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In response to the steadily worsening impact of global warming, greater efforts are being made to achieve carbon neutrality. Toyota Motor Corporation developed an in-vehicle solar charging system that utilizes generated solar energy to drive the vehicle. While the ignition is off, energy generated from a solar panel is used to charge the main battery. Then, while the ignition is on, this energy is supplied to the 12 V system to reduce consumption of the main battery energy, thereby helping to improve the electric driving range. This 1st-generation solar charging system adopted in the Prius PHV in 2017 was the first mass-produced in-vehicle solar charging system in the world. In 2022, the 2nd-generation solar charging system was developed and adopted in the bZ4X, including performance improvements such as a newly designed solar roof and lightweight charging system.

Reducing vehicle CO2 emissions is an important measure to help address global warming. To reduce CO2 emissions on a global basis, Toyota Motor Corporation is taking a multi-pathway approach that involves the introduction of the optimal powertrains according to the circumstances of each region, including hybrid electric (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), as well as battery electric vehicles (BEVs). This report describes the development of a new PHEV system for the Toyota Prius. This system features a traction battery pack structure, transaxle, and power control unit (PCU) with boost converter, which were newly developed based on the 2.0-liter HEV system. As a result, the battery capacity was increased by 1.5 times compared to the previous model with almost the same battery pack size. Transmission efficiency was also improved, extending the distance that the Prius can be driven as an EV by 70%.