Cleaner cars are just the beginng
Home » Good Guide » CarboNZero organisations & products » carboNZero organisations & products » ToyotaToyota Prius: the world's favourite hybrid
Leonardo DiCaprio has one. And our own Bic Runga loves hers. The Toyota Prius is now parked neatly on top of the hybrid car sector, which is virtually of its own making. A total of 22,000 were sold in August alone, and that was just in Japan, making the Prius the fastest-selling car in the country for four months running. This year the third-generation Prius sports sexier lines with enhanced aerodynamics, which improve the looks and its already impressive efficiency to just 3.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.
That we are so used to seeing them is, paradoxically, a testament to how truly visionary they are. Toyota jumped before other companies were pushed. Unlike some more outlandish eco-buggies, this is not a concept from a digital drawing board or a prototype shell you only see once at a car show. This is a mature solution, working in the real world.
Solar panels integrated into the roof power the Toyota Prius' ventilation system while the vehicle is parked
Each Prius begins life at the Tsutsumi production plant in Japan, which has a 50,000m2 solar array on its roof that provides about half its power needs. Another 22,000m2 of the factory is covered in a photocatalytic paint that converts climate change-causing nitrous oxide into harmless oxygen and nitrogen. The plant recycles and filters water so well the water coming out has tested cleaner than the water going in. And the company planted 50,000 native trees in the area to protect air quality.
But Prius isn’t just a car; it’s a physical expression of Toyota’s way of thinking about personal transport. This accepts environmental realities rather than denying them. The Prius is just the beginning.
Since the launch of its global Earth Charter in 1992, Toyota has been leading the car industry towards greater environmental responsibility. It’s an international effort with environmental teams working to integrate sustainable business practices in every country where Toyota cars are made and sold.
“Climate change is the biggest environmental crisis facing humanity today and Toyota believes a collective response across society is urgently needed.” — Bob Feild, chair of Toyota NZ
In New Zealand Toyota has supported business and community environmental programmes long before it was fashionable for companies to do so. Toyota is a member of the Sustainable Business Network, a foundation member of the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, and has sponsored WWF-NZ for more than 25 years, including the Earth Hour climate change awareness campaign.
Becoming the first car company to be carboNZeroCert TM certified in 2007 was a natural step. It fits neatly into Toyota’s company-wide strategy of energy conservation, sourcing renewable power and offsetting remaining emissions. All employees are closely involved in these efforts and Toyota’s national dealer network is required to measure their energy and fuel use, and report on their reduction efforts.
Bob Field, chair of Toyota New Zealand, says: “Climate change is the biggest environmental crisis facing humanity today and Toyota believes a collective response across society is urgently needed.”
The commercial success of the Prius has given the industry the confidence to invest in alternative vehicle technologies and fuels, and Toyota’s broader environmental activities may ultimately raise standards across the whole industry.
