In its announcement confirming the impending arrival of new hybrid models in Malaysia earlier this week, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) made some bold claims regarding the ability of petrol-electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions. As you probably know, hybrid cars are the cornerstone of Toyota’s stated global aim of becoming a carbon-neutral carmaker by 2050.
Deputy chairman Akio Takeyama said that carbon neutrality in the automotive industry is a complex subject and involves the entire life cycle of manufacturing, transportation, energy generation, fuelling and/or charging and the recycling and disposal of vehicles.
According to the press release, Toyota is adopting a more holistic approach to carbon neutrality by providing customers with a range of electrified vehicle options. These include hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).
These vehicles are being offered in a way that best suits the energy policies and readiness of each country, said UMWT. Development of synthetic e-fuels made from hydrogen is also being pursued, while the brand’s recent and future investment in battery and supply will support its aspirations moving forward. The company has already revised its global electrified vehicle sales target from five million units to eight million by 2030.
“We are absolutely positive that the HEV is the most accessible and realistic choice for Malaysian customers in terms of practicality and infrastructure, with an enormous potential in Malaysia,” Takeyama said. “It is a realistic bridge towards vehicle electrification while efforts are still being undertaken to help realise enablers for BEV, such as cost reduction, energy mix improvement and infrastructure development.”
Here’s where the big claim comes in – according to UMWT, both HEVs and BEVs produce similar amounts of carbon dioxide emissions during vehicle production, energy generation and ownership over a ten-year period. This makes hybrids just as effective as pure electric vehicles in reducing emissions, the company said – especially given Malaysia’s current energy mix.
“Toyota HEVs are at their most advanced today, and present themselves as the most realistic, immediate, economical and practical solution for mass market production and sale in terms of reduced CO2 emissions, practical usage and price acceptance by customers,” Takeyama added. “It also requires no new infrastructure to be built, for instance charging stations – the vehicle does not need to be charged and it completely eliminates any anxiety users may have in terms of limited driving range.”
So is there any truth in UMW Toyota Motor’s claim?
Doubtless, you’ll be wondering if the company’s statement holds any water in the real world. As it mentioned, the entire life cycle of the vehicle must be taken into account when talking about its total emissions, also known as well-to-wheel emissions.
Sure, a pure electric vehicle produces zero emissions on its own, but the process of making the car itself and the electricity used to power it churns out its own nasty fumes. Battery production, including the mining of raw materials such as lithium and cobalt, is an energy-intensive process and is one of the main reasons EV production emits much more greenhouse gases (by between 30 and 40%, according to reports) compared to an internal combustion engine. To be fair, this issue also affects hybrid vehicles, albeit to a lesser degree.
As for the electricity, that depends on the generation fuel mix of each country, with EVs in places that use a greater amount of fossil fuel-based energy (especially coal) creating more emissions than those in areas that depend more on renewable energy. This is the argument of Toyota president Akio Toyoda – that the automotive industry needs to have a wider view of carbon neutrality instead of “blindly” cracking down on internal combustion engines like Europe is.
But are battery electric vehicles really that bad for the environment? Well, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a BEV’s well-to-wheel emissions range from zero and 187 grams per kilometre of carbon dioxide, compared to 101 to 189 g/km for a hybrid. However, the worldwide average for an EV is just 89 g/km, versus 136 g/km for a hybrid; in fact, it’s even lower than that of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle – another one of Toyota’s big bets – at 101 g/km.
The figure for Malaysia is probably closer to the upper limit, given the country’s dependence on fossil fuels for electricity production. As reported earlier today, we derive a significant portion of our power from coal (65.84%), followed by natural gas (29.67%), hydropower (3.78%) and solar power (0.7%). Then again, our drivers aren’t exactly the most fuel efficient, either, with habits like unnecessary idling and hard acceleration and braking sure to bump up emissions even when using hybrid vehicles.
Even if UMWT’s claim – that hybrids and electric vehicles produce the same amount of emissions over their entire life cycles – is true (let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we?), we can expect EVs to become cleaner over time. More and more carmakers are committing themselves towards becoming carbon neutral over the coming decades, while the government has pledged to switch to cleaner energy sources as it too aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Still, there is some truth in what UMWT is saying. Electric vehicles may be improving at breakneck pace, but range anxiety is still a big issue for most Malaysian drivers, particularly given the current lack of charging infrastructure (although there are plans to improve it). At the end of the day, any decrease in emissions is better than no decrease, and we applaud Toyota for electrifying its local lineup with hybrid vehicles. Now, if only it would just launch the Corolla Cross Hybrid here already…
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Can’t agree more. HEV is a lot more convenient and realistic to Malaysian. Hope that our government won’t simply follow the wind of BEV.
Interesting to see these gomen whackers now change their stance about EV
Talk talk talk. Talk till the cows come home and still talking most importantly mana perodua hybrid cars since they promised us back in 2003. Why PT never highlight this is a mystery. Perodua have 28 year ties with Daihatsu and Toyota yet still not get an entry to their hybrid tech and not a peep from PT writers. Meanwhile Proton have a freshly made 4 year old start with Geely and yet PT writers feel the need to harp on Proton getting EV tech from Geely. Is there an agenda to plotek P2 while whacking P1? Pls no double stendard hypocrisy writing.
Copy paste: “The ship has long sailed.
Billions of monies have arrived into Toyota rivals, while Toyota is forever stuck on ‘identifying’ or ‘planning’ phase.
They cant even decide on epanding their Hybrid to others, what more something more advanced such as EV”
Their decision have made wise move for not sell EV only immediately. BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen also same.
Basically it was a wise move that Malaysia Gahmen did not jump into EV bandwagon so soon.
hybrid is the best as suggested by Toyota, EV is not realistic
Copy paste: “tokok since medeka”
EV is good but dangerous if making more batteries. Also where they suppose to throw EV batteries.
This is a question which naive western-followers never think of. Or their brain do not have the capability to process that kind of information.
Toyolta tokok only bro. How many Corolla Cross will sell compared to Perodua Axia? If they truly care about going green, they should know which should get priority to be hybrid first.
EV shouldnt be subsidized, and should not pay less road tax, also shouldnt ask for Free New Charging Infrastructure.
It’s a crony business. Wasting time to charge, taking away rakyat money, taking away job opputurnities. Used EV sell also ppl say its outdated like a used smartphone.
Parasit business.
Copy paste: “EV will be another failure in M’sia. The gov’t will make it expensive for vehicle owners.
The industry itself will not take off in M’sia.”
How about just having cleaner fuels.. better exhaust management systems and more efficient engines as well as a lighter right foot.
You’re the man! A man with brain.
Government should raise fuel prices to RM 10 per liter for Ron 95 so that more people will switch to hybrid and EV…
Salam. Lithium is hazard to health. Upon expiration of lithium car battery which expected million tonnes if everybody used EV vehicles. How the government to dispose it.
Glad that there are more people aware about how harmful is battery to the environment in long run. Hope that policy makers around the world think rationaly.
“As it mentioned, the entire life cycle of the vehicle must be taken into account when talking about its total emissions”
Then a new EURO 6d Diesel would be the best solution.
If you are citing Toyota executives please cite the whole statement of their executives and publish the international comparative charts on transportation emissions reduction by country.
Japan leads with 23% reduction since the turn of the century literally 20 years ago. Take your pick when battery EVs came into the picture and what signifivant impact it has delivered, if any.
In the top 10 hybrids of Japan, 6 are Toyota, 3 Honda and 1 Nissan.
And the Hydrogen Prius, is on the way, as is a Hydrogen Corolla as announced by Toyota.
The Hydrogen Prius was first demonstrated by a 3rd party custom aftermarket fit sometime in 2015-2016 in EU if I recall correctly.
I still remember Lynas Kuantan, scary.
Even it’s not radioactive for the lithium, a not matured disposal method definitely causing toxic leaking polluting the environment and damaging the Earth, Animal and Humans.
I own a CAMRY HYBRID for more than 5 years. My experience has pretty horrible and worrying at all times what next problem I am going to encounter. My hybrid battery broke down and it cost me a bomb to change. My warranty was nullified easily and service at Toyota Service very expensive and it’s stressful talking about the service and unexpected charges ! I don’t know what to say anymore ! GULAM.
I own a CAMRY HYBRID for more than 5 years. My experience has pretty horrible and worrying.