It is an indisputable fact that new energy vehicles have become the general trend, so much so that in recent years, major traditional car companies have turned around, and at the same time, a large number of new car-making forces have emerged wanting to get a share of the pie.
Although everyone has the same purpose, their directions are different. Some directly launch pure electric models; some launch hybrid models in advance; and some find new ways to develop extended-range electric vehicles. No matter which method is adopted, which one is right or which one is wrong, I believe that the market and consumers will eventually give the answer.
On the road to developing new energy vehicles, Toyota can be said to be one of the earlier car companies to get involved, and it is basically not biased. It is good at almost everything including hybrid, pure electric, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, etc. . Especially in terms of hybrid technology, Toyota has devoted more than 20 years of effort to the Prius hybrid car from 1993 to now. It can be said that during this long period of time, Toyota invested huge resources in this model.
The "secret" that Toyota has poured its heart and soul into
Toyota wants to teach it to Chinese car companies
Recently, the news that Toyota will share its hybrid technology with Guangzhou Automobile Group has attracted attention . According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Japanese company BluE Nexus, which develops and supplies gasoline-electric hybrid systems for Toyota, has reached a technology transfer agreement with Guangzhou Automobile Group. The latter’s independent segment will launch the Toyota THS system (Toyota Hybrid) in 2021. ?System) hybrid products.
BluE?Nexus is a joint venture established by Toyota, Denso, and Aisin Seiki. It can be said that it is a company built by industry giants. Since the company was established in April 2019, it has been committed to the development and sales of electrified drive modules, which are indispensable for electrified vehicles, as well as its system software calibration services.
It is reported that the company has previously shared hybrid technology with Toyota's other Japanese partners such as Mazda and Subaru. However, the cooperation with Guangzhou Automobile Group is the first time BluE? Nexus has shared technology with non-Japanese companies. According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, not only GAC, but also BluE Nexus also intends to share its technology with Geely Automobile.
Free sharing of technology
What is the thinking behind this?
It is worth noting that this is not a sale, but a free sharing. I believe many friends are really confused when they see this. This kind of patented technology that consumes a lot of time, energy, and money is shared with competitors for free. Is Toyota out of their minds?
In fact, this is not without precedent. In April last year, Toyota announced that it would provide free of charge the right to use patents held by Toyota on vehicle electrification technologies such as motors, electronic controls, and system controls (including projects under application). The total number of patents is approximately 23,740, and the term is until the end of 2030. Other companies can use the above technology free of charge as long as they negotiate with Toyota and sign a contract.
On the surface, Toyota seems to be really generous, but in fact, Toyota has selfish motives in this.
First of all, the most practical problem is that patents have a limited time limit. One of the basic patents of Toyota's hybrid system, the core patent of planetary gear, has expired in the United States and Europe in February 2017; in China, there are 13 related patents of Toyota planetary gear, and the application time is from 2003 to 2012 does not vary. Among the earliest batch of patent applications for "planetary gear set", they will expire in 2023. Therefore, instead of holding it in your hand until it expires, it is better to be a "favor" and maybe turn an enemy into a friend and earn a reputation.
Secondly, although there are still technical difficulties in pure electric vehicles at this stage, and hybrids are widely considered to be the best models to transition to pure electric vehicles, pure electric vehicles are still the target of vigorous development in the industry. Toyota will use hybrid technology Sharing it with other car companies will also help them open up the global hybrid electric vehicle supply chain. After all, within the scope of global automobile manufacturing, the hybrid electric vehicle supply chain is not as huge as you might expect.
From 2001 to the present, Toyota has introduced more than 20 hybrid models into the country. Not long ago, the Toyota booth at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show also displayed the Asia Dragon Twin Engine, Camry Twin Engine, Corolla Twin Engine, and Ralink Twin Engine Sports There are six models: Edition, Rongfang Shuangqing and Weilanda Shuangqing.
When hybrid energy becomes equal to pure electric energy, sales of Toyota's hybrid models will naturally increase.
In 2017, Toyota announced an important time point for popularizing electrified models by 2030. That is, among the new cars sold in 2030, HEV and PHEV models will exceed 4.5 million, and EV and FCEV will exceed 1 million vehicles, and the total number of electrified models will exceed 5.5 million. Later, in order to cater to the policy, Toyota advanced this goal by about five years, that is, the total number of electrified models will exceed 5.5 million in 2025.
This is also the reason why Toyota provides hybrid technology support to GAC Group. China is currently the world's largest automobile market. Importing hybrid technology into China will help Toyota achieve the sales target of electrified models faster.
Once again, Volkswagen, the world's largest automobile group, announced that it will open its MEB modular electric vehicle production platform to other manufacturers. How can Toyota, the "second best", sit still and wait.
Rival Volkswagen has transformed into electrification and opened the MEB platform that integrates all of Volkswagen’s electrification technologies. This platform will be shared with Ford in the future and will be the first to sell the largest model to China. Two partners SAIC and FAW are open. Volkswagen’s intentions are clear at a glance. It not only wants to make MEB the standard for the public, but also wants it to become the standard for the entire industry.
Previously, Volkswagen proposed at the group’s annual meeting on March 12 that in the next 10 years, it would increase this number to 70 models from the original plan to launch 50 electric models. Volkswagen's ambitions are clear at a glance, and Toyota's hybrid hybrid, which it is proud of, lacks the attention it deserves in this context. Therefore, if you share, I will also share, instead of "fighting to the end".
Ma said:
The patent period mentioned above is actually only one aspect. From the perspective of the horse-drawn car market, Toyota wants to take this opportunity to promote hybrid technology and change this Passive situation, after all, it is relatively weak in electrification. But no matter what the considerations are, as the technologies of various automobile manufacturers become more mature and competition becomes more and more fierce, consumers will ultimately benefit.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.