Toyota has led the way in developing a number of these alternative technologies as cleaner solutions for sustainable mobility, and has already proven that innovative solutions can be commercialised for specific uses.

Hydrogen fuel cells - as pure as water
One of the most promising technologies developed to use alternative energy is ‘fuel cell’. A fuel cell works by combining two common elements - hydrogen and oxygen - to generate electricity that powers an electric motor. The by-products of this reaction are only water vapour and heat, making this technology the ultimate zero emission solution for vehicle use, even though the actual production process for hydrogen is not emission-free. Toyota has been conducting research into fuel cells since 1992. It believes fuel cell driven vehicles will become a mainstay of mobility in the future.

Vehicles equipped with fuel cells and using Toyota’s Hybrid System configuration are 2-3 times more efficient as petrol-powered cars in terms of tank-to-wheel efficiency.

In 2002, Toyota was the world’s first automobile manufacturer to commercialise Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHVs) in Japan and the U.S. They are equipped with the Toyota FC Stack, a completely in-house developed fuel cell. The full commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles, however, will require the establishment of a hydrogen supply network similar to that for petrol and diesel fuel - a large-scale and costly undertaking. But while the market of fuel cell powered vehicles is limited for the immediate future, their potential remains proven and clear.

Toyota has been searching a number of other sources of cleaner fuel for some time now, in its quest for the ultimate eco-car.

For example, Toyota has researched Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for over two decades, with limited-scale commercialisation. Compared to conventional diesel and petrol vehicles, natural gas powered vehicles emit very small amounts of Particulate Matter, and much less carbon dioxide.

However, CNG requires very large storage tanks for the fuel, and tends to deliver less energy than conventional fossil fuels, limiting its long-term applications to very specific driving contexts such as bus or taxi transport in city centres.  Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) – a synthetic diesel fuel produced from CNG - is another promising energy alternative, as it uses existing diesel fuel infrastructures. It provides the benefit of further emissions reduction and the better fuel economy of the latest clean diesel engines – such as Toyota D-CAT and Toyota's Diesel Particulate Filter.

Toyota also supports the use of alternative fuels including bio-fuels for cars to help reduce fossil fuel consumption and to prevent climate change.