Toyota Just Announced a Deadline for the Phasing out of Gas Engines

According to Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota's Chief Safety Technology Officer, the Japanese carmaker will be phasing out gas engines from their lineup, with a goal of ending production of all traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2040. Ise shared the news during a press conference at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, saying that vehicles using solely ICE drivetrains wouldn't align with Toyota's goal of reducing their vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent over 2010's figures by 2050.

Ise's statement about phasing out gas engines doesn't mean Toyota will only produce all-electric vehicles (EVs) after 2040. Toyota's efforts at energy efficiency and environmental sustainability include the creation of hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles as well as ones powered solely by electricity. To that end, Toyota launched an EV division earlier this year, and they're testing a hydrogen fuel truck as a new addition to their hydrogen-powered vehicle lineup.

 

Toyota's commitment to more environmentally friendly transportation options matches similar goals set by other car manufacturers, including BMW and Ford, in terms of timeline.

It's also aligned with the future bans on combustion engine vehicles that have been announced by countries such as France, the Netherlands, Norway, India, Germany, and the U.K. No such ban on diesel- and gas-powered cars is planned for the U.S., but studies still predict 90 percent of vehicles in the nation will be electric by 2040.