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Old 5th November 2017, 08:45   #1
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Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

"OIL" seems to be the new four letter word in automotive circle these days. With governments world over beginning to dictate that automotive companies need to think beyond OIL, several auto manufacturers have seen the writing on the wall and have taken a head start in investing in/making vehicles that are powered by alternative fuel sources/technologies.

We seem to be on the cusp of a revolution that could be similar to the horse carriage and the first generation automobiles era. What started as a concept some time back is now mainstream in several markets and more and more vehicle manufacturers are committing to making Hybrid/EVs their part of their product portfolio and in some cases their core product portfolio (for mature tech/infra markets).

On Team-BHP itself we have some wonderful threads discussing various aspects of alternative fuel

Toyota had invited Team-BHP to visit the Tokyo Motor Show 2017 and interact, listen to their engineers and get a first hand understanding of the future of electrified vehicles from Toyota. Though there were no products or technologies discussed or showcased that were relevant for Indian market, this gave a sense of where automotive technology is headed towards and how the convergence of Automated Driving, Artificial Intelligence & Connected Cars is creating a new paradigm for the global automotive industry.

Last edited by Aditya : 6th November 2017 at 17:17.
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Old 5th November 2017, 08:47   #2
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Toyota was very clear to emphasize the difference between Electric Vehicles (EVs) & Electrified Vehicles and they prefer to use the word "Electrification of Vehicles" as the umbrella term / concept for Electrified Vehicles.

For Toyota, EVs are just one type of Electrified Vehicles and they would like to be present in the full spectrum of Electrified Vehicles products, that includes:
  • Hybrid Vehicles (HV)
  • Plugged in Hybrid Vehicles (PHV)
  • Electric Vehicles (EV)
  • Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV)

At the core are these technologies that combine Motor / Battery / Inverter with various options to give different types of of Electrified Vehicles .
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-001.png

Toyota has had a head start in "electrification of vehicles" with Prius being available for more than 2 decades and total of 11 million "electrified vehicles" sold by Toyota.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-002.png

As per Toyota, the advancement in the core technologies of electrification has been tremendous and has resulted in 800% improvement compared to earlier generations.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-003.png

Toyota claims to have 43% of total "electrified vehicles" market share globally
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-004.png

Sales of Toyota "electrified vehicles" as a percentage of total sales by region
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-005.png

This is how Toyota sees "electrified vehicles" market growing. By 2050 it seems the demise of ICE as per this chart
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-006.png

The challenge for any company is to decide which area of "electrified vehicles" market they would be in and hence the budget & resource allocation for these technologies. Toyota is clear that they would like to be in all these segments depending on the market they want to serve, regulations in certain markets and resources availability/preference in those markets (OIL in Middle East, Renewable Energy in Nordic Countries, Hydrogen in Japan etc.)
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-007.png

A well understood challenge of EVs today:
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-008.png

This is where Toyota is investing lots of resources to address the limitations of current battery technology
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-009.png

and one of the ways to do this is by forging partnerships
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-0010.png

Last edited by khan_sultan : 6th November 2017 at 12:59.
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Old 5th November 2017, 08:48   #3
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Motor Shows are as much as about looking into the future as they are about here & now products to be launched soon. Tokyo Motor Show 2017 was no different and showstopper from Toyota were a series of mobility products (Concept-i, Concept-i Ride & Concept-i Walk) which gave a sneak peek into how Toyota thinks the relationships between humans and mobility products and hence the needs from mobility products will evolve.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-v001.jpg

The flagship -- Concept-i

If one were to imagine that the future tech of cars will be similar to what's depicted in sci-fi movies like Minority Report where Pre-Cogs have the power to see into the future & predict what happens next, then one will not be far away form the mark. Toyota is traversing the sci-fi path by thinking of cars that will have power to do so for the individual who is driving with a small twist though. They would want the cars to be "beloved" (Aisha in Japanese) and not just robotic while doing so. Hence the positioning -- More than a machine...
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c001.png

They break this into two parts: One focused on safety & driving and the other focused on understanding the driver as an individual and be a companion to suggest experiences that can be achieved through the car
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c002.png

An "agent" that will understand you as the driver based on your emotions and not to forget your social media universe
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c003.png

The agent will be evaluating you constantly as you drive and create an emotion evaluation dashboard and predict/suggest actions based on the dashboard results. The driver is evaluated on Facial Expressions, Body Language & Speech and an "emotional score" on "neutral, happy, irritated, nervous, tired" is created. The agent calculates a real time and a long term "emotion score" on each of these parameters and uses that data to make decisions

This is still work in progress (research) and Toyota claims to be achieving good efficiency in this area. However they did not disclose the numbers or how close this is to prototyping etc.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c004.png

Based on the "emotional score" the agent alters the environment within the vehicle to assist the driver in being in a comfortable state of mind.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c007.png

The agent also scours the information from web & matches with personal preference of driver to understand the driver better
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c008.png

Combined with emotional score & personal preferences, the agent enters into conversation with the driver. Total sci-fi stuff :-)
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-c009.png

Another concept from the same family is the i-Ride. A mobility concept for city use and heavily targeted towards people with mobility constraints. In fact, this is a trend I observed through out the Tokyo Motor Show which had huge emphasis on products that solve the mobility needs of the elderly & differently-abled people.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-iride002.jpg

Clear messaging of usage being in city and relevant for all sections of people
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-iride001.png

Compact dimensions & wheel chair friendly
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-ir002.png

Again, notice the emphasis on being wheel chair friendly. i-Ride has all the smart-AI enabled agent capabilities that are present in Concept-i
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-ir003.png

Last edited by khan_sultan : 6th November 2017 at 13:07.
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Old 5th November 2017, 09:08   #4
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Let me start by saying that pictures do not do justice on how beautiful, how elegant the Century looks. This is a car that does not scream anything but says a million things by not saying anything at all.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-century_04.jpg

A Japan only product with sales of 500-600 units per year and handcrafted to perfection.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-century_03.jpg

A long & short history of the Century
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen001.png

Century is meant to be chauffeur driven. The "Chinese Phoenix" bird emblem is handcrafted and placed on the radiator grill by master craftsmen who are veterans of their trade.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen002.png

It takes 30 hours for just the painting process. On asked if Black is the only color, we were told that in new Century one can opt for Blue Mica + 2 other colors as well, apart from Black.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen003.png

No W12 under the hood but a 5.0L W8 + Hybrid does the duty in the new Century
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen004.png

The interiors are understated yet opulent. On asked why wool for upholstery, the answer was that wool also does not damage the fabric of the occupants. However we were told that option of leather seats is there.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen005.png

Fit for the royalty & heads of state. No customization options though, a.l.a Rolls Royce
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-cen006.png

Last edited by khan_sultan : 6th November 2017 at 13:09.
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Old 5th November 2017, 09:12   #5
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

World over, several cities are synonymous with the taxi's that operate there -- Yellow Cabs in NY, the Black Taxi in London, Yellow & Black Ambassadors closer to home in Kolkata etc. Toyota thinks that Tokyo should be no different wants to leverage the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics to popularize Japan Taxi (JPN-Taxi) product.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-jpn001.png

A Japan only product, seats 5 (including the driver) and has dimensions that are suitable for the narrow roads in Japan.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-jpn-taxi_20.jpg

A LPG-hybrid that will result on lower TCO for the driver. (Cost of LPG is less than Gasoline in Japan)
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-jpn004.png

This is how the packaging of the JPN-Taxi is
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-jpn-taxi_12.jpg

The driver area is super busy and has all the functional needs for the driver.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-jpn003.png

We traveled in JPN Taxi from Tokyo to Yokohama and my observations were:
  • Super comfortable seats with adequate under-thigh support. The grab handles are a good addition compared to the traditional grab handles.
  • Not an ounce of fatigue after a 1.5 hour drive from Tokyo to Yokohama
  • Not as spacious as the London Taxi -- maybe considering that it is a Japan only product for it's narrow roads
  • Absence of arm-rest between the front seats and on rear doors was a sore point.

Last edited by khan_sultan : 6th November 2017 at 13:11.
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Old 5th November 2017, 09:13   #6
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Other vehicles that caught my eye at the Toyota stall were

A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered, MPV styled vehicle that Toyota calls a Saloon by the name of Fine Comfort Ride :-)
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-frc.jpg

Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-finecomfort-ride_07.jpg

Seats that would be at home in a lounge...
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-finecomfort-ride_11.jpg

...which swivel for occupants to engage with each other
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-finecomfort-ride_13.jpg

The TJ Crusier: T for Toolbox & J for Joy. Cruiser is used because Toyota wants to use the name from the successful Land Cruiser range :-)
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-tj.jpg

A cross between a SUV & a MPV meant for professionals to enjoy. Looked smaller in person than the image it created in my mind when I first saw the pictures during the pre-show presentation
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-tj1.jpg

The GR-HV concept. Looked good in person compared to the pictures. Rear wheel driven & front engine layout. The hybrid system is located towards center for better weight distribution
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-sp001.jpg

Interiors do justice to a stylish, sports oriented car. An automatic gear box that will allow a H-pattern manual shifting.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-sp003.jpg

A Fuel Cell bus called SORA (Sky Ocean River Air). More than 100 are planned to be introduced before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Hydrogen Tanks are located on top rear of the bus.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-sora1.jpg

Features include 8 cameras (5 outside 3 inside) to assist in safe driving, acceleration restriction for a smooth ride, friendly for people with special needs, integration with traffic management system etc.
Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-sora2.jpg

Disclaimer: Toyota invited Team-BHP for the Tokyo Motor Show. They covered all the travel expenses for this event.

Last edited by Aditya : 6th November 2017 at 17:19.
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Old 6th November 2017, 17:20   #7
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the International Automotive Scene. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 7th November 2017, 01:43   #8
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

First of all, kudos to team BHP for being invited by Toyota to the Tokyo Automotive Show!

I really liked the first image explaining the difference between the different types of electrified vehicles.

Yes, the Prius is synonymous with electric (err) correction electrified vehicle worldwide. Toyota has been pioneering in EVs for a long time now. I remember that when I was in Japan in 1999 in Toyota showroom, there were electric vehicles which were specifically meant to be used a Taxis. But, not like the one mentioned in your post, a much smaller one, more like Reva. I will try to search for the pic and scan it. (This was before the days of digital cameras!).

It would be interesting to see how the Toyota EVs fare against Tesla in global markets.

And, as a petrolhead it is scary to see the prediction of the demise of ICE by 2050 !!
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Old 7th November 2017, 09:18   #9
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017-toyota_ev.png

If Toyota follows this chart and proceeds their R&D as per this, then I am afraid they will be dead long before 2050. They are among the very few large automakers that are yet to have any concrete plans for electrification. They announced some separate division for EVs and I hope they have some thing up their sleeves to release in the next 2-3 years.

Fuel cell vehicles is not going to happen. Hyundai, one of the major companies to heavily invest in that, announced recently that fuel cell vehicles won't be competitive until 2035. Long before 2035, technology improvements in EVs will make the fuel cell vehicles obsolete.
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Old 7th November 2017, 17:20   #10
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

I think for EVs, battery technology will decide the exponential growth & winners.

Using the current technology, Lithium will become the new OIL and China will become the new Saudi Arabia / OPEC.

Perhaps, that is why Toyota is hedging its bets across all the technologies. You need to have fuel cells as an alternative as Hydrogen will be relatively easily available.
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Old 8th November 2017, 14:42   #11
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Quote:
Using the current technology, Lithium will become the new OIL and China will become the new Saudi Arabia / OPEC.
China is surely to become somewhat like Saudi Arabia. Due to its high power density and low weight, the EV world is slowly shifting towards permanent magnet motors, even for high power applications (e.g. Tesla Model 3). As China holds the biggest deposits of 'rare earth' magnetic materials, they are definitely going to be in a position to make or break the EV dreams of a lot of countries.
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Old 9th November 2017, 08:28   #12
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Quote:
Originally Posted by vasanthn21 View Post
...It would be interesting to see how the Toyota EVs fare against Tesla in global markets.
Nothing from Toyota management in their talks, briefings, presentations indicated that Tesla is what they are targeting in EVs. Their whole approach is to be present in all segment of electrified vehicles & see what suits which market best.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sri_tesla View Post
Attachment 1693456

If Toyota follows this chart and proceeds their R&D as per this, then I am afraid they will be dead long before 2050. They are among the very few large automakers that are yet to have any concrete plans for electrification. ....
Well, according to them, they have a 43% of electrified vehicles market share at a global level. In fact, in their talks & presentations, their demeanor was that of a market leader in these segments. However, hybrid is what their bread & butter seems to be right now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by aashishnb View Post
...Using the current technology, Lithium will become the new OIL and China will become the new Saudi Arabia / OPEC.

Perhaps, that is why Toyota is hedging its bets across all the technologies. You need to have fuel cells as an alternative as Hydrogen will be relatively easily available.
+1

Quote:
Originally Posted by mayd85 View Post
China is surely to become somewhat like Saudi Arabia. ....As China holds the biggest deposits of 'rare earth' magnetic materials, they are definitely going to be in a position to make or break the EV dreams of a lot of countries.
Yes, that was a talking point in the discussions. It is a concern & hence Toyota wants to bet on all electrified technologies -- especially Hydrogen powered Fuel Cell Vehicles as Japan seems to be inching towards a Hydrogen society in future. Will be sharing a separate report on that pilot they are running

Last edited by khan_sultan : 9th November 2017 at 08:29.
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Old 9th November 2017, 08:56   #13
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Quote:
Originally Posted by khan_sultan View Post
Well, according to them, they have a 43% of electrified vehicles market share at a global level. In fact, in their talks & presentations, their demeanor was that of a market leader in these segments. However, hybrid is what their bread & butter seems to be right now.
They were ahead in Hybrids with Prius for 2 decades now. But the improvements they did on Prius in the last 2 decades is insignificant when you consider the technology improvements in the battery technology and costs. Japanese are stubborn and slow to react to the market conditions. It worked with ICEs as those are improved at slow pace. But EVs will be completely different ball game.

Full-electric vehicles are the future. Hybrids not. Market is already tilting towards full-electric vehicles.

Example:
GM has the best hybrid in the market now (Chevy Volt). It has 53 miles pure electric range before ICE kicks on. Its also selling very well for the last 3-4 years. Chevy improved the battery range from ~30 miles in 2011 to 53 miles in 2017 (in just 6 years). But since the introduction of Chevy Bolt EV with 238 miles range, Volt sales are gradually decreasing. In October Chevy sold 2,781 bolts while selling only 1,362. This is despite Volt being cheaper, with good electric range of 53 miles, no range anxiety with ICE.

The reason for hybrids doing reasonably well is, full EVs small range till last year. With Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3, upcoming Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro EVs with 200+ miles, most hybrids will have no takers.
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Old 9th November 2017, 10:34   #14
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Quote:
It is a concern & hence Toyota wants to bet on all electrified technologies -- especially Hydrogen powered Fuel Cell Vehicles as Japan seems to be inching towards a Hydrogen society in future. Will be sharing a separate report on that pilot they are running
Japanese are also betting big on improvements in Lithium-ion battery technologies. Toshiba, for example has come up with Lithium-Titanate batteries which they are calling as SCiB.

Link - http://www.scib.jp/en/product/

These batteries support very high charge and discharge rates. Typically their high power cells can be fully charged under 10 minutes.

Interestingly, it was reported in news that Maruti Suzuki is setting up a plant along with Toshiba to manufacture these batteries in India. IIIRC, it's a 3-way JV between Suzuki, Toshiba and Denso (again, Toyota).
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Old 9th November 2017, 12:18   #15
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Re: Toyota - Electrified Vehicles @ Tokyo Motor Show 2017

Good description in the thread by khan_Sultan about EVs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sri_tesla View Post
Attachment 1693456

Fuel cell vehicles is not going to happen. Hyundai, one of the major companies to heavily invest in that, announced recently that fuel cell vehicles won't be competitive until 2035. Long before 2035, technology improvements in EVs will make the fuel cell vehicles obsolete.
There is lot of debate over future of EV vehicles. Whether any new technology will replace EV.

Some facts: Lithium is a rare earth element and highly volatile. Lithium mining happens on large scale in South America. Lithium can be the new OIL as China is investing heavily to reduce dependency on petroleum.

I have a feeling that developed countries like USA, Norway will move away from EV to some new technology as Lithium prices are going to shoot up. The new technology not necessarily be Fuel cells. 10 to 15 years is good amount of time for a new technology to come and give challenge to EV vehicles.

Regarding ICE, they have withstood more than 100 years of legacy and developing countries will still be utilizing them as to support EVs, you need to develop infrastructure to support it. (Example: Enough electricity generation) Developing countries main achievement should be that it's population should not starve and sleep hungry. Then they can think of EV.

By the time developing countries start using EV on a large scale, developed countries will move to some different tech. This is my estimation. Currently look at infra available in USA, Europe and Japan with respect to EV and where we stand!
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