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FUTURE MOTORING, AS WE SEE IT, FROM THE TOKYO MOTOR SHOW
Posted by Colin Hensley on October 25, 2009 in 360° approach, Green Technologies
On Wednesday I was able to spend some time at the Tokyo Motor Show, and to quote our President Akio Toyoda, it “wasn’t as lively as it used to be”. That being said, we still had quite a lot to show at the Toyota and Lexus stands. In the central area was the new electric vehicle, the FT-EV II. I was lucky enough to have an explanation from Yanaka-san, who has been involved in the development of the vehicle. Some of the key features are 90km range, 100km/h top speed and drive-by-wire technology using a joystick!, this ensures there is plenty of legroom, because there are no pedals!! I do believe that this kind of electric vehicle will be a boon in the cities, where we do lots of short journeys, back and forth work or the shops.
We could also see the second generation PHV that we were proud to have as world premiere in Frankfurt. When I look at it compared to the FT-EV II I see that PHV is basically an EV with an extended range thanks to it being a proper full hybrid. For 20km, (that’d easily get me to work and back) it drives as an EV, then takes the power from the engine, in combination with the electric motor. Here at Toyota we believe this is a really practical approach to using electricity in transport and ideally this electricity will come from renewable sources
My absolute favourites were the personal mobility devices. These include the Winglets, which are two-wheeled, “personal-transport-assistance robots” sounds cool, and looks even cooler. Just jump on, lean in the direction that you want to go, and zoom, off you glide. One day soon, I hope to have a go, and then I’ll be sure to write about it here.
Looking across the range of vehicles, all of them use different aspects of the technology that we have developed in the hybrid programmes. Motors, batteries, power control units and most importantly the software based logic to manage the use of the different sources of energy. With more than 2 million hybrids on the road, I think it’s fair to say we know exactly what needs to be done to make the best use of electricity in transportation.
P.S. At the show I also saw the new FT-86 (hachi roku) Concept, a compact rear wheel drive sports car. I thought it was a really lovely looking car, and, with its 2 litre engine, and light body, it will even have good environmental performance.
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Comments(0)Spotlight on the new full hybrids – made in a plant near you soon!
Posted by Colin Hensley on September 29, 2009 in 360° approach, Clean Operations, Green Technologies
Sunday saw the closing of the doors of IAA in Frankfurt for another two years. It’s probably one of the biggest motor shows in the world. I don’t know if it has the largest number of visitors, but it is definitely, geographically, huge! I just measured it on Google Earth (50° 6′40.39″N, 8°38′43.52″E), and it’s more than a kilometre across, which goes a long way to explaining why my legs still ache following our 3 days of activities. Anyway, it was a very exciting show for us, as we had two cars on the Toyota stand and one on the Lexus stand that were being seen for the first time ever, anywhere!. Perhaps the best part of this is that all three are hybrids. As most people don’t get the chance to go on the IAA exercise programme, let me just do a bit of product PR, and give a few details on these cars.
Our locally produced highlight is the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept. It’ll be made in the TMUK plant starting next year. I hope to have the chance to visit the plant during the preparations for the production. After visiting Tsutsumi earlier in the year, I can’t wait to see one of our European Sustainable Plants producing this new full hybrid.
The Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept also proved to be of great interest to the visitors. Our target for CO2 emissions for this car is under 60g/km with a 20km range. One of my colleagues who drive the car recently in Japan raved about the seamless acceleration up to100km/hr in EV mode.
On the Lexus stand we had the LF-Ch concept, which was displayed in an amazing yellow colour. This is the first concept in the C-segment, and should be a stylish and practical option for people.
Finally, I’d just like to say congratulations to the source of many great blog topics, Karen from TMUK, who just celebrated her marriage to Darren; have a great eco-life together.
Sustainability reporting, more sustainably
Posted by Colin Hensley on September 04, 2009 in Clean Operations
So, the holiday season has come to an end, and the weather here in Brussels has taken a turn for the greyer and wetter. During the last months my colleagues here have been working on the 2009 edition of the TME Sustainability Report. One thing was clear from the start, it was time to move to have online as our primary communications channel for the report. We previously did have a PDF version on the website, but we were also printing copies. This will no longer be the case, for the FY2008 report, there will be a PDF, but perhaps more importantly all of the content will be fully incorporated into the Toyota corporate website. The report details environmental, social and economic activities of Toyota in Europe, including case studies. We’d love to hear your feedback on the report, either here, or through the addresses on the website.
Speaking of environmental activities, TMUK have been continuing to live up to their sustainable plant title. In the summer they held an Environmental Day, and Eco Plant Expo, which was attended by more than 3000 people. As well as showing off eco-kaizens in the plant itself, there was a nature trail around the balancing lake area and there was even a tree planting event. Visitors also had a chance to drive the lowest CO2 vehicles in our fleet. All in all it was a very educational and enjoyable day out.
Let’s not forget the new Auris HSD full hybrid will also be produced in TMUK. The concept will be on show for all to see in Frankfurt at the IAA.
See you there!
“Flying” in the Toyota Way
Posted by Colin Hensley on August 07, 2009 in Uncategorized
On our recent vacation I had a lot of fun on the flying trapeze. This involves flinging yourself into space hanging on to a bar, then after executing some physical contortions to get into a specific position, letting go and being caught by the brave catcher at the other side.
As I prepared to leap, I thought about the teamwork and coordination that was required to be able to welcome a complete novice to the trapeze and an hour later have them being caught. There are four people in the team. The first is on the ground checking belts, teaching new positions and keeping things in good order. The second is at the top of the ladder; they fasten on the safety rope, and get the flyer into position, before sending them off into the void. The third is the catcher, who swings upside down waiting for the flyer to head directly at them. The fourth is basically in-charge, and controls the safety rope, and the overall timing of the activity.
Each one of the team takes responsibility for the flyer at their point in the process, and ensures that no problems are passed on to the next person. It’s a demonstration of great teamwork, combining synchronisation with complete trust in each other. Furthermore, giving the flyer the chance to repeat their position a number of times allows them to continuously improve their skill. I realised this is very like the Toyota’s “Total Quality Control” system in many ways, where you always depend on the person before you to deliver you what’s needed, and importantly take responsibility for delivering to your customer, the next person in the process. This way you can build-in quality from the start. Like so many things in our company, it’s a very logical approach to take. For me what is special is that it is formalised and spread through people’s day-to-day thinking through on-the-job training.
Thanks Andrea, Nathalie, Guillaume and Florent, it was a great experience, and a great lesson.
Out and about in the new Prius – finally!
Posted by Colin Hensley on July 13, 2009 in Green Technologies
HUD & ACC in action on the French Autoroute
Four months ago, I was writing about the new Prius and my desire to get into one for a drive. Thanks to Johan and Dirk, I managed to do so last weekend. I previously had a Prius for a couple of years, so I was looking forward to giving the new model a go.
From the outside you are left no doubt that it’s a Prius, though I think it has really been brought right up to date, with a slightly edgier look. When you get in, the only thing that was really familiar was the voice of ‘Annie’ (this was what our kids christened the voice of the SatNav system.) the new interior was very much to my taste. But enough of me, I decided to ask the kids what they thought of it. Tim said, “it was really comfy and big and not noisy so I could hear the music really well.” Katie’s opinion was “it was cool and quiet and a bit like a spaceship!” (she’s a big fan of Dr Who)
So, there you go, it was fully approved by my toughest car critics. From my perspective, I was really impressed by the car. The driving was really effortless, we went about 800 km during the weekend, and between the lack of noise and the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), it was possible to get out of the car at the end of the journey feeling in pretty good form. Very importantly, the fuel consumption was also great, and I only had to fill up once. Apart from the ACC, my favourite new feature is the head-up display. There floating in front of me was the speed and my directions – no need to take my eyes off the road – neat, and safe rolled into one.
