The climate emergency is expected to be the main challenge of the 21st century, and in Europe it is estimated that transport is responsible for the 25-30% of emissions climate-altering. To meet the objectives of reducing air pollution, in the next 25 years it will be necessary to reduce emissions by 90% compared to 1990. Furthermore, Italy is, according to the latest Eurostat survey, one of the European nations with the highest number of cars in relation to the population.
Although fully electric vehicles represent a significant solution and their presence on the market can already be appreciated, it is impossible not to notice how the autonomy of these vehicles is penalised by the efficiency and capacity of the batteries. In this context, the hybrid technologies emerge as a practical and readily available alternative, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric propulsion system. The advantages of these cars over traditional ones include lower emissions, greater efficiency and reduced running costs, offering a sustainable “smart mobility” solution that can be adopted on a large scale.
Hydrogen hybrid vehicles
The large presence of internal combustion engines in hybrid vehicles is essentially due to their reliability and the high energy density of the fuels they use. However, there is the possibility of using hybrid vehicles with fuel cell technology. This is an electric energy generator that uses the electrochemical reaction that occurs between hydrogen and oxygen and thus produces electric energy (therefore the hydrogen is not “burned” inside the generator). The reaction product is simply water, which is why the coupling of an electric motor to a fuel cell allows for obtaining clean energy without polluting emissions, limiting the impact on the environment to the sole industrial production of hydrogen, which can also be obtained through the use of renewable energy (recognized as green hydrogen).
This type of technology is very flexible, in fact – unlike current batteries for electric cars – the cylinders to contain pressurized hydrogen are lighter (in terms of energy, transporting 1 kWh “weighs” on average 12.5 kg if accumulated in current batteries, while for hydrogen only 1.7 kg are enough), and allow for greater autonomy.
Urban mobility and car sharing
Getting around the city is always a challenge, especially for those who – for work or travel reasons – come from outside, from travel times to finding parking. Even finding a house with a parking space is becoming increasingly difficult, and this is also why in large urban centers the solutions for car sharing are becoming more and more popular.
For the study of sustainable mobility, large-scale events such as the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 represent a very interesting scenario, as the participants in the event will need to move freely in one of the largest metropolises in the world.
to the world. In this important event, Toyota, a leader in electrified mobility solutions, will be the global mobility partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Toyota will implement mobility strategies sustainable mobility already successfully tested during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, providing support to the French capital in the management of public transport.
It is estimated that during Paris 2024 the traffic of people will be particularly intense: the participation of approximately 10,500 athletes coming from 206 nations and the movements of millions of enthusiasts that the city will have to accommodate. Overall, Toyota will bring more than 2,650 cars electrified for use during Paris 2024, and beyond 60% of the fleet will be at zero emissionsThe car company will make available 500 I will see (hybrid cars powered by hydrogen) to enable zero-emission circulation for the Olympic and Paralympic group. At the end of the event, the 500 vehicles will join the other hydrogen taxis in Paris.
In addition to the zero-emission driving vehicles, Toyota will also bring approximately 1,000 electrified vehicles – respectively RAV4, Toyota Corolla TS, Yaris Cross and Highlander – and cars with its car sharing service KINTO. Public transport will be strengthened, thanks to the introduction of two buses converted to hydrogen specifically for this occasion.
Hybrid Micromobility: The Alternative for Urban Transport
As an alternative to traditional vehicles for long distances, electrified systems are also used in means of transport for micromobility (i.e. mobility within the city limits): we are talking about hybrid muscle-electric vehicles (known by the acronym HEHV, which stands for Human-electric hybrid vehicle) such as electric scooters and pedal-assisted bicycles. There are also small means of transport that use only the battery, which fall within the BEV category (Battery Electric Vehicle, or battery electric vehicles). The latter are specifically designed for urban mobility and are widely used in large cities, where they can be used freely by booking the ride through the appropriate sharing apps.
Also during Paris 2024, Toyota will provide solutions to enable everyone to move easily through individual and group mobility products, making available more than 700 dedicated vehicles. Of these, 250 will be APMs, i.e. 4-seater shuttles that are fully electric and accessible to anyone; 250 e-scooters in two versions: C+walkS (with seat) and C+walkT (similar to scooters), together with 200 e-pullers that will guarantee Paralympic athletes and participants with disabilities easy access to the facilities. All these devices have a maximum speed of 6 km/h, which allows them to circulate even within pedestrian areas, and are equipped with frontal obstacle detection systems to ensure the safety of users and other people.
The future of sustainable mobility
In the near future, electric cars (hydrogen or battery-powered) will be a fundamental pillar for the creation of a sustainable and low-emission society. In this sense, Toyota is contributing to the technological progress of these means of transport by introducing new sharing methods to the market that allow for effective and sustainable mobility within large cities, where shared spaces make owning a vehicle less advantageous. Digital services such as car sharing, or car pooling services such as KINTO Join, which allow you to occupy all available parking spaces (making travel more efficient), will become increasingly widespread, providing a sustainable alternative that is at the same time accessible to all.
In addition, the Japanese car manufacturer is developing flatter batteries and with greater capacity: not everyone knows that the thickness of the battery influences the height of the vehicle, negatively impacting the aerodynamic drag coefficient, and by reducing the height of the car it is possible to further improve the battery range.
