Key highlights
- Toyota is developing an all-new 1.5-litre, four-cylinder hybrid powertrain in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms.
- The new system targets more than 15% improvement in fuel economy.
- Its compact design will allow hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles to share a common platform architecture.
Toyota is working on an entirely new 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain that could underpin a wide range of future models. Unlike its existing approach of adapting combustion engines for hybrid applications, the Japanese carmaker is developing the engine, electric motors and power electronics together as an integrated system.
New 1.5-litre engine designed specifically for hybrids
The naturally aspirated version is being developed to cover applications currently served by Toyota’s 1.8-litre engine and its existing 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit. The turbocharged version is expected to cater to vehicles requiring higher performance.
The engines will be paired with smaller and lighter electric motors, power control units and inverters. Toyota will also use its silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics to reduce electrical losses and improve overall efficiency.
The targeted improvement in fuel economy will come from several areas, including lower mechanical friction, better thermal management, reduced electrical losses and improved aerodynamic efficiency. Toyota has not yet revealed the engine’s power or torque figures, battery capacity or detailed hybrid system specifications.
One architecture for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs
An important aspect of the development is the packaging of the new powertrain. Toyota says the system is significantly more compact than its existing hybrid setups, allowing it to fit into platforms originally designed around battery electric vehicles.
The common architecture will accommodate battery electric vehicles (BEVs), conventional hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). This approach is intended to reduce development and manufacturing costs by spreading investments across multiple powertrain types.
It should also give designers greater flexibility, with the smaller powertrain package allowing lower bonnet heights and more freedom in shaping future vehicles without compromising cabin space or vehicle capability.
Toyota also wants its manufacturing facilities to be more flexible, allowing production volumes of EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids to be adjusted according to customer demand.
Also read: MG Windsor EV prices hiked by Rs 15,000 across all variants
