Newsroom Toyota Europe

Toyota Motor Europe starts transporting vehicles by cross-channel rail freight to reduce emissions

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 11:01:00 +0100

Brussels, Belgium – February 25^th, 2022 – Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has started transporting new cars by cross-channel rail services between its Valenciennes Vehicle Logistics hub in France and Toton (UK). This launch signals the first phase of its Pan-European plan to move a larger share of vehicles by rail freight in line with its ambition to decarbonise its logistics operations.

TME together with its logistics partners, Getlink and CAT Group, will initially transport around 70,000 cars per year equivalent to 270 trains per year. Corolla hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) produced at its plant in Derby will be freighted to its Valenciennes hub, and Yaris HEVs produced in France will be delivered to the UK.

This new international freight traffic is expected to deliver a CO2 reduction in excess of 10% for TME’s total logistic network and reduce delivery lead-times by around 50%. The initiative also positions Toyota as the only automotive manufacturer currently using the Channel Tunnel link for the transportation of new vehicles.

As part of TME’s goals to achieve Carbon Neutrality in Europe, Toyota plans to convert some of its main European logistics routes to rail by 2024. The second phase of TME’s “Rail Project” starts in April 2022, when its Valenciennes logistics hub will link up with the company’s plant in Kolin (Czech Republic), where it produces Yaris and the new Aygo Cross. The pan-European rail network will expand with additional logistics routes to Italy, Spain and Turkey. Following the completion of this phase, the company anticipates it will save over 7M truck haulage kilometres per year, providing both emissions benefits and reducing road usage.

Commenting on the launch of the new freight route in Valenciennes on 24^th February Jean-christophe DEVILLE, Head of Vehicle logistics at Toyota Motor Europe, said:

Toyota Mirai tested by European Parliament

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:17:17 +0100

Brussels, March 10, 2020 – To further promote hydrogen technologies in European markets, a Toyota Mirai has been added to the European Parliament’s fleet for testing purposes from March 2^nd to March 16^th. Members of the European Parliament (MEP) will have the opportunity to be driven around in the Mirai in the Brussels area. Additionally, the Toyota hydrogen fuel cell car will be tested when MEP’s travel between Brussels and Strasbourg. By testing the Toyota Mirai, the European Parliament wants to support its call for zero-emission vehicles and respective alternative refuelling infrastructure.

The interest in hydrogen is recently increasing as it becomes more evident that it has the potential to significantly contribute to CO₂ reduction in the transport and other sectors where pure electrification has its limits. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles are relevant for intense usage and long-distance drives as required by the EU Parliament, emitting nothing but water. The car will be fuelled at Air Liquid’s Hydrogen Station that was built on the grounds of Toyota’s Technical Centre in Zaventem and it will utilise the hydrogen station network of H2Mobility Germany when driving to Strasbourg.

Toyota Prius excels in zero emissions commuting study

Wed, 07 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0200

The new, fourth generation Prius has delivered exceptional results in an academic test of its ability to run on electric power and with zero exhaust emissions on busy commuter journeys. The results of research by a team from the University of Rome confirm how Toyota has successfully taken the efficiency of its most famous hybrid to new heights.

Data gathered from more than 2,200km of driving on a typical Rome commuting journey reveal that the test Prius cars spent an average 73.2 per cent of the journey time (62.5 per cent of the journey distance) producing no tailpipe emissions. These figures included periods when the car was stationary, with the engine automatically switched off.

The results were even better in urban areas, where noise, pollution and air quality are of special concern. On these sections of the route, Prius achieved zero emissions for 79.4 per cent of the journey time and 76.3 per cent of the route distance.

This level of performance was possible thanks to the quality of Toyota’s latest Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain. Almost 45 per cent of the car’s drive power was sourced from the electric motor, with 34.3 per cent of its energy to the wheels produced by the regenerative braking system. Thus, more than one third of the power used to drive the wheels of the test cars was produced simply by the act of braking or slowing down.

The study project, commissioned by Toyota Motor Italy, used a team of 20 drivers, evenly divided between men and women in age groups up to and over 35. There was an equal balance between those who had driven a hybrid car before, and those with no experience. Each participant drove the same 37km route across Rome and back, at three different times of day – morning, afternoon and evening – using a standard Prius Style model on 17-inch wheels. For each journey the Eco drive mode was selected and the air conditioning was switched off; speed limits were observed at all times.

Thanks to Toyota’s leadership in developing hybrid technology, the new Prius has achieved the greatest leap yet in emissions and fuel economy performance between successive generations of the world’s best-selling hybrid. Prius’ achievements go beyond increasingly impressive efficiency, however; 18 years on from the launch of the original model, today’s Prius is designed and engineered to deliver an all-round feel-good driving experience that is intuitive, quiet and responsive.

With advanced styling and genuinely rewarding handling, supported by the first use of the new Toyota New Global Architecture-based platform, it redefines what a 21st century hybrid vehicle can offer, supported by a formidable record of lasting, reliable quality and more than nine million worldwide sales.