» FOR VEHICLES THAT DRIVE LONG DISTANCES – WHETHER THEY ARE PASSENGER CARS OR HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLES – WE CAN EASILY ENVISAGE A FUTURE IN WHICH THE FUEL CELL IS A LONG-TERM ALTERNATIVE. « F O C U S 9 very careful to observe the boundaries during development; we must proceed with great caution. Within these set boundaries we develop very competitive technologies but – as I have already mentioned – the focus is on maximum safety for the driver and other road users. ‹F.›: Buying a car is always also an emotional matter. What is Toyota going to do to offer its customers vehicles that are still fun to drive? ‹G.K.›: The new Prius is the first Toyota car to use a new platform which particularly addresses this factor: driving fun combined with extreme environmental friendliness and low maintenance costs. It is a platform on which we’ll be rolling out further vehicles. ‹F.›: Does Toyota view weight reduction – by using light-weight materials and metals – as a factor capable of enhancing vehicle efficiency? ‹G.K.›: Absolutely. We have a great deal of experience where this is concerned. For example, there are several models that have particular components, such as the roof or the engine hood, which are made of light metals. The Toyota Mirai’s tank and its fuel cell structure, for example, consist of carbon fibers; its engine hood is made of aluminum. In this sense, lightweight construction is a vitally important factor. After all, you can’t change the laws of physics. Acceleration, force and weight are directly interconnected. This means that if you want driving fun, you can make a big difference by reducing weight. ‹F.›: The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050: What’s the idea behind it? > The Toyota Mirai has a range of around 500 km and 113 kW (152 hp). ‹G.K.›: The basic idea behind the challenge is that we want to create a future mobility society, in which we are able and allowed to sell vehicles and can enjoy state-of-the-art mobility. This is only possible if we make an essential contribution to protect the environment. As a result, we take it very seriously to ensure that we reduce CO2 emissions in our cars by 90 percent in comparison with 2010 levels, by 2050. In addition, vehicle production must take place entirely without CO2 emissions, and the level of water usage we have today must be reduced drastically. That is why we consider the Environmental Challenge 2050 as an overall contribution to society, because we ourselves are part of it. In this context, we find it extremely important to formulate these goals very clearly so that our engineers are aware of how they can develop future-proof vehicles. <
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