Japanese

Exhibition Info

   
for HV•PHV•EV
Advanced Material
Engine
 

41st Tokyo Motor Show Press Briefing Summary
Photo of press briefing Photo of press briefing
  1. Concept of this Exhibition
    For Sustainable Motorization
    Toyota Industries Corporation's Aspirations are
    to Create a Sustainable Vehicle-based Society

    • Towards the realization of a low carbon and sustainable vehicle-based society, Toyota Industries Corporation(hereinafter Toyota Industries) is showcasing its environmentally conscious products and technologies that contribute to reducing environmental impact. At the Toyota Industries booth, these products and technologies are explained in easily comprehensible posters and stage presentations throughout the exhibition.

  2. Introduction of Environmentally Conscious Technologies
    • We are committed to minimizing the environmental burden to the lowest possible level in each of our business areas, including automobiles, materials handling equipment and textile machinery. The core technologies that we have developed to date firmly establish our dedication to the development of cutting edge product technologies and the innovation of production engineering that are environmentally conscious.

    1) Contributions Towards Environmentally Friendly Vehicles
    (1) Products for Hybrid Vehicles (Prius)
    • Starting with the first generation Prius, we have continued the development of electric power devices that include converters, inverters, and car air conditioning compressors. These products contribute to improvements in fuel efficiency by increasing performance, while simultaneously making such components lighter and more compact.
    • Accompanying the release of the new model "Prius" this spring, we have developed and manufactured the "cooling device" incorporated in the "Power Control Unit (PCU)" — the core device within a hybrid vehicle, expanding our areas of responsibility in technological development for hybrid vehicles. By utilizing our own special simultaneous brazing technology, the power semiconductors are now mounted directly onto the "cooling device", reducing the thermal resistance to two-thirds of the prior level. By simplifying the cooling structure and improving cooling performance, we have reduced the cooling device to one-third the size of the conventional model, which has greatly contributed to a reduction in the overall size and weight of the PCU.
    •

    The "DC-DC Converter", which we have been in charge of the development and manufacture since the first generation Prius, now employs a newly developed circuit that is suitable for the smaller sized converter. This advancement enables the converter size to be reduced by 30% while providing 20% higher output compared to the previous model.
    • By reducing the discharge capacity and integrating the inverter for the air conditioning with the electric compressor, the "Electric Compressor [ES14]" maintains the same cooling performance as the previous model with a 20% reduction in total size and weight, making it easier to install into vehicles. This "Electric compressor with integrated inverter" is also being installed into other vehicles such as the Lexus RX450h or the Lexus LS600h, and a series of these compressors will be released for installation in different hybrid vehicles.
    (2) Internal Combustion Hybrid Lift Truck
    • Leveraging our technology from hybrid automobiles, we have developed the "diesel hybrid lift truck [GENEO-HYBRID]", which will be released in December 2009. Based on Toyota Motor Corporation's hybrid technology, we have developed a reliable, durable, cost-effective hybrid system for lift trucks. CO2 emissions and fuel consumption for the "GENEO-HYBRID" are half that of current diesel lift trucks in the same class and capacity, achieving the world's leading fuel consumption performance.
    (3) Charging System
    • We have been involved with the development of charging systems for electric vehicles such as charging stands and onboard chargers since the 1990s. With a proven track record of our technology being used by other various automobile manufacturers, we are continuing to develop technology both for the charging infrastructure and for onboard chargers.
    • Following on from the charging stands we launched in July 2009, we are now displaying the newly developed "charging stands with communication devices". In addition to the basic functions of the standard charging system, the newly developed stations allow user authentication using IC card technology, and enable the collection of data such as usage conditions of the charging service and amount of power used.
    • In the future, we are aiming to increase functionality to respond to the needs of the charging infrastructure by developing systems that support electronic billing, and solar charging stations incorporating solar power generation to further reduce the environmental impact. Concurrently, we are developing smaller onboard chargers with higher efficiency to meet the growing demand for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.
    2) Technology Contributing to the Overall Weight Reduction of Vehicles
    • We will introduce 2 lightweight advanced materials that reduce the weight of the vehicle body to contribute to improved fuel efficiency.
    (1) Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic
    • The new 2-seater sports car "Lexus LFA" announced by Toyota Motor Corporation employs our technologies designed to reduce vehicle weight by utilizing our carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and our plastic glazing products.
    • Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is a lightweight material that has excellent strength and stiffness. By utilizing our unique 3-dimensional(3D) fiber technology developed by the Textile Machinery Division, the energy absorption capacity has been increased 1.5 times compared to conventional laminated fiber reinforced plastics. The crumple zone for the Lexus LFA which uses our 3D carbon fiber reinforced plastic is able to maintain the same energy absorption capacity as conventional steel materials, but with only 1/5 the weight.
    • We are also working toward innovations in production engineering. In cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation, we have developed a new highly productive and low cost RTM technology. In addition to crumple zones, we have also constructed cylindrical "roof side rails" and the world's largest single vehicle part, the "large-size entire floor", from RTM. Furthermore, we have successfully enabled drastic reductions in manufacturing time.
    Note: RTM (Resin Transfer Molding): RTM is a molding process in which resin is transferred under vacuum into an enclosed mold into which a fibrous reinforcement has been placed.
    (5) Plastic Glazing
    • With a weight half that of glass, the lightweight properties of this material have been fully utilized in the development of "quarter windows" and "partitions". While reducing the overall weight compared to glass products, durability that was seen as a weak point of conventional resin windows has been dramatically improved thanks to the newly developed hard coating.
    • A "large-size panoramic roof" is on display that perfectly illustrates how features such as the flexibility in styling and outstanding insulation properties can be used to the fullest to develop new products and provide revolutionary new vehicle exterior concepts.
    • In the future, Toyota Industries Corporation aims to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by contributing to the reduction of vehicle body weight through the continued development of a broad range of technologies, including the carbon fiber reinforced plastic technology and plastic glazing.
    (In conclusion)
    • In the future, we will devote ourselves to further developing technologies in a broad range of product areas that answer a wide range of social needs. These include environmental conservation and high efficiency while maintaining low costs. We will continue to contribute to the evolution of vehicles and the creation of a better living environment for all people.

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