The penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached 53.9% in August, what is the concept? For every 100 cars sold, nearly 54 are new energy vehicles, of which plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and range extension (REEV) account for a high proportion, making China the country with the highest penetration rate of new energy vehicles in the world. However, with the increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, some problems have emerged one after another, such as difficult charging, battery safety, maintenance costs, especially expensive battery replacement......
Some consumers are appealing: Is there a hybrid technology that is as fuel-efficient as plug-in hybrid and range extension, but is more safe and reliable and has low maintenance costs? Alas, don't say it, there really is......
Eye-opening: one of the most economical fuel trucks, only 2.52 liters per 100 kilometers
Recently, an United States car owner drove an unmodified petrol-electric hybrid car across the United States continent and set a Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption of 2.52 liters per 100 kilometers, which was eye-opening. The owner drove the hybrid car (the car uses a 2.0-liter hybrid system) from Los Angeles City Hall, United States, and traveled about 5,168.73 kilometers to New York City Hall, experiencing a variety of complex road conditions such as high altitudes of more than 2,000 meters and deserts with temperatures above 40 degrees.
The final result is equivalent to 39.6 kilometers per liter of petrol, which is 2.52 liters of fuel consumption per 100 kilometers! You read that right, this is also a non-charging hybrid car, it is the Prius equipped with Toyota's fifth-generation hybrid system.
Prius, which is no stranger to Chinese consumers, has been produced and sold in China, but this one that broke the Guinness World Record has not yet been introduced to China.
In fact, many plug-in hybrid and extended-range models launched by China's independent car brands have recently been competing to test the ultimate battery life, and it is also common to have a fuel consumption of 3 or 4 liters per 100 kilometers under the condition of feeding. Compared to them, Toyota's intelligent electric hybrid Prius is undoubtedly the most fuel-efficient among production cars that do not need to be recharged. It can be said that "plug-in fuel saving is not unusual, fuel saving is the real power of fuel trucks"......
So the question is, in the context of the new energy era, although Toyota also has a variety of new energy power, including pure electric and hydrogen power, why is Toyota still vigorously developing hybrid? Compared with plug-in hybrid PHEVs and extended-range REEVs that are popular in China, what are the unique features of Toyota's gasoline-electric hybrids......
Different paths to the same end: intelligent electric hybrid dual engine is also a good choice
In fact, Toyota is "obsessed" with the development of hybrids, which is also in line with the needs of consumers. In today's era of high fuel prices, many consumers want to buy a car with excellent fuel consumption. However, due to the national conditions and usage environment and scenario restrictions of various countries, plug-in hybrid and range extension cannot be fully popularized, even in China, so more consumers invariably choose hybrid systems.
This mature, stable, reliable, low failure rate and no charging hybrid technology, Toyota has gone through 27 years of research and development history, from 1997 when the first generation of Prius was put into use, the fifth generation of intelligent electric hybrid dual engine has been iterated many times, fuel economy and plug-in hybrid, range extender car fuel consumption is comparable, even better than plug-in hybrid and range extender, more importantly, "not bad" word of mouth, word of mouth.
This technology is not only very popular in overseas markets, especially in Europe and the United States, but also performs well in the Chinese market. From the family sedans Camry and Asian Dragon, to the SUVs Crown Lufang and Highlander, from the business MPV Sena and Grevia, to the imported Crown Wilfa and Alpha, and the new hard-core off-road SUV Prado launched this year, all of them are equipped with intelligent electric hybrid dual engines. Moreover, in the early days, Chinese car companies also began to study or imitate the technology of intelligent electric hybrid dual engines, but in the later stage, affected by industrial policies, Chinese brands began to make efforts in the field of plug-in hybrid and range extension.
Although the Toyota hybrid is not a new energy vehicle, its fuel consumption is the same as that of a plug-in hybrid, or even lower. For example, Asian Dragon Shuangqing and Camry Shuangqing, the fuel consumption of medium and high-end cars is between 5-6 liters per 100 kilometers, and the low ones can even reach about 4 liters per 100 kilometers. What's more, the hybrid system does not require special maintenance, its maintenance interval and items are the same as those of ordinary fuel vehicles, and due to the characteristics of hybrid vehicles, its brake pads have a longer update cycle, which reduces the cost of using the car to a certain extent.
Toyota also provides an 8-year and 200,000-kilometer ultra-long warranty for the "three-electric" system, which not only reflects Toyota's confidence in the quality of its products, but also keeps the value retention rate of intelligent electric hybrid models at a high level.
Safety is the primary concern of consumers, and batteries are the top priority for safety. Toyota's intelligent electric hybrid dual engine uses a small battery pack with a capacity of two degrees, which is safe and reliable. And you just have to turn it on, and you don't have to think about replacing the battery, motor, electronic control, etc. Its normal design service life is about 15 years, with long life and good stability. As of today, Toyota also holds the record of "0 accidents, 0 explosions, and 0 leaks" for batteries. As of May 2024, Toyota's cumulative global sales of hybrid vehicles exceeded 27 million units, and the cumulative sales of Chinese vehicles exceeded 4 million units, which is enough to show Toyota's leading position in the world.
With the low cost of vehicle use and the high value retention rate, consumers can also save money in the process of using intelligent electric hybrid vehicles for a long time, so as to achieve the goal of achieving the same goal.
Follow the local customs: hybrid is the mainstay, and the all-domain power is fully developed
Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China publicly solicited opinions on two mandatory national standards such as "Passenger Car Fuel Consumption Evaluation Methods and Indicators" (hereinafter referred to as "Opinions"), which mentioned that models weighing less than 1.09 tons need to control fuel consumption within 2.57 liters per 100 kilometers; Models weighing between 1.09 tons and 2.51 tons need to have fuel consumption within 3.3 liters per 100 kilometers; For models with a curb weight of more than 2.51 tons, the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers needs to be controlled within 4.7 liters, and the standard will be officially implemented from January 1, 2026...... After the release of this opinion, many netizens have heated discussions, because there are no pure fuel vehicles that can meet the above fuel consumption standards in China. If this policy is implemented in the future, only Toyota's intelligent electric hybrid dual engine models that do not need to be charged can meet this requirement.
Of course, Chinese consumers do not need to worry, Toyota will definitely introduce more advanced intelligent electric hybrid models into the Chinese market in the future. In addition, in the era of new energy vehicles, Toyota has adhered to the "multi-path technology route" based on the needs of Chinese consumers, not only inheriting its expertise in the field of hybrid and traditional fuel vehicles, but also achieving a leap in the field of new energy vehicles.
Moreover, Toyota also has its own unique views on the intelligence of automobiles, and gradually strengthens the cooperative relationship with Chinese localized enterprises.
In terms of intelligent driving, we have to mention the Toyota Pilot high-end intelligent driving system, which can provide stable and reliable driving assistance for car owners, reduce driving fatigue and improve driving pleasure, whether it is high-speed and long-distance or urban congestion. Toyota's Pilot advanced intelligent driving system also demonstrates Toyota's innovation and strength in intelligent electric technology, bringing consumers a safer, more convenient and more comfortable travel experience, and jointly building a comprehensive safety protection network.
In short, Toyota's "multi-path technology route" in China will not give up traditional fuel vehicles, focusing on hybrids, and the all-domain power will develop in an all-round way. Moreover, by solving the pain points of electric vehicles in China, Toyota can not only improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty, but also achieve greater breakthroughs in the field of new energy vehicles and continue to write a new chapter of innovation. (The above pictures are all from the Internet)
Dr. Xing Che's studio