‘The power of And’: Toyota launches new strategy to reach net-zero in EU by 2040
Toyota has launched a new strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040 at the latest.
The Japanese marque will focus on driving down the environmental costs of its operations as well as ramping up its electric vehicles’ production, as it aims for its fleet to become net-zero by 2035.
To do so – and abide by both EU and UK regulations – the world’s largest manufacturer will continue to make hybrids but will also focus on electric vehicles.
“We must do what is best for the environment, which is to extract the most carbon reduction from each battery cell produced, replacing as many non-electrified vehicles as possible with electrified ones, guided by the simple principle that carbon is the enemy, not any particular powertrain,” said Toyota’s chief scientist Gill Pratt.
According to Pratt, the ongoing supply chain issues and the consequent high costs of materials don’t allow for the production of electric vehicles only.
“We call this the ‘power of And’ because rarely does one size fit all, especially when you consider the diversity of customer needs and infrastructure readiness,” added Kylie Jimenez, Toyota’s European senior vice president for corporate affairs.
The European Commission has recently announced that, as part of its greener transition, it will ban the sale of new carbon emitting cars – including hybrids – by 2035.
In the UK, on the other hand, the ban could be introduced as early as 2030.