Does the heat engine have a future? It’s a good question, and one we regularly try to answer in our columns, but without much success. This also applies to certain manufacturers who no longer know where to stand with the constant coming and going of standards.

If certain groups such as Stellantis or even Volkswagen seem to have abandoned thermal energy, at least in Europe, for their part, Toyota still sees interest in it. Proof of this is the fact that the Japanese company presented a new, unique air intake cleaning system.

Clean the air while driving

Toyota first installed the new exhaust gas cleaning system on a hydrogen engine, which engineers are currently testing on the GR Corolla racing. The filtration system developed by the company’s sports division, namely the Gazoo Racing team, works capturing the carbon dioxide that is already in the airwhich is then released into the liquid using heat from the engine itself, requiring no additional energy.
To be more detailed, the system consists of two filters. The first is installed at the inlet of the air filter and is capable of collecting approximately 60 liters of outside air per second. The second is located in the front of the engine compartment, along the “path” that the engine oil travels as it circulates to lubricate the engine. Finally, there is also the presence of a ceramic catalyst developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, similar to that used in traditional exhausts, to separate the particles from each other.

Not for tomorrow

Although this appears to be a simple technology, at least on paper, Toyota clarified that it will be some time before this feature appears in the next production hybrid cars. One of the main problems, for example, would be precisely the catalytic converter installed, which would still be too small to collect enough carbon dioxide to offset the emissions of a traditional gasoline engine.

Meanwhile, Toyota continues to work on electric models and plans to introduce about ten models by the end of the decade. At the same time, from 2027 to 2028, new “high-performance” batteries will appear, the autonomy of which will be increased by 10%, and production costs – by 10%. These batteries can guarantee ranges from 1100 to 1200 km.

Toyota is also working on solid-state batteries range, which can be increased to 1500 km on a single charge.

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