Toyota Motor Corp. is cooperating with the Indonesian government to develop eco-friendly vehicles by lending Prius hybrid cars and other models to six major universities in the Southeast Asian country.
Toyota says it is providing each school with a package of a Prius electric-gasoline hybrids, a Prius plug-in hybrid, a Corolla Altis sedan and a power-charging facility for data comparison for two years to help the Ministry of Industry promote its low-carbon emission vehicle project.
PT Toyota-Astra Motor and PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, the automaker's local sales and manufacturing arms, will work with the ministry and six institutions on research into the development of so-called electrified vehicles, including internal combustion engines.
The research will include analyzing the fuel efficiency, charging efficiency, and mobility and battery durability of three types of cars with 1,800cc engines under various weather conditions.
Toyota will collect real-time data and submit a report to the industry ministry, which will utilize it to draw up policies for technology development and power-charging infrastructures, as well as environmental regulations.
The six universities are Institut Teknologi Bandung, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember and Universitas Udayana.
Yoshihiro Nakata, head of PT Toyota-Astra Motor, expressed hope that Toyota's collaboration with Indonesia and its selected educational institutions will promote public awareness of electrification technology and availability of human resources, and help local engineers prepare for a new era in the Indonesian automotive industry.
At a recent Toyota car handover ceremony in Jakarta, Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said, "The automotive industry is expected to be the production base of internal combustion engines and electrified vehicles for both domestic and export markets."