LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at CES,
Toyota revealed plans to build a prototype "city" of the future on
a 175-acre site at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan.
Called the Woven City, it will be a fully connected ecosystem
powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Envisioned as a "living laboratory," the Woven City will serve
as a home to full- time residents and researchers who will be able
to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics,
personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence in a
real-world environment.
"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. 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," said Akio
Toyoda, president, Toyota Motor Corporation.
Toyota will extend an open invitation to collaborate with other
commercial and academic partners and invite interested scientists
and researchers from around the world to come work on their own
projects in this one-of-a-kind, real-world incubator.
"We welcome all those inspired to
improve the way we live in the future, to take advantage of this
unique research ecosystem and join us in our quest to create an
ever-better way of life and mobility for all," said Akio Toyoda, president, Toyota Motor
Corporation.
For the design of Woven City, Toyota has commissioned Danish
architect, Bjarke Ingels, CEO, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). His team
at BIG have designed many high-profile projects: from 2 World Trade
Center in New York and Lego House
in Denmark, to Google's Mountain
View and London headquarters.
"A swarm of different technologies
are beginning to radically change how we inhabit and navigate our
cities. Connected, autonomous, emission-free and shared mobility
solutions are bound to unleash a world of opportunities for new
forms of urban life. With the breadth of technologies and
industries that we have been able to access and collaborate with
from the Toyota ecosystem of companies, we believe we have a unique
opportunity to explore new forms of urbanity with the Woven City
that could pave new paths for other cities to explore,"
said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG.
Design of the City
The masterplan of the city includes the designations for street
usage into three types: for faster vehicles only, for a mix of
lower speed, personal mobility and pedestrians, and for a park-like
promenade for pedestrians only. These three street types
weave together to form an organic grid pattern to help accelerate
the testing of autonomy.
The city is planned to be fully sustainable, with buildings made
mostly of wood to minimize the carbon footprint, using traditional
Japanese wood joinery, combined with robotic production methods.
The rooftops will be covered in photo-voltaic panels to generate
solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells.
Toyota plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the
city, with native vegetation and hydroponics.
Residences will be equipped with the latest in human support
technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living.
The homes will use sensor-based AI to check occupants' health, take
care of basic needs and enhance daily life, creating an opportunity
to deploy connected technology with integrity and trust, securely
and positively.
To move residents through the city, only fully-autonomous,
zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares.
In and throughout Woven City, autonomous Toyota e-Palettes will be
used for transportation and deliveries, as well as for changeable
mobile retail.
Both neighborhood parks and a large central park for recreation,
as well as a central plaza for social gatherings, are designed to
bring the community together. Toyota believes that encouraging
human connection will be an equally important aspect of this
experience.
Toyota plans to populate Woven City with Toyota Motor
Corporation employees and their families, retired couples,
retailers, visiting scientists, and industry partners. The plan is
for 2,000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves.
The groundbreaking for the site is planned for early
2021.
Interested in partnering with Toyota on the development of Woven
City? Visit: woven-city.global
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of
the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North
America for more than 60 years, and is committed to
advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has
created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to
world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including
our joint venture in Alabama (10
in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over
36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American
dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and
trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Nathan
Kokes
Toyota Motor North America
469-292-3103
nathan.kokes@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America