Since Toyota introduced the Prius, the family's first hybrid car, in 1997, the cumulative sales volume of hybrid cars has exceeded130,000, ranking first in the world. What is the concept of130,000 units? This figure is beyond the reach of many gasoline car companies. Mature hybrid technology and reliable quality make it difficult for Toyota to have rivals in the hybrid field.
Forward-looking strategic vision helps Toyota get ahead of others.
Toyota's mature hybrid technology is not achieved overnight. It is understood that Toyota began to develop hybrid technology as early as the 1990s. As we all know, Japan is an island country with a shortage of resources and is extremely dependent on overseas energy. In the 1990s, with the outbreak of the oil crisis and the complicated and changeable international situation, Toyota realized the importance of getting rid of oil at that time.
Due to the limitation of technology, it is obviously unrealistic for traditional cars to completely get rid of their dependence on oil in a short time. Gradually reducing their dependence on oil and developing hybrid power are the most reasonable and acceptable solutions at this stage. So in199765438+February, Toyota's first hybrid Prius (parameter | picture) officially went offline. The arrival of Prius has made Toyota the first car company in the world to mass-produce hybrid models, and it has a leading position in the hybrid field.
Excellent core technology helps Toyota climb to the top.
As a car, if there is no excellent core technology, even if it enters the market first, it can't do much. Toyota's mature hybrid technology is the key to Toyota's fame in the hybrid field. Since the first generation of Toyota THS hybrid system was applied to Prius, it has developed to the third generation. Now Camry (parameter | picture), Corolla twin engine (parameter | picture), Lexus LC500h and other models on the market are equipped with this hybrid system. THS hybrid power system has been tested in practice for more than 20 years, and its reliable quality has been deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The main structure of Toyota THS hybrid power system is an Atkinson cycle engine plus two motors, one large and one small, an energy management mechanism and an E-CVT gearbox. These two motors have a clear division of labor, one is mainly used for speed regulation, and the other is mainly used as motor drive. They are similar in that they can both be used as generators and motors, and the speed can be changed by connecting planetary gears to the engine. E-CVT is the key technology of Toyota THS hybrid power system. It applied for a patent in 1997 and blocked the e-CVT for 20 years, which is one of the reasons why Toyota can become the overlord in the hybrid field.
In addition, Toyota has spent more than 20 years in the field of hybrid power, during which it applied for a large number of patents. In 1997 alone, as many as 355 patents were applied, covering almost all the core technologies of hybrid power. Fortunately, many of its patents are limited. Up to now, Toyota has opened more than 20,000 patents related to electric vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, and other manufacturers will use them completely free of charge by 2030. Mature hybrid technology makes Toyota a recognized "hybrid hegemon".
Market prospect of hybrid oil and electricity
As the largest new energy vehicle market in the world, China had only 65,438+0.110,000 new energy vehicles in 2065,438+02, and by 2065,438+02,560 new energy vehicles had rapidly increased. The strong market performance of new energy vehicles is closely related to the state subsidy policy. However, starting from 20 19, the state subsidies for new energy vehicles declined, which greatly reduced the competitiveness of new energy vehicles.
Due to many factors such as insufficient battery life, short battery life, high cost and potential safety hazards, hybrid electric vehicles, as a transitional product between traditional fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles, have many advantages. Hybrid electric vehicles don't need special charging interfaces and charging piles like pure electric vehicles, and they don't need to worry about cruising range, and the cost of buying a car is not as big as that of pure electric vehicles. In the short term, the hybrid of oil and electricity represented by Toyota still has strong competitiveness.
Competitors in the field of hybrid power
Seeing Toyota's success in the hybrid field, many car manufacturers will inevitably be jealous and build their own hybrid systems in order to occupy a place in the hybrid field, among which Honda i-MMD hybrid system is the most famous. Honda i-MMD system is simpler than Toyota THS, and its power output is more violent than Toyota THS. It is also the biggest rival of Toyota THS today. Honda i-MMD is the hybrid system closest to Toyota THS in all aspects, but the disadvantage is that the cost is slightly higher and the requirements for motor performance are higher.
Write at the end:
It is not difficult to see that the reason why Toyota has such a high position in the hybrid field is not unrelated to its long-term strategic vision and more than 20 years of painstaking research and development. At present, only Honda can put pressure on Toyota in the field of hybrid power in a short time.