Koji Sato, chief executive of Toyota Motor Corp., speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. “An engine reborn.” That’s how Japanese automaker Toyota introduced plans for a new lean compact motor that will cast a futuristic …TOKYO — “An engine reborn.” That’s how Japanese automaker Toyota introduced plans to cast a futuristic spin on the traditional internal combustion engine.
Toyota’s Chief Executive Koji Sato said the “engine is optimized for the electrification era” with hopes of helping push the world into “carbon neutrality.” Domestic allies Subaru Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., both preparing ecological engines designed to meet the inevitably upcoming stringent emissions standards, joined Toyota’s presentation billed as a “multi-pathway workshop.”But details on when the engines were coming to market weren’t disclosed.Mazda said that its prized rotary engine, introduced more than 50 years ago, was being adapted for electric vehicles.
Takahiro Fujimoto, a professor of business at Waseda University, believes electric vehicles are a key solution for reducing emissions. But they still have weak points, such as large amounts of emissions produced while making lithium-ion batteries, a chief component.