We all know that Toyota has been a very active and successful auto maker in green car engineering. After more than a decade (already!) their  popular Hybrid, the Toyota Prius "continues to dominate Green car online buzz".¹

As progress never stop, Toyota is now looking into Ethanol.

Toyota is testing a new yeast to help make a better burning alternative fuel. This new yeast is resistant to fermentation-inhibiting substances and is efficiently fermenting xylose, a sugar produced when plant fibers are broken down.

"In addition, to reduce the effects of the urban heat-island phenomenon, TMC is working on urban greening of both the rooftop and indoor variety. Two newly developed urban greening products - Smart Green Parking and a new wire-based Smart Green Wall - will be sold through the Toyota Roof Garden Corporation, starting today. The company hopes to meet a wider range of urban greening needs through this expansion of its greening product line."²

Toyota's goal is to perfect this ethanol and yeast, along with making ethanol a commercialized fuel, before the end of the next decade. But this is not all: "The Toyota Biotechnology and Afforestation Laboratory is also in development of a "cool-spot creation technology" for simulating the cooling effects of shade created by trees, to be used in automobiles".³

These are all exciting news for the environment. If you are concerned about your CO² emissions, come and test drive a Toyota Prius in San Rafael today. Toyota Marin is located at 445 Francisco Blvd East.

Sources:¹http://www.hybridcars.com/news/toyota-prius-continues-dominate-green-car-online-buzz-29770.html^2,3http://www.torquenews.com/397/toyota-reveals-breakthrough-cellulosic-ethanol-production