Toyota Eco Spirit

Here’s a disappointing update on this revolutionary new car.

I had hoped to buy Toyota’s new ES3 (Eco Spirit cubic) hybrid diesel-electric car which achieves a fuel consumption of 104 miles per gallon.  For information about the Toyota ES3, see the following:

ES3 Travels 100KM on 2.7 liters
Toyota Displays ES3 Concept Car at Motor Show in Frankfurt.
Toyota smashes fuel economy record

I was even willing to go to great lengths to import the car myself from Japan or Europe if need be.

I have spent over a week trying to contact anyone at Toyota who could tell me when and where the ES3 will first go on sale, whether in Japan, in Europe, or in the US, and how soon that would be.  When I finally got through to them today, they told me that the ES3 is merely a “concept car” and that they are not going to put this car into production.  Toyota said that they do not have any plans to put anything like this into production for the foreseeable future.

This is really a shame.  For over a year now I have been saying that a diesel-electric hybrid design would really make the most sense for achieving the highest possible fuel mileage in a hybrid car because the common-rail diesel engine is so much more efficient than the carbureted gasoline engine.  I have been wondering aloud why automakers cannot seem to figure out this simple fact.  I have been lamenting the catch-22 or mismatch situation that exists because the Japanese don’t do diesels and the Europeans don’t do hybrids.  The Japanese have chosen to concentrate exclusively on gasoline-electric hybrids while the Europeans have chosen to concentrate exclusively on fuel-efficient common-rail diesels, but never shall the two meet.  I had estimated that by combining common-rail diesel technology with hybrid-electric technology, you should be able to achieve a fuel mileage on the order of 110 to 120 mpg and do so using today’s commercial technology.

Then low and behold, along comes Toyota with their new ES3diesel-electric hybrid car, which at 104 mpg gets very close to what I had predicted a diesel-electric hybrid should be able to achieve. Furthermore, it does so using today’s commercial quality materials and technology, not some prohibitively expensive space-age materials such as with VW’s $1 million prototype tandem 2-seat “1 Liter” concept car,(the “sausage”), which gets 265 mpg.  So Toyota could put its new ES3hybrid diesel-electric car into production tomorrow morning if it really wanted to do so and could make a great commercial success of it.  But as Toyota told me themselves, they have no interest in doing so.

People always ask me why I am not interested in the current crop of “revolutionary” gasoline-electric hybrids such as Toyota’s Prius, and they all seem shocked by my answer.  My response is that I am completely uninspired and unimpressed by the Toyota Prius, which is nothing but a piece of crap.  There is nothing “revolutionary” about the Toyota Prius.  It is a half-baked technology that is not even a step forward, not even a half-step forward.  The Prius gets 45 mpg on the highway, which is a mere 12% greater than the 40 mpg of my 1993Honda Civic, which itself is a straight internal combustion engine(not a hybrid).  The Prius is a joke!  It cannot even come close to competing with a straight internal combustion engine car like the VW Lupo 3L TDI diesel (not a hybrid), which at 87-mpg highway gets almost twice the mileage of the Prius.  That is almost a 100% improvement over the Prius, and that is without using any hybrid technology.

So please, please, don’t believe all of this BS PR that Toyota has released in the last few days (as seen on EV World) about how they plan to raise the number of hybrid models to over 10 in the next few years and how they plan to sell all hybrid vehicles by 2012.(Worldwide petroleum production will have already peaked by 2012 and started its terminal decline towards final depletion, so that is kind of like closing the barn door after the horse has already escaped.)All of this “eco/green” PR from Toyota is nothing but a lot of spin and hype.  In fact, what Toyota really means in these recent announcements is that they plan to convert their most successful and lucrative SUV models over to gas-electric hybrids in the next several years, the net effect of which will be that these gas-guzzlers will get 25 to 30 mpg instead of the 15 mpg they currently get.  Some improvement!  As if that’s going to make any difference!  Especially 10 years from now!

So please don’t let Toyota blow their smoke up your rear-ends with their lies.  The real fact of the matter is that they have the opportunity to make a “revolutionary” coup right now with their well  tested and proven ES3 hybrid diesel-electric car, which gets 104 mpg. They could cost-effectively produce this car and could achieve great commercial success with it, as it would have overwhelming demand, if they would only do so.  But unfortunately, as Toyota told me today, they have no interest in doing so.

I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that Toyota is just as regressive, obstructionist, and engaging in tokenism as their American competitors — Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler.  They are not even so much competitors as they are co-conspirators in their efforts to drag their feet and block any real improvements.  They are all in one incestuous bed together.  Toyota is simply not genuine.  They are as hypocritical as all the other automakers.  Today I told Toyota that I am very disappointed in them and that I would never buy a car from them.

Tucked away on the Toyota stand you will find a cheeky little coupé that looks sporty but whose raison d’être is fuel economy, the lowest exhaust emissions and ease of recycling. The ES3 — the initials stand for Eco Spirit — achieves 104mpg in the official European fuel consumption tests, a record for a four-seat car.

Some months ago I drove this prototype and not only is it even more economical than the special “3 litre” (three litres of fuel for every 100km travelled, or 94mpg) versions of the Audi A2 and VW Lupo that sell in Germany, but the Toyota is more lively and responsive and would be very acceptable as an everyday car.

The ES3 has a 1.4 litre turbocharged diesel engine and CVT (continuously variable transmission). The engine cuts out when the car stops, automatically and instantly restarting when you touch the accelerator to move off again. Energy that would be lost from braking is used to charge the car’s battery, and the body panels are made from biodegradable plastics. You will see more of these things in future Toyotas.

The Toyota Eco Spirit was the talk of the fuel economy car industry in 2002. With car mileage over 100 MPG and with the lowest exhaust emissions and a very reasonable sticker price, the Eco Spirit’s debut was widely anticipated (see Times of London article below). Now, several years later, what happened to it? If you do an Internet search, you will find that Toyota decided not to be move forward with it. Why in these times of soaring oil prices would they not rush this car into mass production?

Have you ever wondered why car mileage has improved little over the years? The November 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics (pp. 1-6) reported “The average gasoline consumption in the 1930’s and 1940’s was 15-20 miles per gallon, slightly higher for some cars.” In 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported: “While official overall gas mileage of new U.S. passenger cars rose from about 14 miles per gallon in the late 1970s to a peak of 22 miles per gallon in 1987, it has since declined to 21 miles per gallon.”

So the average car mileage today has dropped from 20 years ago, and is not much improved over 60 years ago. Consider that in the same amount of time we’ve achieved quantum technological leaps in computers, genetics, electronics, engineering, plastics, and almost every other industry. Does this make sense? Why is it that the fields of transportation and energy have progressed at a comparative snail’s pace? Could it possibly be that corporate profit and greed keep technology from advancing in these critical sectors?

And does it also strike you as unusual that today’s cars use the same basic internal combustion engine that was developed over 100 years ago? Does all of this make any sense when computers and other advanced technologies could not only greatly improve gas mileage, they could create entirely new engines? I have a good friend who not long ago developed an entirely new kind of engine with greatly increased mileage and reduced emissions, only to have it ruthlessly suppressed by forces beyond his control. I know of many more who have had similar experiences. If you want to understand the reasons behind all of this, I highly encourage you to read our two-page energy summary available here.

There is something we can do about this. Thanks to the instant communication available to each of us through the Internet, we can spread these little known facts far and wide. We can build a critical mass of people who demand that suppressed energy and transportation technologies be released. You can join in building a brighter future right now by forwarding this important information to your friends and colleagues. Together, we can and will make a difference. Thanks for caring and you have a great day and week ahead.

Toyota’s ES3 (Eco Spirit Cubic) prototype is probably the most efficient, environmentally friendly four-seater car yet built. With its aluminium and resin body the car weighs just 700kg and has a Cd value of 0.23. The engine is a turbocharged 1.4-litre direct-injection diesel engine combined with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The exhaust system includes a Diesel Particulate-NOx Reduction System and emissions conform to Euro IV for petrol engines. An idling stop mode automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stopped, and regenerative braking technology is included to achieve higher efficiency. While the use of improved Toyota Super Olefin Polymer and biodegradable plastic greatly improve recyclability. The key to the ES3’s outstanding fuel economy of 104.6mpg (2.7 litres/100km) and CO2 emissions of 71g/km is a highly efficient powertrain, combined with a light and aerodynamic body. The main powetrain is a 1.4-litre, direct-injection, common-rail diesel with variable geometry turbocharger and charge-air intercooler, mated to a continuously variable transmission. The common-rail direct injection system is electronically controlled to deliver reduced emissions and lower noise and vibration levels. A newly developed CVT, with a torque converter, contributes to ES3 fuel efficiency. It also helps keep emissions low and adds to the enjoyable driving performance. A braking energy regenerating system is used to convert vehicle deceleration energy to electric energy for storage in a capacitor. The stored electric energy is used for auxiliary electric loads and for restarting the engine. This allows for reduced engine workload in generating the required volume of electricity, thus, providing further reduction in fuel consumption. The ES3 is very aerodynamic with a target drag coefficient of Cd0.23, despite its length of only 3.52 metres. The front features an optimised cooling intake and a special bumper configuration that flows smoothly to the body side and bottom. The roofline flows gently downward to the rear, while the rear sides narrow, forming a sheer back. The floor height is raised to increase the amount of airflow under the car and the underfloor surfaces have been smoothed to increase airflow speed. An raised rear floor provides great improvement of airflow convergence at the rear end of body. In addition, an optimally shaped rear under spoiler, bracket type door mirrors, flat wheel covers and the shape of the rocker covers all contribute to outstanding aerodynamics and exceptional stability at high speeds. Dimensions are: length 3,520mm; width 1,630mm; height 1,460mm. In simplified form, may become the Peugeot/Toyota joint venture basic car (see Peugeot 007).