Toyota plans to build a prototype ‘Smart City’ at the base of Mt Fuji that will be powered by hydrogen and serve as a lab for autonomous cars
- The innovative 175 acre plot will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells
- It was announced by Toyota chief at the tech showcase CES in Las Vegas
- Will be called ‘Woven City’ in reference to Toyota’s start as a loom manufactuer
- Toyota says it will be a laboratory for autonomous cars, ‘smart homes’ and AI
Toyota is planning to build a prototype ‘city of the future’ at the base of Japan’s iconic Mt. Fuji.
The innovative 175 acre plot will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and be used as a laboratory for autonomous cars, ‘smart homes,’ AI and other technologies.
Toyota unveiled the plan at CES in Las Vegas, the biggest tech showcase of the year.
On stage,Chief Executive Akio Toyoda announced that it will be built at the site of a current factory that is closing down.
It will be called ‘Woven City’ – a reference to Toyota’s start as a loom manufacturing company – and will serve as a home to full-time residents and researchers.
Costs and timings of the project have not yet been announced.
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Toyota is planning to build a prototype ‘city of the future’ at the base of Japan’s iconic Mt. Fuji, it was announced at CES in Las Vegas
Toyota did not disclose costs for the project at the reveal (pictured, on stage). Executives at many major automakers have talked about how cities of the future could be designed to cut climate-changing emissions from vehicles and buildings
Executives at many major automakers have talked about how cities of the future could be designed to cut climate-changing emissions from vehicles and buildings, reduce congestion and apply internet technology to everyday life.
But Toyota’s plan is a big step beyond what rivals have proposed.
The proposal highlights not only Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda’s ambition, but also the financial and political resources Toyota can bring to bear, especially in its home country.
He said on stage that buildings will be made mostly of wood to minimise the carbon footprint.
An impetus on renewable energy will also help minimise the city’s carbon footprint.
‘The rooftops will be covered in photovoltaic panels to generate solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells,’ The Guardian reports.
Toyota expects 2,000 people will live at the city initially, with construction slated to start next year. Toyoda called the project ‘my personal ‘field of dreams.’
‘You know if you build it, they will come.’
Toyota said it has commissioned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels to design the community.
Ingels’ firm designed the 2 World Trade Center building in New York and Google’s offices in Silicon Valley and London.
Toyota said it is open to partnerships with other companies that want to use the project as a testing ground for technology.
WHAT IS EXPECTED AT CES 2020?
By: Press Association
The annual convention will see the likes of Sony, Samsung and LG unveil new products, alongside thousands of other firms showing off their latest innovations at the four-day event.
Artificial intelligence, 5G and robotics are expected to be among the biggest talking points when the world’s largest technology show – CES – begins tomorrow.
It opens on Tuesday January 7 in Las Vegas.
High-profile figures from Apple and Facebook will also appear together on stage during the show to discuss the tech industry’s approach to data privacy – a topic the firms have previously clashed over in the past.
CES is a key date in the industry calendar, with more than 170,000 people expected to attend and more than 20,000 new devices set to be unveiled.
Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump and an adviser to her father’s administration, is also due to appear at the show.
Gadgets ranging from new televisions to drones, connected appliances and robots are all likely to feature heavily on the show floor, while foldable smartphones – which rose to prominence during 2019 – could also be a theme among the new devices unveiled as firms attempt to gain traction in that emerging market.
The convention, which has run since 1967, has a history of being the site of the launch of notable technology – including the DVD and HD television.
Show organisers have also highlighted that the 2020 show will see a number of ‘non-traditional’ companies not known for their work in the tech sector appearing at the event.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Impossible Foods and agricultural machinery giant John Deere are among those confirmed for CES.
CES has also committed to continue working to improve diversity at the show, following criticism in recent years that its line-up of keynote speakers has failed to showcase equality.
Jean Foster, the senior vice president for marketing and communications at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) – which organises CES – said diversity was an industry-wide issue but confirmed CES had created an advisory board to help improve representation among its keynote speakers.
‘We take this platform very, very seriously and we want to drive the industry forward,’ she told the PA news agency last year.
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