Toyota defends hybrid car emissions

Normally mild-mannered Toyota has gone on the front foot in defence of its increasingly popular petrol-electric hybrid cars, arguing a lot of them on the road is more helpful to carbon-dioxide (CO2) reduction than a small number of zero-emissions battery-electric vehicles.

The argument, contained in a press release extolling the brand’s record Australian hybrid sales in 2021, uses calculations sourced from its parent Toyota Motor Corporation to underpin its position.

“Right now, due to their popularity and record sales in Australia, Toyota HEVs [hybrid electric vehicles] provide a significant benefit in reducing the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere,” said Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor.

“They are reducing more emissions, sooner, than BEVs [battery electric vehicles] alone.”

But Toyota’s argument has been dismissed as “over-reach” by Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari.

“Companies that sell electric vehicles don’t need to release statements explaining why they’re as good as hybrids,” he said.

Toyota launched its first Prius hybrid in Australia 21 years ago and these days also offers petrol-electric versions of the Yaris, Yaris Cross, Corolla, Camry, C-HR, the sold-out RAV4 and Kluger.

Toyota sold 65,491 hybrids in 2021, almost 30 per cent of its sales volume, and has sold 242,272 hybrid cars since the Prius first launched.

Only a few thousand BEVs make it onto Australian roads each year. Toyota will launch its first BEV, the RAV4-sized Toyota bZ4X, in late 2022 or early 2023 and is expecting only niche sales because of its high price.

Toyota is also one of the few brands globally that persists with hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Australia is a test market for the Mirai FCEV.

Globally, Toyota is also late into the BEV market and its leader Akio Toyoda has been a critic of battery-based electrification.

However, TMC recently announced the launch of 30 BEVs by 2030.

Toyota hybrids reduce CO2 emissions compared to orthodox internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles because they use electric motors powered by a small battery to supplement the engine and can also run on electricity alone at low speeds for short periods.

While this cuts fuel consumption they still emit CO2, which is key contributor to global warming and the climate crisis.

But Callachor argued the practical benefits of hybrids outweighed the theoretical advantages of BEVs.

“According to our calculations, those 240,000 hybrids have had the same impact on reducing CO2 as approximately 72,000 BEVs,” he said.

“Yet the volume of batteries we’ve used to produce these hybrid-electric vehicles is the same as we’d need for just 3500 BEVs.

“In other words, we can say that the batteries needed for 3500 BEVs have been used to achieve the CO2 emissions reduction effect of 72,000 BEVs.

“It means that HEVs are an extremely effective way of reducing carbon emissions today – and doing so at a comparatively affordable price.”

Callachor also questioned whether the environmental benefits of battery packs were being fully utilised in EVs.

“If you’re recharging a 400km BEV every night for an average round-trip commute of around 40km, then you’re not getting any carbon-reduction benefit from 90 per cent of the battery cells,” he said.

“If we put those unused batteries to use in other electrified vehicles, we could prevent far more carbon from entering the atmosphere.

“We cannot assume that ‘one size fits all’. Even if the best choice for the average person someday becomes a BEV, it will not be the best way for every person to reduce carbon emissions.

“Distributing every battery cell so that we get the maximum benefit means putting them into appropriate electrified vehicles including HEV, PHEV [plug-in hybrid] and FCEV vehicles … not just into a smaller number of BEVs.”

Jafari, who speaks on behalf of an organisation that includes various auto brands as members but not Toyota, said Callachor’s commentary reflected the brand’s slow take-up of BEVs.

“It is true that hybrids compared to petrol and diesel vehicles do reduce emissions but the best thing a consumer can do if they want to reduce emissions is drive a zero-emissions vehicle,” he said.

“If Toyota’s message was, ‘We are doing a good job and there’s more to come’, that would be something.

“But trying to defend it and say, ‘Actually this is a better than a battery-electric vehicle’, is not true.

“I think Toyota knows in its own heart of hearts the battery-electric vehicle is the better option.”