In order to realize the vision and policies that have been communicated so far, we will disclose specific and various technologies, including concepts under development, and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima will discuss the strategy technology and will explain the future direction of the automobile. manufacturing. In addition, Takeo Kato, who was appointed president of BEV Factory, and Mitsumasa Yamagata, who will be appointed president of Hydrogen Factory, which will be launched in July, spoke about their respective strategies for electric battery and hydrogen businesses .
Toyota's technology strategy and direction of automobile manufacturing
Vice President/Chief Technology Officer: Hiroki Nakajima
Mr. Nakajima cited electrification, intelligence and diversification as three approaches that hold the key to realizing the Toyota mobility concept, which he explained in April when explaining the policy of the new system.
The company plans to pursue electrification by focusing on “multiple paths,” such as introducing the optimal powertrain based on the circumstances of each region. In addition to cars and services, the company will also promote initiatives aimed at expanding ties with society, such as the woven city. . Diversification extends from “cars” to “society,” providing everyone with freedom of movement and diverse energy options.
In order to promote these three themes, also in the technological area, since the establishment of the enterprise system in 2016, we have redirected our resources to advanced areas and proactively invested in areas of the future. Since March 2023, more than half of the development staff has been moved and about half of the R&D spending has been redirected to advancement, while increasing the total amount. They plan to accelerate this process even further in the future.
Mr. Nakajima expressed his intention to pursue automobile manufacturing based on the following three axes.
- Pursuing safety and security without compromise
- The future is something we all create together
- Accelerate regionalization
Further refine Toyota's sense of security to deliver safe and secure technology. He also said he would build the future by connecting with colleagues around the world, such as working on decarbonization in the commercial field at CJPT, partnering with Thai CP Group and collaborating in sports automobile. Regarding the acceleration of regionalization, in the future, customer needs will become even more different in different regions, so our policy is to accelerate “customer demand development” in our research and development bases through the world.
Toyota used its technological capabilities to overcome what seemed difficult, such as the Prius, which became synonymous with hybrid, and the MIRAI, a fuel cell vehicle. To date, Toyota has developed a number of pioneering vehicles of the era, paving the way for the future. Under the slogan “Let’s change the future of cars!” “, the company will continue to use the power of technology to guide customers into the future and connect cars to society, leading the way. in creating the future of society.
Strategy for next generation battery electric vehicles
BEV Factory President: Takeo Kato
What Mr. Kato hopes to accomplish with BEV Factory, an organization dedicated to battery electric vehicles launched in May, is to change the future with BEVs by transforming cars, manufacturing and work.
For the car's axle, the company claims that it will achieve a range of 1,000 km by adopting new generation batteries and combining sonic technology. Aerodynamics is supported by AI to achieve a cool design, allowing designers to focus on creating sensitivity, and Arene OS and full OTA infinitely expand the fun of driving the vehicle. He said that, like the “manual EV”, the company will offer exciting and fun surprises to customers using “technology that only a car manufacturer can do”.
In terms of manufacturing, the company aims to reduce vehicle development costs and factory investments by creating a new modular structure in which the vehicle body is divided into three parts and using Gigacast technology to significantly integrate rooms. Additionally, self-propelled production technology will halve process and factory investments.
The BEV factory was presented as an “ALL in ONE TEAM” where all functions and regions come together under a single leader, including woven by Toyota and external partners, going beyond the scope of an automotive workshop. With this ONE TEAM, we will transform the way we work, ensure that everyone works in the same area, has the same awareness of the problem and achieves rapid decision making and initial response.
With these changes, we will implement a comprehensive comprehensive plan for a full range, and the new generation BEV will be launched on the market in 2026. By 2030, BEV factories will supply 1.7 million of the 3.5 million of vehicles. By using next-generation batteries and aiming for the highest electricity costs in the world, the company hopes to use the funds it earns to improve the appeal of its products to exceed customer expectations and ensure profits.
Hydrogen commercial strategy
Mitsumasa Yamagata, president of Hydrogen Factory (expected to take office on July 1)
According to Yamagata, the hydrogen market in 2030 will be extremely large in Europe, China and North America, and the fuel cell market is expected to grow rapidly by 2030, reaching 5 trillion yen per year. year. The company is promoting external sales of fuel cells using its MIRAI hydrogen unit and has received offers to sell 100,000 units in 2030, the majority of which are for commercial vehicles.
In order to respond to rapid market changes, we will establish a new organization called Hydrogen Factory from July, creating a system that will allow us to make rapid decisions on sales, development and production under the leadership of a single leader. This hydrogen factory will promote its activity around the following three axes.
- Developed and produced in countries with markets
- Strengthen collaboration with powerful partners
- competitiveness and technology
We will establish local bases mainly in Europe and China to accelerate our efforts. By collaborating with leading partners, we aim to provide affordable fuel cells to our customers. The company will also work on the “innovative evolution of next-generation competitive FC technology,” including cellular technology and next-generation FC systems.
The company plans to continue these efforts while working toward large-scale commercialization. The next-generation system reduced costs by 37% thanks to technological advancements, mass production effects and localization. Additionally, through collaboration with partners, if an offer of 200,000 units is received in 2030, it will be possible to reduce costs by up to 50%. The company hopes to be able to generate stable profits while meeting the expectations of many customers and governments around the world.
He also said that the price of hydrogen remains high and that Toyota will continue to contribute by working with partners to “manufacture”, “harvest” and “use” to make hydrogen more popular.
Using this relationship with a strong partner as an opportunity, we will establish bases close to our customers in countries where there is a market, provide affordable products with a significant number of customers and work towards the commercialization of hydrogen. said it would be expedited.
▶︎Toyota engines