This JETRO Clean Tech Seminar was held to discuss the opportunities and current developments in electric vehicles
and charge stations in the U.S. and Japan. The following is a summary of the event.
See the event agenda and speaker bios.
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| Coincidentally, a vehicle was charging right outside the event! Click image to
enlarge. |
Keynote: The Values Behind the Future of Toyota Vehicles
Tetsuya Kaida
General Manager of the Business Revolution (BR) Corporate Value Creation Department
Toyota Motor Corp.
During his presentation, Tetsuya Kaida, general manager of the Business Revolution (BR) Corporate Value Creation
Department at Toyota Motor Corp., interspersed nuggets of information between loads of entertainment to convey the
direction Toyota is taking its Corporate Value--and thus, its vehicles. The future of Toyota, Mr. Kaida said, will be based
on the following values, which have also been values long held in Japanese society:
1. Spirit – Optimization of the harmony of space and time
2. Senses – Metamorphosis beyond the five senses
3. Craftsmanship – Mastery of simplicity and beautification
4. Form – Magical duality
5. Latitude – A playful and aesthetic disposition, a playful mind
The value of ‘spirit' was illustrated using freeze frames of Japanese animated movies, in which characters behave and
act together (time) more so than in U.S. animated movies, and also in which there are more scenes created under
moonlight and showing views of far distances (space). Mr. Kaida illustrated the value of ‘senses' using photos of his own
toilet back home in Japan, which greets you when you stand in front of it by saying, ‘Welcome, sir. Come sit here', can
play your favorite tunes, warms the seat to match your body temperature--great for colder days--and shines just the
right amount of light so as not to hurt your eyes during a visit in the middle of the night or early morning. To illustrate
‘form' and the successful duality of seemingly incompatible ideas--in this case fashion and automotives--he played a
video of a fashion show that featured clothing created based on Toyota's concept vehicle in personal mobility, the iReal.
Mr. Kaida exemplified the value of ‘latitude' throughout his presentation by playing his favorite songs, making jokes you
would not hear in a typical corporate board room, and using language that would get you sent to the principal's office,
after which he excused himself by apologizing for his "poor English” and making sure to reduce the association of his
humor to the company he represents by saying, "I'm a *member* of Toyota; I'm not *Toyota Company*.”
But when he became a bit more serious, his message came through with clarity. He stated that we humans need to
change the relationship we have with cars (and products in general), saying our current relationship is one of
utilization; we only consume the car. But Mr. Kaida says we need to change that relationship to one that values the car.
He believes such a relationship would better the car and the environment. Based on this idea and the values described
above, Toyota is developing its future vehicles with the following concepts in mind:
1. Adequate existence: The car should be more lightweight and calmer in its existence. Toyota's 1/X
concept seeks to reduce the weight, materials used, and environmental impact of its cars. Although the Toyota Prius is
well known for being environmentally friendly, Mr. Kaida said, it weighs about 200 kg (or about 440 lbs) more than the
Toyota Corolla. Also, the Lexus LS Hybrid weighs about 300 kg (or about 660 lbs) more than its non-hybrid version.
These weight differences are a result of heavier materials used in the hybrid systems. Although the hybrid systems are
"adequate” for these vehicles, the rest of the vehicle is more than what is needed, he said. One way to reduce a car's
weight is to replace its iron with reinforced cellulose, a material similar to paper. He also mentioned that the weight of
engines in plug-in hybrid systems can also be reduced. After creating such simulations, Toyota realized what he called
"1/3 of a Prius," which is where the 1/X concept comes from. He also described how other features of the
car can be made smaller: the lighting does not need to be as bright, the sound the car makes can be reduced, and in
heavy rain, the car can be made to splash less water by five or 10 percent. As a result, the impact on your senses is
dramatically reduced, and when driving a car, you are able to enjoy your surroundings much more.
2. Health for human beings: Humans should be able to feel an inner beauty by driving a car. He
illustrated this concept by using an idea held in Japan: If you have a cold, you can take medicine to help alleviate the
symptoms, but if you keep beauty in your mind, you can enjoy the cold. U.S. translation: A car should help you have a
better state of mind, arising from the positive feeling you get from driving it. Removing the negative impact of cars will
help do this.
3. Humans should encounter cars just like they would another human, meaning have a better
relationship and interactions with cars.
4. Mr. Kaida mentioned there are two more values but that they are still under construction.
A key message Mr. Kaida wanted to convey was that ‘technology is only good if it links to your heart. Unless you
are producing something that moves you as a person, you should not be producing it.' He conceded that Toyota so far
has not been producing only these types of vehicles but that the company will need to in order to stay in business for
the long term.
One such vehicle the company is working on is the iReal, Toyota's latest concept model in personal mobility. Mr. Kaida
explained that in the middle of the night, when he wakes up and has a craving for Häagen-Dazs ice cream and
needs to go to the store, his standard vehicle is too much for just a five-minute drive. The iReal uses just enough
material and is the adequate size for such short-distance trips.
When asked by an audience member whether the iReal can or will be able to climb stairs, Mr. Kaida responded by
saying that mobility should not do everything for you but that it should take you, for example, to the stairs and
encourage you to climb the stairs yourself.
Panel Discussion – Representative Roles in the Future of EVs: Vehicle Development, Charge Station
Infrastructure, Suppliers and Investors
Also developing a vehicle more appropriate for the relatively short distances many people travel today is
Arcimoto Motors. Founder and President, Mark Frohnmayer, started the company two years ago to develop a vehicle to
fill the gap between the sustainable transportation provided by bicycles and the protection against the elements (rain,
cold, etc.) provided by full-sized vehicles.
Working to develop the infrastructure needed to charge these electric vehicles is Shorepower Technologies. President
and COO Jeff Kim began the company through truck stop electrification (TSE), providing electricity to long-haul truck
stops. Truck drivers today run or idle their engines while at stops in order to power the truck's heating, air conditioning,
TV, radio, and other features. Doing so consumes about one gallon of fuel per hour, Mr. Kim said. Using Shorepower's
service, truck drivers can save on fuel and also gain access to cable TV and wireless internet. Now, Shorepower is also
providing electricity to passenger vehicles at some of those stops. The company is looking at each individual site to
determine whether it is appropriate to add electric vehicle charging.
On the supplier end of the shift to electric vehicles is AmFor Electronics. Jesse Oliver, the company's director of sales,
described how his company is adapting to the transition, saying the company has been successful in raising funds
through grants for workforce training, lean manufacturing, and lean logistics. He said AmFor Electronics' focus has
turned in recent years to the EV market. The company is actively working with companies that are in the developing
stages of electric vehicles--both motorcycle and companies like Arcimoto. AmFor is also heavily invested in the
renewable energy markets, looking at solar power, wind power, smart grid technology and high-power AC/DC
applications.
Working with companies like the ones represented on the panel is Honda Strategic Venturing (HSV). Tosh Arita, the
group's head, said HSV's mission is to identify innovative technology partners to work with Honda Motors and also to
make investments where sensible. He described HSV's role as a ‘matchmaker', serving as a window to Honda Motors.
The group works across many technology areas but focuses on the following:
1. Alternative energies – includes photovoltaics, energy storage devices, electronics, distributive generation
(smart grid), biofuels, plant biotechnology research, and fuel cell vehicles
2. Advanced materials – high-performance materials, such as coatings, rubber, structural materials, polymers,
functional materials (catalysts), and thermoelectric materials
3. IT, what he called "communication for mobility” – in-car networks, robust wireless protocols
4. Intelligent machines, robotics – Honda conducts ongoing research on human robots, like Asimo; anything that
mimics human functions, which includes advanced sensors and actuators, developmental learning, and knowledge
acquisition; human machine interface that is simple and intuitive, yet can handle multiple tasks and complicated
information.
In response to an audience question about whether he has encountered any barriers from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) or Department of Transportation (DOT) in regards to safety standards, Mr. Frohnmeyer
said his company has not come across any differences in rules for gas-powered vehicles and those for electric vehicles.
One safety challenge he sees is with first responders, who will need to be educated on dealing with the high-voltage
power systems present in electric vehicles.
When asked about the advantages of electric vehicles, Mr. Frohnmeyer said sees the real early advantages will be in
"solutions that offer a cost win in the short term.” He pointed to fleets of EVs that examine the total cost of ownership
and operating cost over periods of time and described how people are now collecting more data, "not just about overall
fleet driving statistics, but within a fleet, how many trips are taken that are single-occupancies over short distances and
how many are long-haul. So rather than just having a one-size-fits-all solution, I think we'll see a differentiation of
vehicle choices based on actual usage patterns…By looking at that [data] closely, we can come up with solutions that
are wins, not just in terms of emissions but in terms of actual costs.”
Regarding encouraging the use of electric vehicles in general society, Mr. Kim addressed the chicken-or-the-egg issue:
Which do you put out first, the vehicles or the charging stations? From his experience, he has seen that "the stance of
more progressive areas, such as Oregon, is that it is important to get the infrastructure out there before the vehicles.
It's kind of an advertisement for the fact that the vehicles are coming…That's a great start,” he said. "And it'll do a lot to
kick-start the whole generation of EVs coming. But eventually, I think the country and the entire world could take
advantage of these plug-in vehicles, so it'll be important to keep the ball rolling from there.”
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