Toyota creates new E3 platform for multiple electric drivetrains

Toyota is creating a new platform called E3 which combines various parts of TNGA-C and e-TNGA architecture for flexible drivetrain deployment.

Destined for European production lines, it will accommodate hybrid, plug-in hybrid and also fully electric powertrains which can’t currently be produced there.

The new E3 platform symbolises 'emotion, engagement and energy' and is the most efficient method to bring various TNGA traits into one platform. Without it, Toyota would not be able to produce fully-electric vehicles in markets that will have the highest demand for them.

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Creating the new platform will open production for pure EVs at plants in countries such as Turkey and the UK, meaning vehicles like the upcoming bZ4x can be built there rather than being imported from Japan, which is currently the only site where it can be assembled.

Before the first pure-electric is produced, however, it could be models such as the new generation C-HR that will be made available – with a variety of powertrains on the new platform, including plug-in hybrid.

“We are convinced that the journey to carbon neutrality will not be only electric, it will be eclectic - that is to say, it will embrace multiple technologies and fuels which all lead to the same destination,” Toyota’s European CEO, Matt Harrison, told Automotive News Europe.

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Having the new platform created on some existing structures from Toyota’s TNGA platform, the Japanese carmaker will be able to minimise costs and timeframes for launching new models.

Toyota can also use existing factory lines without the need for a major costly overhaul; the Turkish and British plants already build TNGA-C based models, including the new Corolla, and can produce almost half a million units each year.

Toyota’s strategy with E3 is something many vehicle makers are having to consider as a greater need for hybrid and electric drivetrains occur, forced by regulations in some countries – yet not as important in others. However, Toyota’s E3 will allow both pure-electric and hybrid to be available in markets that need it.