Introduction

Part of a multinational company, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) or simply called as Toyota is the world’s largest automobile company in terms of its products sale and production. A household name trusted by generation through generation. Toyota is known for its research and development and the company has been manufacturing vehicles with highly-advanced automobile technology. By creating smart solutions for today’s mobility challenges, Toyota has seriously taking it social responsibility by making eco-friendly cars for future generation – Toyota’s only mission and vision for the future.

Founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937, the company is known for its high-performance and fuel-efficient cars. One of the top ten Fortune Global 500 enterprises, Toyota is playing head to head among the world’s global corporations. Selling 7.5 million models annually on all five continents is no joke and a huge responsibility that requires commitment on the part of the company. From its humble beginnings in Japan the company has grown to be one of the most admired car makers of all time. The need of making more with less has been the inspiration of the company’s founder. This is one of the reasons why Toyota vehicles are one of the cheapest and most efficient cars in the market today. Even in the recession the company has managed to gain the US market share. Its factories is scattered around the globe from Japan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Colombia, UK, Egypt, Vietnam, Australia, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Brazil and many more countries taking advantage of Toyota’s innovation and ingenuity.

The quest for innovation is Toyota’s primary motivation and the foundation of the company’s new technology. The evolution of electric cars has come a long way since its inception and Toyota has been mastering electric vehicles for a long time now. Through a series of research and development the company has achieved a lot and is now ready to take on the green challenge. With its consistent respect for the environment, TMC is trying to promote community awareness by building reliable electric vehicles and engaging Clean & Green Project activities. It’s never ending quest to develop ways to limit pollution has lead the company to its electric breakthrough. By developing fuel cell vehicles, Toyota is first the car maker that will mass-produced gas/electric hybrid car.

Toyota Prius

Toyota Motor Company has been very active of the green campaign and it’s pushing hybrid/electric vehicles in the market. In fact, it is the first to commercially mass-produce hybrid vehicles and one of these vehicles is the Toyota Prius. This fully-hybrid electric vehicle is the most fuel –efficient gasoline car that is currently sold in US. Rated as one of the cleanest vehicles By EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Prius was rated based on smog forming and toxic emissions. It was first introduced in Japan in 1997 and subsequently launched worldwide in 2001. Sold in more than 40 countries, this mid-size car has reached global cumulative sales of 1.6 million and still in counting.

The Toyota started manufacturing the Prius when they announced the Earth Charter.  This is a document that took the company to a greener pasture by outlining its goals to develop and market low emission quality vehicles. So to begin their journey to a greener earth, the company’s R&D Executive Vice President Yoshirio Kimbara took the initiative to create a committee to do some research about 21^st century cars. The project was called G21and the team was tasked to bridge the gap between electric powered vehicles and gasoline powered vehicles. It was in 1995 Tokyo Motor Show when the G21 team unveiled their design as a concept car with a hybrid engine. This was in fact the first exposure of the Prius, a Latin word for “prior” or “before”.

The first generation of the Prius, model NHW10 was introduced in 1997 which was only marketed in Japan. Though after some time the hybrid was imported privately in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. The only set back to it is that mechanical concerns and battery failures are not supported outside Japan.

 Then came the second generation of Prius, the model NHW11was powered by a 1.5 liter Atkinson cycle 4 cylinder gasoline engine, a 274-volt nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack and a high-performance permanent magnet AC electric motor. Its engine can developed 70 hp (52 kW) and its torque power can reach up to 82 ft·lbf (111 N·m). Its high-end motor can generate a maximum of 44 hp (33 kW) and 258 ft·lbf (350 N·m) of torque. The NHW11 model was Toyota’s second mass-produced hybrid based on American market. Due to its battery pack the five-passenger Prius has a restricted cargo space. The hybrid’s interior sports a dash-mounted shift lever plus a small touch screen with a hybrid powertrain display.

The third generation of Prius was designed as a mid-size liftback, between the size of the Corolla and the Toyota Camry. Known as model NHW20, the all-new Prius is sporting a redistributed mechanical and interior space. The changes brought a significant increase in rear-seat legroom and luggage room. The NHW20 model features an all electric A/C compressor for cooling and an electric power steering system. More powerful than its previous model, the NHW20 is classified as a SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle). Certified as an "Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle" (AT-PZEV), the Prius is targeted to have 3,000 unit sales.

The current generation of the Prius is the model ZVW30 which was unveiled in the 2009 North American International Auto Show. The new model is sporting a new body design that is more aerodynamic and has an estimated 50 mpg (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg) using the U.S. EPA combined cycle. The ZVW30 model is the Prius’ most efficient car powered by liquid fuel and a 1.8-liter gasoline engine (previously 1.5 liters) that proudly generates 98 hp. The model is sporting a larger engine displacement that allows the vehicle to increase its torque and reduce engine speed (RPM). Most of its features come in smaller size that makes this hybrid vehicle more efficient and certainly improves fuel-economy.

Toyota RAV4 Electric Vehicle

A popular version of the RAV4 SUV, the RAV4 EV was an all-electric SUV that closely resembles the regular internal combustion engine (ICE) version but without a tailpipe. The electric vehicle is capable of a top speed of 78 mph with a range of 100 to 120 miles (160 to 190 km) and has a tested 0-60 time of around 18 seconds depending on battery charging. This is an impressive range for an electric powered SUV. Its battery is even better; it is a 95 amp-hour NiMH battery pack that has a capacity of 27 kWh. It was sold faster than expected, the RAV4 EV can pull off a distance of over 150,000 miles (240,000 km) using its original battery pack. Charging aside, the battery can be fully recharged in 5 hours and it is monitored by a passive battery balancing system.

The Toyota RAV4 EV is one of the company’s vehicles that sport a single speed automatic transmission during its foundation. It also features the RAV4’s original system that includes air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, suspension components and tire wear. Its sophisticated power brakes are using an electric pump to provide vacuum and instead of using mechanical energy the RAV4 EV is using electric motors for its air conditioning system. These state-of-the-art features is RAV4’s edge to compete with its mainstream competitors and Toyota’s bet for electric SUV in the market.

The EV is only available for a three-year fleet lease and not for a public lease, but in 2001 the company opens its doors to small “fleets of one”. Due to a shift of corporate policy, the RAV4 EV was made available to the public but only 328 were sold. After 2003, the company decided to terminate the production of RAV4 EV.