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How Toyota's Le Mans racer may make its next Prius even better

The supercapacitor technology in the Toyota TS040 "offers great possibility for production car use." – Amanda Rice, Toyota Pop-culture junkies familiar with 1980s touchstone movies will hear the word "capacitor" and think Back to the Future. But the concept of supercapacitors being used in upcoming production models is being pushed by Toyota, not DeLorean. And because of that push, the future might look a little brighter for the Prius. The Japanese automaker will likely apply electric-motor technology used in Toyota's 24 Hours of Le Mans entry – the TS040 – in future versions of the world's best-selling hybrid, Australian publication Drive.com.au says, citing an interview with Toyota Motor Sports' Yoshiaki Kinoshita. Specifically, the racecar uses supercapacitors because they're effective at storing energy created when the vehicle is under braking, only to quickly redistribute it on demand for rapid acceleration. Kinoshita said Toyota may apply this technology to the Prius within the next five years. While declining to comment on specifics, Toyota spokeswoman Amanda Rice tells AutoblogGreen that the Le Mans vehicle "represents an advanced vehicle laboratory for hybrid vehicle and component development. The supercapacitor technology used in this vehicle with its fast charge and discharge capability offers great possibility for production car use." In her email, Rice added that the next-generation Prius will have smaller electric motors with greater power density and thermal efficiency, so let's add that to what we know or think we know about the fourth-generation model. Toyota entered two vehicles in this year's Le Mans race, and one of them had secured the pole-position and was leading much of the race before calling it quits 15 hours in because of electrical issues. Audi ended up winning the race, marking its 13th victory in the history of the French endurance contest.

Toyota adds more than 1.1 million vehicles to previous fuel pump recall

A Toyota and Lexus recall that previously listed nearly 700,000 potentially affected vehicles has been amended to include more than 1.1 million new rides. Overall, more than 1.8 million cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs are part of a voluntary recall regarding fuel pumps that might stop working.    On January 13, 2020, Toyota announced a safety recall for 695,541 Lexus and Toyota models. It included the Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Avalon, Corolla, and Tundra, plus the Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460, RX 350 NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300. The Avalon, Corolla, NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300 in the initial recall were specifically 2019 model years, while the rest were 2018-2019.  Today, March 4, 2020, Toyota stated it has expanded the recall to approximately 1.8 million vehicles total. Toyota did not provide a specific number, but here is the full list of potentially affected cars:  2013-2015 Lexus LS 460 2013-2014 Lexus GS 350 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus IS-F 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570 2015 Lexus NX 200t, RC 350 2017 Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t 2017-2019 Toyota Sienna; Lexus RX 350 2018 Lexus GS 300 2018-2019 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra; Lexus ES 350, GS 350, IS 300, IS 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, LS 500h, RC 300, RC 350, RX 350L On these vehicles, a low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank could fail. If this fuel pump fails while the vehicle is in use, the vehicle could sputter and stall. Without warning of the impending malfunction, other than some lights on the dashboard, this could present a dangerous situation for the driver.  For all affected vehicles, Toyota and Lexus will replace the faulty parts with "improved" fuel pumps. Notifications will start in May. Recalls Lexus Toyota

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.