Australia’s hottest automotive maker is trailing the pack relating to local weather credentials, based on a report that ranks the world’s high automobile producers.
Key factors:
- Producers had been scored on the phasing out of inner combustion engine automobiles, decarbonising provide chains and useful resource discount and effectivity
- Toyota was ranked final for the second yr operating, with Honda and Nissan coming in second-last and third-last
- The electrical automobile business says bold emissions and gasoline effectivity requirements will drive uptake in Australia
Toyota scored lowest general for the second yr operating in Greenpeace’s annual Automotive Atmosphere Information for 2022, adopted by Honda and Nissan, which each slipped three locations from final yr’s report.
The rankings are primarily based on the producers’ progress in direction of decarbonising their provide chains, phasing out inner combustion engine (ICE) automobiles, and useful resource discount and effectivity.
In 2021, gross sales of electrical automobiles greater than doubled to over 5 per cent of the worldwide market. Nonetheless, that improve wasn’t evenly distributed throughout all automotive producers, based on immediately’s report.
Within the class of transitioning to “zero-emissions automobiles”, firms had been ranked primarily based on the proportion of their general gross sales that had been absolutely electrical or hydrogen-fuel-cell powered.
Toyota, whose Hilux mannequin is persistently Australia’s highest promoting automotive, bought the bottom variety of absolutely electrical automobiles as a proportion of their general gross sales, out of the highest 10 largest automotive firms globally.
“In 2021, 499 out of each 500 automobiles that Toyota bought had been powered by fossil fuels,” the report stated.
Though Toyota sells a big variety of hybrid automobiles, these automobiles mix an electrical engine with an inner combustion engine and subsequently nonetheless produce emissions, stated Violette Snow, a Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner.
“Zero emissions automobiles had been 0.2 per cent of Toyota’s gross sales in 2021,” Ms Snow stated.
On the different finish of the size, electrical automobiles made up greater than 3 per cent of whole gross sales for Basic Motors, Mercedes, Renault, Volkswagen, and Hyundai. Greater than 8 per cent of automobiles bought by Basic Motors (GM) had been absolutely electrical, based on Greenpeace.
A massive majority of GM’s electrical automobiles had been bought in China, the report stated.
Mercedes climbed 5 locations from final yr to second within the rankings, however even the perfect climate-performing producers are nonetheless falling in need of worldwide local weather targets, Ms Snow stated.
“Up the highest are Basic Motors and Mercedes Benz, however each firms are nonetheless persevering with to promote fossil gasoline automobiles at a price that exceeds the Paris Settlement objectives,” she stated.
Emissions requirements wanted to drive Australian uptake
In addition to having the bottom proportion of electrical automobile gross sales, Toyota scored equal-last on provide chain decarbonisation, alongside Honda.
The Greenpeace report was additionally important of what it described as Toyota’s “anti-climate lobbying”.
Ms Snow stated the corporate was “championing outdated options” to local weather change, and that by backing hybrid expertise, the producer may find yourself prolonging the lifetime of fossil-fuel-dependent automobiles.
A number of automotive publications have reported that Toyota is threatening to drag its manufacturing from the UK if a ban on hybrid automobiles by 2030 is launched.
“Internationally, Toyota has been ranked the third-most influential lobbying group in opposition to local weather motion behind fossil gasoline giants ExxonMobil and Chevron,” Ms Snow stated.
That rating is predicated on a report compiled final yr by suppose tank InfluenceMap on the “prolific and extremely refined” lobbying efforts by the fossil gasoline business and others.
“Toyota Motor has campaigned in opposition to proposed laws globally to section out inner combustion engines in favour of electrical automobiles in 2020-21 and ranks third on InfluenceMap’s record of world firms most negatively influencing Paris-aligned local weather coverage,” the 2021 report stated.
Jake Whitehead, the top of coverage for the Electrical Car Council, stated he could not touch upon particular producers, however Europe and the UK encountered business resistance from various automotive makers after they carried out automobile emissions and gasoline effectivity requirements.
He added Australia was “fairly behind the eight-ball” when it got here to automobile emissions requirements.
“We’re one of many final OECD nations to not have one in every of these [fuel efficiency] schemes,” Dr Whitehead stated.
“Our worldwide companions, 5-10 years in the past had been going via these processes [and] they encountered some fairly heavy pushback from some manufactures, and in addition some misinformation being put out.”
He stated there wanted to be vigilance to make sure the identical factor did not derail efforts to decarbonise Australia’s transport methods.
“I’d hope we are able to have a mature, evidence-based debate about what it takes to get to web zero.”
Paperwork obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald final month appeared to point out the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) — a peak automotive physique in Australia — tried to affect proposed will increase to Australia’s emissions requirements.
The paperwork outlined a plan to place the FCAI as a “thought chief and trusted voice on lowering emissions”.
Additionally they confirmed the FCAI was pushing to have the present, voluntary emissions normal of 98 grams of CO2 per kilometre launched because the nationwide normal, as an alternative of stricter laws that might convey us into line with Europe.
Economics professor John Quiggin from the College of Queensland stated Australia had “loads of catching as much as do” to convey its insurance policies in step with different developed nations.
“All different developed nations have had gasoline effectivity requirements in place for a few years,” Professor Quiggin stated.
“Most have introduced or foreshadowed an finish to the sale of petrol-driven automobiles by 2035 or 2040.”
Dr Whitehead stated introducing bold gasoline effectivity requirements would assist improve the availability of EVs to the nation.
The UK has round thrice the vary of electrical automobile fashions in comparison with what’s accessible in Australia.
“The important thing distinction between the UK and us is [our] lack of an bold gasoline effectivity normal,” Dr Whitehead stated.
“You’ve got bought round 500 fashions around the globe, and fewer than 50 are making it into our market.”
In response to questions from the ABC, a spokesperson for Toyota stated the corporate would help an “Australian normal for brand spanking new automobile CO2 tailpipe emissions that works to help the achievement of the Paris Settlement objectives”.
The spokesperson didn’t specify what that emissions normal could be.
“Carbon is the enemy, and because the largest provider of hybrid automobiles in Australia with greater than 290,000 bought since 2001, Toyota Australia has made a big contribution to lowering automobile tailpipe carbon emissions on this nation,” the spokesperson stated.
“In December 2021, it was introduced that by 2030, Toyota is focusing on international gross sales of three.5 million [battery-electric vehicles] a yr, with plans to launch 30 BEV fashions.
“Domestically, we are going to introduce our first devoted BEV … throughout 2023.”