Japanese car makers to develop new engines for HEVs

Japanese auto producers Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru plan to develop new internal combustion engines (ICE) that can combine with electrical motors, to produce next-generation hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

These future HEVs must have more efficient electric motor-driven engines, said Toyota's chief executive officer Koji Sato on 28 May. Conventional HEVs are primarily powered by ICEs and electric motors have been regarded as a secondary source, Sato reiterated, "But electric motors should also be seen as a primary power source and potential cruising distance powered by electrical motor should be extended."

New engines will be able to utilise a variety of carbon-neutral fuels such as synthetic fuels and biofuel, Sato added. Toyota and other Japanese firms agreed to jointly carry out a feasibility study by discussing scenarios, roadmaps and necessary regulations to introduce the clean fuels around 2030.

But the joint announcement did not disclose the extent of the firms' collaboration in developing the new engine. The three car makers stressed the importance of "co-creation" without further details, but each manufacturer separately introduced their own concept of the new ICE.

This collaboration would be less compelling if the announcement was made by only one company, said Mazda's chief executive officer Masahiro Moro. This comment deepened market speculation that the

firms might be seeking further alliance opportunities, which would involve larger co-operations. This is especially since fellow Japanese car producers Nissan and Honda recently agreed in March to start discussing a possible collaboration on the electrification of automobiles.

It was also unclear if the announcement would mean that the firms will prioritise developing HEVs over the battery EVs (BEVs), with market growth of the latter having slowed over the past several months.

But Sato emphasised that Toyota is committed to BEVs and ICEs, in line with its multi-pathway principle. This means the company will continue producing multiple types of EVs, including plug-in hybrid vehicles and HEVs along with BEVs to give customers a variety of choices.

By Yusuke Maekawa