Presentation
The pioneers behind the hybrid technology of the Toyota Prius are three Japanese engineers: Takeshi Uchiyamada, Takehisa Yaegashi and Yuichi Fujii. Today more than one million Toyota Prius vehicles are manufactured every year – and the technology is also sold to other car manufacturers.
2006_car.jpgWhen Toyota in the beginning of the 90’s decided to develop a car suitable for the 21st century it had two aspects in mind: the Environment and Energy efficiency. At this time petrol was relatively cheap and a number fuel thirsty city jeeps appeared on the market. To be able to reach their target of halving fuel consumption the Toyota engineers decided that a hybrid, i.e. a car that ran both on electricity and petrol was the only feasible option. A car where all excess energy could be utilised.

A new car normally takes 8-10 years to develop. The engineers involved in the Prius Project were barely given 4 years. They struggled with several new challenges to make it work:
-A new type of battery that could be recharged multiple times without becoming overheated and that had a sufficient life span
-Smooth transitions between the electric engine and the internal combustion engine
-Finding room for a large battery, an electric engine and an internal combustion engine

When Mr. Fujii was in Göteborg to accept the City of Göteborg International Environment Prize he said:
“My boss said we had to develop a prototype that met these goals within one year. In December 1995 we almost had a prototype but it didn’t roll. Our boss was extremely pleased. Then he said “Now we’ll produce it. You have 22 months to make it happen.”

They pulled it off and 22 months later the first Toyota Prius cars rolled out of the plant.

Hybrid technology

A hybrid car has two engines – a normal internal combustion engine and an electric engine. The electric engine runs on a battery that is charged with excess energy from the internal combustion engine. When the car is freewheeling downhill or breaking, the electric engine serves as a generator. In addition, the petroleum engine switches off when the car stands still. In a normal car all this excess energy turns into heat that is ventilated out.

The next challenge is to combine the hybrid technology with engines that are run on non-fossil fuels, for example biofuel or ethanol.

One million Swedish crowns to Ekocentrum

Prize winners Mr. Uchiyamada, Mr. Yaegashi and Mr. Fujii donated all of the one million Swedish crowns prize money to Ekocentrum in Göteborg. The purpose of Toyota’s donation is to make it possible for more compulsory school students to visit Ekocentrum over the coming years to view the foundation’s exhibition on the environment and learn more about its educational work.

Since 1993 Ekocentrum is an independent non-profit Ecocentre that is not only Europe’s largest eco-exhibition of its kind, its curriculum and its lectures are a source of inspiration that provide good examples of how to achieve ecological, sustainable development.