Toyota and Nissan showdown at Tokyo Motor Show 2011

The Tokyo Motor Show 2011 provided the public with a glimpse of the latest developments in green technology, which continues to be a showdown between Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. Toyota is positioning its plug-in hybrids (PHVs) as the next mainstream green car, while Nissan believes that electric vehicles (EVs) will be the best green car in the future.

Toyota’s green-tech strategy

Toyota’s plug-in Prius generated a lot of attention at the motor show mainly because of its impressive 61.0 kilometers per liter of gas consumption. “PHVs are the most realistic and appropriate successors to hybrid vehicles as next-generation eco-cars,” said Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada. PHVs are hybrids that have batteries which can be recharged by plugging them onto an external power source such as a wall socket. Toyota’s Prius PHV has an enhanced battery capacity which gives the vehicle a 26-kilometer run on a single charge. Toyota is focusing on PHVs because it has developed a competitive hybrid technology that can be used to produce PHVs at lower prices. By using its expertise on hybrid production, Toyota has been able to reduce the price of the Prius PHV, which now sells at ¥3.2 million (US$ 41,460.59) or ¥2.75 million (US$35,629.91) after subsidies. Another reason why the company is pursuing the PHV route is because of the fact that PHVs do not require additional infrastructure such as EV charging stations. Until such facilities become widely available, Toyota does not believe that consumers will go for EVs, considering that PHVs are almost as energy efficient as EVs. “The widespread use of PHVs could reduce total gasoline consumption by an estimated 70% — not much less than the estimated 75-85% reduction that can be achieved by using EVs,” Uchiyamada explained. But the company said it is not writing off EVs despite its strong push for PHVs. It plans to launch its own EV models in 2012, which will be designed mainly for short-distance driving.

Nissan goes for zero emission

Meanwhile, Nissan’s booth at the motor show emphasized its zero-emission EV technology. The company has sold 20,000 Leaf EVs in Japan and the U.S. and has plans to roll out more EVs. The automaker estimates that all the Leaf vehicles it has sold have helped achieve a global reduction of 7,300 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn claims that the company is the industry leader in EVs. In 2012, Nissan will begin production of EVs in the U.S., with an ambitious target of 1.5 million sales by the end of fiscal 2016. Ghosn emphasized that expanded EV sales is just the beginning. The company envisions an age in which automakers will have the mission of closely linking people, cars and society more closely. It hopes to achieve this through the “Smart Home” concept, which proposes designs for homes that are highly energy-efficient and generate their own electricity from solar power generation systems and fuel cells. Ghosn also said that the Leaf was envisioned to be an emergency power source during emergencies and natural disaster.
(December 1, 2011)