The auto industry’s shift towards battery-electric vehicles involves much more than just building cars. For many of the world’s automakers, the transition to EVs is part of a larger strategy to reduce all carbon emissions, including those produced during manufacturing. Toyota says it is on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 in Europe and has a multi-pronged approach to achieving this.
According to the automaker, Toyota is on track to achieve 100 percent CO2 reductions in all new vehicles in Europe and the UK by 2035. Over the next 10 to 15 years, Toyota will use a battery-electric, plug-in hybrid combination. , electric, and hybrid electric vehicles to reduce emissions.
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Toyota admits there will be challenges in achieving this goal because aspects of the business are beyond its control, such as logistics and parts supply. The automaker said it would work closely with its suppliers and partners in this effort.
The automaker plans to make all European manufacturing facilities carbon neutral by the end of the decade. Toyota already recycles 90 percent of waste at its Deeside facility in the UK to produce green energy. The facility could become carbon neutral by 2025 as early as 2025. The automaker is also installing a large number of solar panels – the equivalent of 10 football fields.
Toyota also sees a bit of its future. The Prologue C-HR concept makes its debut, showing off the cutting edge of the next-generation model. The production version will likely look toned down a bit, but the overall aggressive styling should remain for the plug-in hybrid. Toyota will manufacture batteries for the crossover in Europe. Lexus says that the LFA’s spiritual successor will be electric and feature a manual gearbox and fly-by-wire capability.
Japanese automakers are also continuing to invest in hydrogen. The company revealed the Corolla Cross H2 Concept today, which features an internal combustion engine that burns hydrogen instead of gasoline or diesel. There is also a Hilux pickup under development. Toyota’s pursuit of carbon neutrality will take various forms over the coming decades.
