How Auto Industry is Responding to the Environmental Crisis

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Ever since internal combustion engines that used fossil fuels hit the mainstream market in the early 20th century, we knew it would be unsustainable in the long run. In the initial decades of the industrial revolution, there were no emission regulations in place to limit the environmental impact done by greenhouse gases, especially on automobiles. But soon, several environmental organizations around the world realized how much pollution affects the environment, especially with regards to global warming.  

The first emission standards for US vehicles were enacted back in 1963, mainly to counter the rising smog problems in various cities including Los Angeles. Several other nations started regulating emissions the following years. As the years went by, the emission standards got stricter, and finally, in the late 1990s, Toyota came out with the hybrid system and launched the first mainstream hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius. 

It employed an electric motor combined with an IC engine to reduce emissions. It is still one of the most efficient drivetrains on offer, Even mainstream cars like the 2021 Toyota Corolla are available with a hybrid drivetrain which returns an impressive efficiency rating of more than 50 MPG. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed in the early 1970s and controls the emission standards of the cars sold in the US. The Clean Air Act was also passed the same year as the EPA. Because of the stricter regulations set by the EPA, modern cars are almost 99% cleaner than the cars available in the 1960c, which is a significant improvement. 

Fuels are also a lot cleaner, especially after banning lead, which had several harmful effects on life. Even though modern cars are a lot cleaner, another issue was looming on the horizon which was not considered until recently: Overconsumption and how it increases industrial pollution.  

At the beginning of the 21st-century overpopulation started becoming one of the biggest issues faced by mankind, which led to a huge increase in consumption which has severely impacted the environment and destroyed the biodiversity of the planet.  To counter this, several carmakers are finding ways to achieve sustainability, right from producing the car to sustainable fuel sources used by new models including fuel cell technology and electricity.  

We'll take a look at how different manufacturers are solving environmental problems

Honda 

Honda was one of the first manufacturers to open up about its greenhouse gas emissions and the use of its products. The company has also invested over $400 million over the years to modernize its production facilities and cut down pollution levels significantly. 

Honda was also one of the first manufacturers to develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and lease them to the public back in 2005. In 2012, Honda also became the first in the industry to disclose their CO2 emissions from product use. Now they're planning on reducing emissions significantly going forward and are also aiming for two-thirds EV sales by 2030.  

For a carbon-free society, Honda is planning to use electricity generated by using renewable energy sources that can be directly fed to electric vehicles. It is also possible to convert the electric energy directly into hydrogen, which can then be used for fuel cell vehicles. Several other pathways are also being considered to approach a carbon-free society. 

Honda is also planning on dealing with climate change and energy issues through a Triple ZERO concept which aims to unify efforts addressing climate change issues, energy issues, and efficient utilization of resources as its most important challenges.

Toyota

Toyota plans to go carbon neutral by 2050 and aims on reducing environmental impact. Toyota currently sells in 204 countries around the globe and is planning on reducing CO2 emissions to an industry-leading level. 

To achieve this goal, the company will continue to utilize a full lineup of electric vehicles including plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and fuel-cell vehicles, and is already very successful with hybrid technology that has sold over 17 million units since its introduction back in 1997. The company plans to promote electrification strategies that contribute to Co2 emissions from production to final usage of the vehicle.

According to the company, by selling millions of hybrid vehicles over the years, the company has helped save more than 7.66 billion gallons of fuel which would otherwise have caused 77 tons of CO2 emissions. Toyota entered the fuel-cell market quite a bit later than Honda, with the launch of the Toyota Mirai FHEV back in 2015, which is capable of providing over 300 miles of range. 

Toyota has also managed to save over 16 billion units of electricity through efficient and sustainable manufacturing techniques which helped them secure the sustained excellence award. Toyota Environmental 2050 strategy looks promising, and the company is planning on a lot of initiatives to further reduce all emissions and achieve carbon neutrality as early as 2050, just like Honda. 

General Motors

General Motors is making great strides in the sustainability sector with its reuse and zero waste initiatives. The project first started back in 2010 after the spill caused by the deepwater horizon incident, where the oil-soaked booms were recycled and made into vehicle parts. Because of this, these booms were not dumped into landfills and impacted the environment even more. Several products are also being repurposed as usable products like garden planters, wildlife habitats, and a lot more, further reducing waste. 

GM has gone all out with its zero waste policy and currently runs a total of 142 landfill-free facilities which generated an impressive $2.5 billion revenue back in the late 2000s. In the recently released 10th annual sustainability report, GM revealed plans to allocate more than $20 billion of their capital and engineering resources to develop environment-friendly EVs and autonomous vehicles for the next 5 years. 

GM is also planning on providing several types of EVs that suit all types of customers, from small city cars to full-size pickup trucks, thus encouraging EV adoption even further. Upcoming products like the Hummer EV and Cadillac LYRIQ will hit showrooms soon and will be just the beginning of a long line of upcoming zero-emission vehicles

Ford

Ford has always been trying innovative ideas for increasing sustainability ever since the early 20th century. Ford is taking several steps to reduce environmental impact and has already set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 like Toyota and Honda. Ford is also aiming to use local and renewable electricity in all manufacturing facilities by 2035. 

To reduce Co2 footprint, Ford is focusing on cutting carbon emissions from all its models, despite the growth in popularity for big trucks and SUVs in recent years. Several innovative technologies have already been introduced to increase fuel efficiency, and with the release of new EVs like the Mustang Mach-E, electric vehicle sales are also increasing rapidly. 

As before, Ford continues to use renewable and recycled materials wherever possible in their vehicles., especially with the plastics being used. By 2025, Ford aims to use 20% recycled or renewable plastics in all their vehicles. 

Ford also explored many ways to use plant-based materials instead of petroleum-based plastics since 2000, with soy-based foam in 2007, new composites including wheat straw in 2010, and a lot more. These methods improve production efficiency and reduce vehicle weight without using environment damaging fossil-fuel based plastics

In the last decade, Ford has managed to achieve a 40% reduction in its carbon footprint with improved energy efficiency and conservation at facilities and manufacturing processes.