Helping the environment is a priority for Toyota, not only in the vehicles that it produces but throughout its global operations.

“Lowering emissions are a big focus for Toyota, and it’s becoming increasingly important for our customers,” says Toyota Australia’s National Fleet Manager Aman Gupta.

He says while Toyota has not ruled out bringing electric vehicles into the market in the future, the car maker is currently concentrating its efforts on hybrid vehicles, offering the best balance of practicality and affordability.

“We feel hybrids are the right product for the present.”

By the end of 2020, Toyota Australia will have 10 different models available with a hybrid drivetrain option, which Mr Gupta says is very important for government procurement officers looking for competitively priced vehicles that don’t require special infrastructure.

Global environmental challenge

Toyota has also set a global environmental challenge for its own operations. The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, consists of six targets:

1. New vehicle zero CO2 emissions challenge – reducing tailpipe CO₂ emissions by 90%
2. Life cycle zero emissions – eliminate all CO2 emissions from the entire vehicle life cycle, including production, servicing, maintenance and parts
3. Plant Zero emissions – eliminate CO₂ emissions from all Toyota plants via the use of clean energy such as solar or hydrogen
4. Minimisation of water usage via water saving technologies
5. Recycling – global deployment of end-of-life vehicle treatment and recycling systems, including the establishment of battery collection and recycling systems
6. Establishing a future society in harmony with nature – to connect nature conservation activities beyond the Toyota Group and business partners, including the establishment of a new hydrogen-powered ecocity in Japan.