Over the years, Toyota has been carrying out research on how the fuel efficiency of their cars can be improved. This is evident from the fact that Toyota was the first company in the world to roll out a popular hybrid car into the market. This was the Toyota Prius, which has since revolutionized the automobile industry. Toyota has now hit another milestone in their continued efforts to bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into the market. Toyota has discovered a way to electronically produce as much as 10 % more precious MPGs in its hybrid vehicles. Toyota has now announced that it will start the development of the new silicon carbide semiconductor for use in the power control units of their hybrid cars. The testing of this technology is expected to be kicked off in Japan by 2015.

The theory behind the use of the silicon carbide semiconductor is that it offers significantly lower electrical resistance. This results in great improvements in the efficiency of passing current between the electric motor and the battery. Silicon also loses less power after shutting down and is able to operate at a relatively higher frequency. When compared to the current silicone-only version in use in hybrid cars, the silicon carbide semiconductor has about a tenth less power loss. The tests done so far also indicate that there is a 5% improvement in the fuel economy in the test vehicles using the different semiconductors.

The carbide wafers also allow for a smaller power module, capacitor and coil. This makes it possible to have the entire PCU to be reduced by almost 80%. This is a very welcome move because this helps reduce the overall load of the vehicle, which contributes to the improved fuel economy that will be provided by the vehicle. This sure is breakthrough technology by Toyota and most consumers can’t wait to have their hands on this new invention. The improved fuel economy is also going to be very welcome for the environmentally conscious consumers and environmental activists.

The world however, still has to wait before they can have their first carbide technology on the roads and start experiencing the impact generated by this new technology. Toyota currently expects to start the use of the silicon carbide technology by 2020. By this time, there will have been significant improvements in the other key efficiency factors such as the aerodynamics and engine technology. This will bring significant additions to the efficiency of the hybrid vehicles. The future of the hybrid technology does seem to be bright.