Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that enables our planet to maintain a habitable temperature. Basically, if carbon dioxide and other GHGs such as nitrous oxide weren’t around, much of the earth’s surface would be frozen and unlivable. However, the continuing dependence on fossil fuels has led to a steady increase of carbon-dioxide emissions, leading to a planetary thermal imbalance we now know as global warming. The goal, therefore, is to wean everyone off their addiction to petrol.

Fortunately, Toyota has technology that brings this lofty objective closer to reality. Its hybrid electric vehicles work on the simple principle of minimizing the usage of internal-combustion power while providing a seamless motoring experience for their users—essentially no different from a vehicle with a conventional powertrain.

A Toyota HEV has a high-tech power unit that approaches the propulsion problem from two different fronts, ultimately aiming to use as little fuel as possible in the process. One half of the hybrid solution is a fuel-efficient gasoline engine that serves as a power source for both the wheels and the battery charging system. The other half is an electric motor that lets the HEV move without the need for the gasoline-fed engine. Drive duties are smoothly shifted between the two via an ingenious power transfer unit.

The clever thing about this system is that priority goes to using the electric motor and the batteries. The petrol engine simply fulfills a supporting role. In city driving, when the car crawls slowly in traffic, the electric motor carries most of the workload. On the highway, when the speed picks up, the gasoline engine starts flexing its muscle. Emphasis is made on having the electric motor do a significant amount of work, relieving the gasoline engine of a substantial amount of its usual load.

In addition, a Toyota HEV has a system of recharging the batteries when the vehicle is slowing down. The wheels produce kinetic energy as a result of their rotation. There is a system in place to capture this residual energy when braking and then convert it to charge the batteries. By maximizing every opportunity to repurpose what would otherwise be wasted energy, the need to use the gasoline engine (and fossil fuel) is minimized.

The beauty of driving a Toyota HEV is that it is one of the best ways by which we can lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and lower our carbon footprint. Each HEV is built with technology that basically allows anyone to experience the advantages of clean and green motoring without any of the drawbacks (the foremost of which being range anxiety, or the nagging fear that an electrified vehicle will run out of juice before reaching its destination). A Toyota hybrid car’s self-charging capability is a plus, since you don’t have to plug it in and thus won’t have to rely on the availability of charging stations.

Driving a Toyota HEV is one of the best ways by which we can lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and lower our carbon footprint

And we must indeed do our part to clean our surroundings. According to Clean Air Asia, around 64,000 people in the Philippines died due to illnesses attributed to bad air quality in 2017. Even the supposedly secure womb of a mother cannot completely shield an infant from the pollution. With the country’s air quality in a woeful state, our mortality rate can only go higher.

A Toyota HEV is therefore a valuable investment. It is practical and easy to drive, and it is built to last. But more importantly, investing in an HEV now may be one of the ways we can ensure that our kids live a clean and healthy life. Our generation is becoming more and more aware of how the things we do affect our planet. Available technologies—such as that found in Toyota’s HEVs—empower us to fulfill that moral obligation of making a positive climate change for our children’s future.

In order to increase awareness about hybrid technology, Toyota Motor Philippines will be conducting the third leg of its HEV Campus Tour on October 3 at Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong. The Japanese automaker is fully committed to promoting sustainable technology by instilling this advocacy in the next generation of professionals, leaders and motorists.

This branded article was produced in partnership with Toyota Motor Philippines.