Staff Writer
At the end of last month, on World Conservation Day, Toyota Kirloskar Motor announced that it would extend the battery warranty for its self-charging hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV) to 8 years or 1,60,000 kilometers (whichever comes first). The TKM 2021 hybrid vehicle battery warranty is the longest warranty period in the industry and is applicable to all Toyota SHEV owners (existing Toyota SHEV owners will provide an extended warranty at a special price). This is an unprecedented move in the industry and yet another proof of the company’s commitment to sustainable development. But for those who have tracked Toyota globally for decades, this is not surprising. Over the years, Toyota hybrid models including SHEV have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 139 million tons globally. Self-charging hybrid electric technology is an important pillar of Toyota’s alternative power system efforts-to date, it has deployed more than 16 million hybrid vehicles worldwide. SHEV is also in line with the company’s larger mission called “Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050.” These challenges were announced in 2015 and aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, save water, protect nature, and achieve the company’s carbon neutrality by 2050.
Toyota has sold millions of self-charging hybrid electric vehicles worldwide.
You are likely to be an environmentally conscious Toyota fan and have always been curious about SHEV. You must have many questions: What exactly is a self-charging hybrid electric vehicle? What is it like to drive? What is going on charging it? How far can it go?
The Machan’s tree house is 30 to 45 feet above the forest.
Now, we believe that the best way to answer these questions is to drive SHEV to a place with similar goals and values as Toyota. So when we drive a SHEV (to be precise a fully equipped and handsome Toyota Camry Hybrid) to The Machan in Lonavala, please jump in, it has the same impressive ecological certification as Toyota. It is one of the few tree house resorts in India, built on the densely wooded slopes of the Western Ghats. Machan is not only home to approximately 20,000 trees, but also home to various flora and fauna. The spacious, luxuriously furnished tree house is about 40 feet above the ground and has no air conditioning, but since you are in the middle of the forest, you will never feel that you need air conditioning. Machan mainly relies on solar and wind power to generate electricity. You wake up to the sound of birdsong and retreat to the sound of rain at night.
Toyota Camry Hybrid makes people feel at home in Machan, which runs mainly on solar and wind energy.
City slippery
Now that you have fastened your seat belt, let us begin our journey and prepare to learn more about the world of SHEV. Toyota’s self-charging hybrid electric vehicles use both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The electric motor is powered by the car’s self-charged battery. For example, the Camry Hybrid is equipped with a 175-horsepower, 2,487 cc gasoline engine, supplemented by a 245-volt Ni-MH battery pack and a new fourth-generation hybrid system electric generator, with an output of 118 horsepower and 202 Nm.
The charging performance of the latest generation battery has increased by 28%, the compactness has increased by 10%, and by moving the battery from the luggage compartment where it was originally placed under the seat, Toyota has freed up more space in its already spacious boots. Toyota has invested a lot of work and value engineering in their batteries, which have developed rapidly over the years. This confidence is reflected in the recently announced 8-year battery warranty.
Toyota has extended the battery warranty for its self-charging hybrid models from the existing 3-year/1,00,000 km to 8-year/1,60,000 km (whichever is earlier).
Gasoline engine and electric motor combine power to generate extra power and response torque when you need it. So, when you deal with traffic problems in the city, as we are now, the electric motor is the person who does all the work. Yes, this means that instant torque and excellent responsiveness make life on urban roads a breeze. When the system senses that more power is needed (for example, when accelerating rapidly or performing an overtaking operation), the gasoline engine will automatically switch in. If you are a person who likes numbers, you will want to bookmark this: According to a test conducted by the International Automotive Technology Center (ICAT), the Camry uses 80% less fuel in city driving than an equivalent gasoline engine because it is being used About 60% of the time is electricity.
Toyota’s SHEV has the legendary reliability and attention to detail that the brand is famous for.
We know that the term “electric hybrid” often makes people wonder whether Toyota’s SHEV needs to be plugged into a power source. The answer is no, because SHEV is self-charging, and the hybrid system recharges the battery by recovering energy from the battery. Braking system while driving. Therefore, in Toyota SHEV, the battery is always charged (the on-board computer ensures that the hybrid battery will never be completely discharged. In addition, Toyota’s SHEV is also equipped with a conventional battery). What’s impressive about Toyota’s technology is that the advanced regenerative braking system it uses can also work when you slow down or brake on steep slopes. The moral enlightenment of the story? Toyota’s SHEV not only has extremely low emissions, it can also help you save significantly on fuel costs.
Road star
The road to The Machan is a familiar road, but, like many retellings of great stories, every time we go on this road we get better. One thing that makes the drive active is the linear power delivery and a lot of grunt provided by the Camry engine. The extraordinary thing about the Toyota SHEV is that the transition from electric to internal combustion is so smooth that you won’t even notice it. On the open, winding roads surrounding the Western Ghats, SHEVs like the Camry Hybrid are a study of refinement, responsiveness, and balance. And they are very quiet, because Toyota’s self-charging hybrid electric system uses its electric motor for medium-speed driving, even if it switches to gasoline engine power, it will not be a fuss.
The transition from electric to internal combustion is so smooth that you won’t even notice.
The tranquility in the cabin reflects the tranquility around you, and the sound of the engine is almost inaudible at cruising speed. You can get power when you need it, and it’s hard not to appreciate the way the two motors work in series and the smoothness of the e-CVT transmission. (Does the Camry have paddle shifters? I’m glad to tell you that the answer is yes!) We are often asked about the reliability of Toyota’s self-charging hybrid electric vehicles. There are two answers to this, and the two complement each other. The first one is, well, we are talking about Toyota products, if your son also continues to use the Camry or Vellfire you want to buy, you should not be surprised. The second reason? Since launching the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle, the Prius, Toyota has sold more than 16 million hybrid electric vehicles worldwide.
Vroom has views of The Machan.
We arrived at The Machan at noon, but it felt like night. The sky was densely clouded, the silence was deafening, and a hundred different shades of green spread around us. As is the case with every biodiversity hotspot, the air is so fresh that it feels like an elixir. All of this is worth saving, and our oceans, rivers and mountains. Camry feels at home here, and with Toyota’s self-charging hybrid technology, this is a confident step towards a sustainable future.
