Toyota is working with ExxonMobil to research a plug-in hybrid vehicle that runs on low-carbon fuel.
A short video recently released by the two companies discussing collaborative efforts to reduce emissions, including a low-carbon fuel being developed by ExxonMobil, which the company claims has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 75%. greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fuels.
According to the video, Toyota is testing these fuels, showing a RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid fitted with test equipment, running on a dynamometer and driving on what appears to be a test track. While the video says these tests have confirmed that ExxonMobil’s low-carbon fuel is compatible with current vehicles, it doesn’t specify which fuels were tested.
Toyota RAV4 Prime used to test ExxonMobile’s low-carbon fuel
Toyota recently announced that it plans to push the electric range of some plug-in hybrid models beyond 120 miles. Perhaps this is an attempt to reduce their emissions even further while adhering to the automaker’s strategy of continuing to develop more powertrain technologies rather than focusing on electric vehicles. the battery.
The partnership between Toyota and ExxonMobil dates back many decades. A Toyota press release 25 years ago noted that an alliance between the companies would work towards “an integrated research approach to developing hardware and fuel combinations that improve energy efficiency and fuel efficiency.” reduce emissions.”
Toyota Prius Prime 2023
History goes even further than that. Exxon itself (the name of the company at the time) hybrid car research in the 1970s, building a hybrid Cressida sedan with Toyota (one of two hybrid prototypes at the time)—as well as a later Chrysler Cordoba.
ExxonMobil’s involvement with modern electric vehicles back in 2009, when it launched an effort called AltCar, using a fleet of electric vehicles that the company even played a role in creating.
How low-carbon fuels will fit into the emissions reduction puzzle remains to be seen. California last year proposed new subsidies for renewable fuels, though some groups criticized the decision as potentially delay the adoption of EV.
