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Tag: Toyota Ventures

Toyota’s smart, sustainable concept city of the future

Posted on by dishanth
Toyota’s smart, sustainable concept city of the future

The seeds of the Woven City were sown in 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake decimated the area of a manufacturing centre and the Higashi-Fuji Plant was moved to the Tohoku area. Before the move, the plant had produced over 7m vehicles and was a “a driving force in the motorization of Japan.”

Toyota has been present in Japan for over 50 years, with manufacturing centers and corporate bases in the country creating employment and investing in community – The Toyota School programme, established in 1977 has educated over 40,000 young minds.

The plant relocation inspired the creation of Woven City, a hub of sustainability, community and mobility designed by Danish architect Bjarjk Ingels and inline with Toyota’s global sustainability promises.

Electricity for the Woven City is primarily generated by hydrogen powered fuel cells, like Toyota’s Mirai vehicle, in an effort to reduce emissions.

“Building a complete city from the ground up, even on a small scale like this, is a unique opportunity to develop future technologies, including a digital operating system for the city’s infrastructure,” says Akio Toyoda, president, Toyota Motor Corporation. “With people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology… in both the virtual and the physical realms… maximizing its potential.”

The Woven City, named for Toyota’s belief that sustainability and technology needs to be woven into the fabric of our future, has begun as home to around 300 residents but will swell to thousands.

The development of the city, despite looking firmly to the future, featured many traditional Japanese woodworking techniques and recycled wood and other materials.

Sustainable tourism for Thailand

Toyota has just partnered with Pattaya City to develop the city as an electric tourism hub, utilizing the development of sustainable energy to enhance service efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize the ecological impact of the city’s operations.

Sustainable transport lies at the center of the city’s developments, including electric buses as the city trials electric baht-busses.

The undertaking falls under criteria from the decarbonized Sustainable City Development Project, created in 2020 to promote sustainable urbanization

Following in the footsteps of the Woven City’s fuel generation, Toyota and Pattaya City aim to establish Thailand’s first hydrogen refueling station for fuel cell electric vehicles, establishing infrastructure for longevity for the development. As electric vehicles grow in popularity, the consistent question is how the infrastructure of charging stations can keep up with the demand.

The partnership aims to pave the way for sustainable tourism developing globally, encouraging profitability without costing the planet.

 

 

 

 

 

Source Sustainability

BMW’s hydrogen-powered cars come off the assembly line

Posted on by dishanth
BMW’s hydrogen-powered cars come off the assembly line
A new day has dawned at BMW after it was announced that the Munich-based automobile manufacturer has launched a pilot fleet of hydrogen vehicles known as the iX5 Hydrogen model.

The car will use fuel cells developed by Toyota, this new car, a milestone in the use of hydrogen power, can reach speeds of up to 112 miles per hour.

The hydrogen itself is stored in two tanks which can be refilled in a matter of three to four minutes. Once the tanks are filled, the vehicle has displayed a range of 313 miles in the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure.

The car is being assembled at a factory in Munich.

While it enters service in 2023, initially the rollout will be relatively small: fewer than 100 cars will be coming off the assembly line and sent abroad for trialling and demonstrations for sundry target groups.

 

A path to the future

The star of hydrogen appears to be rising in the automotive world. BMW is one of the larger manufacturers looking to innovate with the element, but others include Nissan, Hyundai and the aforementioned Toyota.

Commented BMW Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse: “Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key role to play in the energy transition process and, therefore, in climate protection. After all, it is one of the most efficient ways of storing and transporting renewable energies.

“We should use this potential to also accelerate the transformation of the mobility sector. Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw when it comes to emission-free mobility. One technology on its own will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide.”

 

 

 

 

Source Sustainability

This start-up makes vodka out of CO2 emissions, and it’s backed by Toyota and JetBlue

Posted on by dishanth
This start-up makes vodka out of CO2 emissions, and it’s backed by Toyota and JetBlue
KEY POINTS
  • Air Vodka is made of greenhouse gas emissions – specifically, captured carbon dioxide.
  • The Air Company is backed by Toyota Ventures, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Parley for the Oceans and Carbon Direct Capital Management.

 

At Bathtub Gin, a reinvented speakeasy in lower Manhattan, patrons may be pining for the past but they are drinking a vodka specifically invented for a cleaner future. Air Vodka is made in part from greenhouse gas emissions – specifically, captured carbon dioxide.

It is just one of a bevy of new products designed to make use of CO2 emissions that can be captured from various types of industry.

“We work with partners that capture that carbon dioxide before it’s emitted into the atmosphere, and then we use that CO2 in our process in creating the alcohols that we create,” said Gregory Constantine, Co-founder and CEO of Air Company, which is also producing perfume and hand sanitizer from those emissions. “It’s obviously far better for the planet in that we’re removing CO2 for every bottle that we’re creating.”

Distilling alcohol the old fashioned way not only releases its emissions, but it uses a lot of water — about 35 liters of water to make one liter of distillate. Air Vodka is made of just two ingredients, CO2 and water. It separates hydrogen out of the water through electrolysis, releasing the oxygen. The hydrogen is then fed into a “carbon conversion reactor” system with the captured CO2. That creates ethanol which, when combined with water, becomes a type of vodka.

The scientific process in the Air Company’s laboratories is valuable to the environment, but the results are not cheap. The three-year-old start-up’s vodka is a luxury brand, costing about $65 bottle. But at Bathtub Gin, the vodka is getting high praise.

 

A bartender pours a jigger of Air Vodka, a spirit made of CO2 emissions. Nathaniel Lee | CNBC

 

“Once we tell them, ’hey, this is how it’s made and it’s got a negative carbon footprint, all those really beautiful things, is what happens to make them want it even more. And then they go looking for [it[, going, ‘where can we get it?’” said Brendan Bartley, beverage director and head bartender at Bathtub Gin.

The company’s sights are set beyond just vodka and perfume. Constantine said he expects to offer new products made of CO2 as it opens its third production facility.

“Vodka for us is really a gateway towards all the other products and then the industrial applications of where our technology can go,” he said.

Carbon capture is fast becoming big business, as companies look not just to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but to keep necessary emissions from getting into the atmosphere. Captured carbon is being used to make everything from vodka to eyeglasses, laundry detergent, Coca Cola and even jet fuel.

The Air Company is backed by Toyota Ventures, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Parley for the Oceans and Carbon Direct Capital Management. It has raised just over $40 million to date.

 

 

Source CNBC