Toyota of Japan announces the launching of "an engine born" utilizing biofuel, despite the global push toward battery-electric automobiles.

 TOKYO (AP): "A revitalized engine."

That is how Japanese carmaker Toyota unveiled their ambitions to reinvent the internal combustion engine in a way that seems futuristic.

The massive automaker revealed on Tuesday during a three-hour presentation in a Tokyo hall that it will provide sleek compact engines that can also run on "green fuels" like bioethanol and hydrogen, or they can be combined with electric motors that emit no emissions to create hybrid vehicles.

This occurs at a time when numerous auto industry rivals are promoting completely electric cars. China is stepping up its campaign for battery-electric vehicles, and BYD, a company there, looks like it could overtake Tesla in this regard.

The goal of the "engine is optimized for the electrification era," according to Toyota CEO Koji Sato, is to contribute to the global transition to "carbon neutrality."

Toyota already produces the well-known Prius, a hybrid vehicle that combines an electric and gas engine. It provides a cleaner driving by alternating between the two.

According to Toyota, the new engine will be built to support the electric motor rather than take over as the primary power source in future hybrid vehicles.

Subaru Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., two domestic allies, joined Toyota's presentation dubbed as a "multi-pathway workshop." Both companies are creating environmentally friendly engines meant to fulfill the impending, stricter emissions rules.

"Every business wants to succeed, but if we cooperate, we can move more quickly," stated Sato.

However, information about the engines' release date was withheld.

Everywhere one looked was the legacy of the automobile engine.

Mazda said that it was converting its highly regarded rotary engine—which was first released more than 50 years ago—for use in electric cars.

Subaru, on the other hand, demonstrated its recognizable smaller horizontally opposed engine. Chief Technology Officer Tetsuro Fujinuki stated that the business was not planning to completely abandon the engine, even though he did reveal that it was developing a fantastic electric car that was "Subaru-like."

Toyota is also developing fashionable BEVs.

The CEOs stated on Tuesday that there were regional variations in the energy supply, that goods needed to satisfy different customer demands, and that massive investments were required to produce BEVS on a large scale.

Toyota officials also emphasized again and time again that an abrupt switch to electric vehicles was neither financially feasible nor socially responsible because 5.5 million jobs were at risk in Japan's entire automotive supply chain.

Waseda University management professor Takahiro Fujimoto thinks that electric cars are a major way to cut emissions. However, they still have shortcomings, one of which is the significant emissions generated during the production of lithium-ion batteries, a key component.

According to Fujimoto, trains may be a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation than cars since commuters in Japan, for example, use them.

I think that advancements in and expansion of BEV use are unquestionably necessary, at the very least. However, that argument cannot be justified by claiming that BEVs are all we need, the speaker said.

According to Fujimoto, there are still uncertainties in the areas of research and development as well as social, political, and commercial circumstances.

"It is unlikely that the globe will achieve carbon neutrality for decades to come. It will be an extended marathon competition," he remarked.