Electric and H2 on the cards for classics
Toyota boss and grandson of the company founder, Akio Toyoda used the Tokyo Auto Salon on January 13 to announce the company is focusing on retro-fitting older cars with hydrogen and electric powerplants.
To show what’s possible, he unveiled two AE86 classics, one fitted with a hydrogen-converted powerplant (above) and the other with electric (below). They were part of the company’s Gazoo Racing stand at the salon.
His reasoning is that if the world is serious about carbon-neutral transport, existing as well as new cars need to be seen as a solution.
“If only new cars are electrified, we aren’t going to be able to achieve carbon neutrality,” Toyoda said. “We also have to consider vehicle units in operation.”
“I don’t want to leave any car lover behind.”
“Many automakers target a 100 per cent shift to battery EVs, anywhere between 2030 to 2040,” Toyoda said. “But the reality is that we cannot achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 simply by shifting all new-car sales to EVs. It is important to provide options for cars that are already owned.”
Toyoda has a reputation for being a dyed-in-the-wool car nut and racer, with a long string of events, including some entered under an assumed name, to his credit.
Toyota is not the only company thinking this way. Ford in the USA has made its 210kW Eluminator powerplant from the electric Mustang (above) available as an aftermarket part at US$4340 (Au$6250).
The catch is you then need to think about battery packs and controllers and the overall cost can be high.
However Toyota’s suggestion to retrofit hydrogen conversions is a new twist for a mainstream maker.