of the pack with continuing research and development. As well as the Prius, they also offer other hybrid models including the hybrid Camry and Lexus models. Toyota themselves are unsure as to what the dominant ecological technology will be in 20 years time, however they feel that hybrids hold more potential than diesel improvements or any other technology currently on the market.
The next innovation in hybrids is expected to come from battery development. The lithium-ion battery is leading the way, being smaller and lighter than the current nicket-metal hydride batteries which are currently used in the Prius. Lithium-ion batteries are currently used mainly in laptops, however some developments need to be made before they can be used in cars. The lithum-ion batteries are not expected to be developed in time for the next generation Prius, however there is hope within Toyota that the technology will be available soon.
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Simon Catford | Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
But it’s interesting to note that in today’s Times Newspaper, the advert for the Prius has been banned in the UK following complaints to the advertising standards people. Toyota had claimed that the car emitted up to 1 tonne less CO2 than equivalent family cars running on diesel. However, the 1.5 litre Prius was shown to be worse than any similar sized car, including many 1.8 litre engine variants. An advert for another supposedly ‘green’ car, the Lexus lx400h, was banned last month.
Add to this all the issues of disposing of the battery and lifecycle environmental considerations, and this car is far from green.
Whilst I welcome every suggestion to become greener, just sticking with your existing car, recycling and attempting to use alternative forms of transport is far better for the environment, and your personal finances. In addition, rather than the alarmist approach governments have toward climate change, it would be good to have a more balanced discussion – after all, its more than likely our planet is warming naturally – Mars is warming, and they don’t have planes, trains and automobiles!
The trouble with mainstream science is that it only becomes mainstream when the government gets behind it, unfortunately in this example, this is the case. Whether attempting to tax, redistribute wealth or simply reduce the threat from emerging markets, the government appears reticent to listen to any other point of view.