2nd leg of Toyota’s HEV campus tour goes ‘archer green’

A total of 102 students, mostly from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the De La Salle University (DLSU), along Taft Avenue in Manila, were immersed in a symposium of the benefits of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) during Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) HEV campus tour on July 30.

“We enjoined the students of DLSU to help and participate in Toyota’s advocacy for environment protection through our hybrid technology featuring our Prius. Our ultimate objective is to reduce our CO2 emissions,” said TMP first vice president Cristina Arevalo. Arevalo added that among TMP’s goals has been to raise public awareness on the advantages of using HEV technology, and there would be no better way to start the advocacy than with the country’s future engineers and craftsmen.

The Prius hybrid technology—with the synergy of the gas engine and electric motor drive systems and battery of the Prius model—effectively addresses the users’ so-called “range anxiety” that arises over pure EVs.

She further told the students: “We would like to offer an opportunity for you to find ways to actually help address our environment issues.”

TMP brought in technical experts from its manufacturing plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna to discuss the environmental impact of emissions from various energy sources, and how fuel-efficient but powerful hybrids like the Prius contribute to minimizing the automotive industry’s carbon footprint.

Bryan Pilon, TMP’s group head of technical group 2, said, “The advantages of using this vehicle include smooth acceleration, quiet operation, and at the same time fuel efficiency.”

Ritsmond Kalambacal, TMP’s group head of technical training group 1, explained to students that the Prius produces lower emission, especially when it is on idle as the electric motor takes over. The regenerative braking and enhanced engine efficiency add to the benefits of using the hybrid Prius, particularly in stop-and-go city driving.

Arevalo previously told Inquirer Motoring that when TMP introduced the Prius in 2009 in the Philippines, “there was widespread interest, but we were not able to sustain that because there were some questions in mind. There are myths and misconceptions about the technology. We would like to take this opportunity to explain to you what hybrid technology offers, the benefits to the environment, to the society, and to economics, among other things.”

Arevalo told Inquirer

Motoring: “We’ve always been communicating about the hybrid technology through tri-
media, but the awareness level (was still lacking). So we thought of doing face-to-face conversations with students and faculty, professors and instructors.

“The impact would be more lasting. Eventually, this will be a nationwide, long-term campaign. Even if just 50 students learn about it and talk about it with their family members and friends, that’s a big improvement already in raising awareness.”

TMP’s efforts are aligned with the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, poised by
Toyota Motor Corp president Akio Toyoda to promote a sustainable approach to the future of mobility.

Humans as carbon producers, too

It wasn’t only the Prius HEV that was on display that day. TMP’s campus tour food partner Quorn also offered its unique meat replacement products to the students.

In support of TMP’s low-carbon footprint environment campaign, Quorn Philippines distributed meat-free nachos. The UK-based Quorn—which offers its nutritious fungus mycoprotein—has been proven by scientists to provide health benefits comparable to animal protein but crucially, the greenhouse gas impact of its mycoprotein used in all Quorn products is 90 percent lower than beef, and 70 percent lower than chicken. Recently, University of Exeter scientists revealed that mycoprotein is better, more effective and faster for building muscles, than animal-derived protein like whey or casein.

“So far, in the two editions of TMP’s campus tours, all the students liked Quorn as a meat alternative, and a lot of them were really surprised that it’s meat-free. It’s better for you and better for the planet. I would think that acceptability is really good,” said Hydra Bersales, Quorn Philippines brand manager.

The participating DLSU students said they did find the connection between lower-emissions HEVs and a diet that leaves a smaller carbon footprint by shunning animal food products, and even remarked that Quorn’s meat replacement products did taste like real meat.

Quorn—the world’s biggest meat replacement company— is now owned by Philippine-based food conglomerate Monde Nissin. It cited in its environment sustainability report that animal-based foods, particularly on the current global scale of livestock production, represents the inefficient use of scarce land and water, and is a principal driver of deforestation and habitat destruction, and a prime example of the inhumane ways animals are treated.

Quorn provides an efficient and sustainable way of producing a healthier protein source, called mycoprotein, without the need for raising livestock.

DLSU is the second Toyota partner in its series of HEV campus tours, with Mapua University being the first last March 18. University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines-Diliman are scheduled to follow, with TMP and Quorn Philippines expected to continue their unique, but eye-opening partnership in these upcoming school tours.