41
Since commercial vehicles must also provide safety and comfort, it will be difficult to reduce weight this far, but considering efficiency, it goes without saying that
the lighter the car body, the better. Besides downsizing the car body, using light
materials is a weight reduction method. In super cars and luxury cars, materials
effective for weight reduction of the car body while maintaining a certain degree of
robustness are being actively used, such as aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and high-tensile steel, which is an alloy of iron.
Well, let’s return to Fig. 3.4. Comparing the fuel consumption of all cars in 1999
with that of cars in 2016, the current consumption is 33% less for the same weight.
This is an energy-saving effect due to progress in driving power technology over the
past 17 years. As the weight of cars of the same size is becoming lighter through
further weight reduction, it is considered that the fuel consumption of the same type
of cars has been reduced by about 40%.
While the fuel consumption of HVs is less than half of that of 1999 gasoline
engine cars, that of EVs and FCVs are even half of that of HVs. In other words, the
energy efficiency of HVs is twice as high and that of EVs and FCVs is four times as
high as that of gasoline engine vehicles.
In the future, with technological innovation, the car body weight can be made
lighter. If we can reduce the weight of a car by half, energy efficiency will be doubled so we can make EVs and FCVs eight times more efficient.
In the discussion on energy, it is important as to what electricity and hydrogen
are made from. Here, I want to note that electricity is calculated based on Japan’s
standard power supply configuration, and for hydrogen as well, it is calculated
based on the value derived when water is subject to electrolysis under the standard
power supply configuration.
3.2.4 A Rich Car Life with Diverse Eco Cars
Prius has carried out three full model changes so far, and each time, Toyota has
developed a new hybrid system to optimize energy efficiency. Hybrid technology
has been polished over the past two decades, and I think that citizens’ understanding
of HV has deepened.
Initially at the time of release, the Prius had a higher car body price compared
with the same-class cars, and there were also opinions questioning, “Are you really
getting it?” Recently, however, discussions on simple loss and gain hid behind the
scenes. Certainly, the initial cost may be high, but if used appropriately, fuel
consumption can be suppressed, and in the long run, it is economically advantageous. Less fuel consumption means less environmental impact. It can be said that
there are more consumers who are making wise choices in terms of comprehensive
satisfaction rather than because these cars are becoming cheaper.
Not only can EVs and FCVs that do not have an engine contribute to a lowcarbon society but also they present no concerns about noise and exhaust gases that
were associated with engine vehicles, so they are friendly to passengers and people
3.2 Low Carbon Technologies in the Transportation Sector
Since commercial vehicles must also provide safety and comfort, it will be difficult to reduce weight this far, but considering efficiency, it goes without saying that
the lighter the car body, the better. Besides downsizing the car body, using light
materials is a weight reduction method. In super cars and luxury cars, materials
effective for weight reduction of the car body while maintaining a certain degree of
robustness are being actively used, such as aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and high-tensile steel, which is an alloy of iron.
Well, let’s return to Fig. 3.4. Comparing the fuel consumption of all cars in 1999
with that of cars in 2016, the current consumption is 33% less for the same weight.
This is an energy-saving effect due to progress in driving power technology over the
past 17 years. As the weight of cars of the same size is becoming lighter through
further weight reduction, it is considered that the fuel consumption of the same type
of cars has been reduced by about 40%.
While the fuel consumption of HVs is less than half of that of 1999 gasoline
engine cars, that of EVs and FCVs are even half of that of HVs. In other words, the
energy efficiency of HVs is twice as high and that of EVs and FCVs is four times as
high as that of gasoline engine vehicles.
In the future, with technological innovation, the car body weight can be made
lighter. If we can reduce the weight of a car by half, energy efficiency will be doubled so we can make EVs and FCVs eight times more efficient.
In the discussion on energy, it is important as to what electricity and hydrogen
are made from. Here, I want to note that electricity is calculated based on Japan’s
standard power supply configuration, and for hydrogen as well, it is calculated
based on the value derived when water is subject to electrolysis under the standard
power supply configuration.
3.2.4 A Rich Car Life with Diverse Eco Cars
Prius has carried out three full model changes so far, and each time, Toyota has
developed a new hybrid system to optimize energy efficiency. Hybrid technology
has been polished over the past two decades, and I think that citizens’ understanding
of HV has deepened.
Initially at the time of release, the Prius had a higher car body price compared
with the same-class cars, and there were also opinions questioning, “Are you really
getting it?” Recently, however, discussions on simple loss and gain hid behind the
scenes. Certainly, the initial cost may be high, but if used appropriately, fuel
consumption can be suppressed, and in the long run, it is economically advantageous. Less fuel consumption means less environmental impact. It can be said that
there are more consumers who are making wise choices in terms of comprehensive
satisfaction rather than because these cars are becoming cheaper.
Not only can EVs and FCVs that do not have an engine contribute to a lowcarbon society but also they present no concerns about noise and exhaust gases that
were associated with engine vehicles, so they are friendly to passengers and people
3.2 Low Carbon Technologies in the Transportation Sector