Toyota Clean Assist explained
Toyota Clean Assist aims to ease the pain of where your PHEV's electric energy comes from.
Video Transcript
- Toyota's line of Connected Services just got even better with the addition of Clean Assist. This program is designed to enhance the ownership experience of select Toyota plug-in hybrid models, minimizing their environmental impact by allowing you to get 100% of your charge matched with renewable electricity wherever and whenever. So how does it work? Let's dive in and find out.
First, some basics. Your plug-in hybrid vehicle typically pulls from grid electricity that sources the majority of its power from non-renewable energy like coal, nuclear power plants, and natural gas turbines. With the remaining charge coming from renewable energy like solar farms, wind converters, hydroelectric turbines, and bio-waste generators. This means most electric vehicles aren't truly zero emission once you take into account the energy source. But with Clean Assist, they still can be.
And that's thanks to Renewable Energy Certificates, an EPA-recognized method to record the generation and consumption of green energy. You see, every time you charge up, Toyota can use vehicle telematics to collect the amount of electricity consumed. Then it's as simple as procuring the equivalent certificates in this amount, effectively matching your regular energy with renewable energy.
Toyota then provides that data to the California Air Resources Board, certifying that your vehicle was charged using renewable resources and generates Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits that can be sold. And the final step closes the loop. The proceeds from the sold credits are used to promote electric vehicles in a variety of ways, such as marketing, education, charging, and more.
If you're a Toyota owner with an eligible vehicle, getting started with Clean Assist is easy. Enrollment is as simple as opting in with a tap on the Toyota app that you're already using to manage your vehicle and Connected Services. Just agree to the data consents for Clean Assist and you're ready to start sharing your electric vehicle charging data and start charging with renewable energy. Only your vehicle's energy consumption, VIN, and charging location will be shared with the California Air Resources Board as required by its program. Toyota will not disclose your name, address, or driving behavior.
Again, there's no cost, no monthly or annual subscription, plus you can opt in or out at any time, as well as monitor your clean charging history through Clean Assist's user dashboard. This is a game changer when it comes to zero emissions charging. It's easy to sign up and completely free to use. So get started today. Drive a more sustainable future by empowering your vehicle with 100% renewable energy.
