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Global Society / Local Communities
For the Future of Mobility
In order to ensure the sound future development of mobility society that relies on automobiles as a means of transportation, it is necessary to minimize their impact on the environment as well as significantly reduce traffic accidents, traffic congestion and other negative aspects. Toyota takes a proactive stance to realize new sustainable society of which quality is enhanced by providing safe mobility through interaction with the transport infrastructure, low-carbon and comfortable vehicles, and systems that link people, vehicles, robots and houses. Utilizing our strength like housing and information technologies, we are also engaged in various fields such as energy management in communities, reduction of traffic congestion, and the realization of new communication.
Vehicle-Infrastructure Cooperative System
Onboard safety equipment and systems are evolving at Toyota, where the latest Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technology is being applied in the development of active safety systems that integrate vehicles and infrastructure. The systems enable information that onboard sensors fail to get to be transferred from sensors installed on the roads to vehicles as well as to be shared between vehicles. Such additional information can support drivers and lead to safe driving and accident prevention.
'ITS Spot Service' Aims at Reduction of Traffic Jams and Accidents at Expressways
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) spot service, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) is a traffic information service, as an addition to conventional ETC services, operates primarily on expressways and uses bidirectional communication between vehicles and infrastructure to provide traffic information services that support safe driving. Specifically, this system is intended to help the driver avoid traffic accidents by notifying the driver when there is a stopped vehicle or traffic congestion located beyond a poor-visibility curve before the driver reaches the curve, and also by notifying the driver of falling objects before the point. In addition, the system makes driving more pleasant by using voice and still visuals to advise of congestion ahead, snow, fog, and other weather-related information, and so on.
October 2009, DSRC units for ITS sport service were launched and the number of adopted models for the service has been expanding gradually. And since March 2011, expressways across Japan have offered DSRC.
How DSRC Works
System example
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Driving Safety Support Systems (DSSS) Start up in Tokyo and Kanagawa
DSSS is a system that supports drivers safer operation mainly on general roads. The system obtains the information such as traffic management information (traffic lights, signs, etc.) or information on areas where visibility is not good, from the infrastructure and delivers it to the vehicle. Specifically, it helps preventing red light overlook by warning before the intersection, and also it notifies driver if there is a vehicle around a blind corner, thus the system supports drivers prevent possible accidents.
The demonstration experiment on public road was conducted with a public-private partnership in February 2009, and the DSSS services began in July 2011 in Tokyo and Kanagawa. Toyota has developed an onboard navigation system compatible with DSSS, which will be installed in new models from the summer of 2011.
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New Service to Provide Traffic Information on G-BOOK in China
For the first time in China, a traffic information service that shows congestion on the road maps of onboard navigation systems for G-BOOK equipped vehicles started up in April 2011, initially covering Shanghai and Beijing. With burgeoning vehicle penetration, roads are ever more congested, and the new service was instigated as a business with the intention of helping drivers to arrive destination smoothly. In advance of launching the business, pilot service was provided to some Lexus users during the 2010 Shanghai Expo with the help of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Information Center. And the service was highly evaluated by the users. Plans are to expand services to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the near future.
Low-Carbon Society
In order to realize sustainable mobility throughout the future for many years to come, Toyota works on building of a societal foundation through not only its core products, vehicles, but also its housing businesses, IT, etc.
Smart grid is a type of electrical grid which attempts to intelligently use electric power utilizing IT in mutual collaboration between "power producers" including generators of renewable energy such as solar power and wind power and "consumers" of electricity like houses, buildings, plants, etc. Toyota contributes to develop next-generation low-carbon communities by working on realization of the smart grid mainly from the users' viewpoint such as vehicles, houses, telematics, and so forth. Today, towards that end, Toyota is participating in a variety of pilot projects in countries around the world.
Smart Grid Envisioned by Toyota
Next-generation, environment-friendly vehicles will play an important role in realizing a low-carbon society, and Toyota will launch its PHV (plug-in hybrid vehicle) and EV (electric vehicle) models in 2012. However if many cars charge their batteries during specific hours of the day, it will boost the entire society's peak power demand. Therefore the development of infrastructure to properly control power demand is needed.
As illustrated blow, with the "Toyota Smart Center" at the core, Toyota has carried out initiatives to totally support a comfortable, environment-friendly lifestyle through the smart use of renewable natural energy by linking homes, people, and cars.
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Strategic Partnership on Next-Generation Telematics with Microsoft
Microsoft and Toyota have forged a strategic partnership to develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, starting with Toyota's electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.
To realize IT service with the Toyota Smart Center at its core swiftly and globally, completely new IT platform is required. To achieve that, Toyota and Microsoft have agreed to jointly develop a new platform with a goal to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015. In the future, Toyota will use the platform to globalize the Toyota Smart Center.
Participation in Demonstration Tests
Toyota is participating in demonstration tests in several areas worldwide to realize the smart grid that the company envisions and spread next-generation environment-friendly vehicles. Through the tests, Toyota has developed new technologies and evaluated the usability of vehicles, peripheral devices, etc. from a customer's viewpoint.
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Toyota-City Demonstration Test. Smart Houses that Aim for Zero CO2 from Home or Car
In this test, homes to be sold in Toyota City are equipped with a home energy management system (HEMS) that handles all in-home appliances and devices, and an electricity storage device cooperating with several companies.
HEMS will enable owners to see and record how much electricity is generated, and how much is used per room and per air conditioning device, and it will control power storage, car recharging, and electricity use. It will store all extra electricity produced by solar panels for use at peak demand times, thereby enabling subsistence power production and use. In addition, some vehicles will be equipped with vehicle-to-home (V to H) capabilities, which mean that the power, once charged into PHV, can be used by household items when necessary.
New Lifestyle
As part of efforts at monozukuri that exceeds the expectations of customers, Toyota contributes to creating a prosperous, sustainable society that links people, cars, robots and homes through the development of new mobility and robots that make people's lifestyles active and amenable and therefore more fulfilled.
Initiatives to Partner Robots and Personal Mobility
In the midst of such major societal fluctuations as an aging society, a declining birth rate and changes in population dynamics, the need for robotics development is rising. With the philosophy of contributing to the community and people by enriching society through manufacturing, Toyota marries cutting-edge technology from various disciplines including the automotive and IT industries in the development of partner robots with the goal of practical use in the early 2010s.
Demonstration Projects for Practical Use and Initiatives in Development of Social Infrastructure
Winglet, the personal mobility robot currently under development, will be very small, lightweight, and compact, universal in that anyone can operate it easily. The vehicle will be portable, and can be carried onto buses and trains and other public transportation. In other words, it will be a seamless single passenger personal EV that takes people, society and the environment into consideration, and aims to create a new type of personal mobility for people's new lifestyles in the future.
In the development stage, Toyota put Winglets into airports and commercial facilities to be used for work on a trial basis, started allowing the public to take trial rides at the standing facility MEGA WEB, events, etc., so that now, more than 6,000 people have taken trial rides on Winglets.
In October 2010, with Toyota City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Toyota conducted trials of this very small personal mobility device on roads and sidewalks in town. Citizens of Toyota City acted as monitors, who tested the little vehicle and evaluated its capabilities as a transportation device for achieving harmony between people, streets, and the city. Toyota is also participating in the ISO International Conference overseas and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Robot Business Practical Application Project and the Promotion Council of NEDO's Assisted Living Project domestically to set safety regulations and evaluation standards for mobility and robot devices in the collaboration of industry, government and education toward the realization of a society where new mobility and partner robots coexist with people.
In Yokohama, at the APEC International Conference's Japan Experience, Winglet was exhibited as an example of Japan's advanced technology, which raised awareness of the device among the public.