PLANO, Texas, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In keeping
with their dedication to promote mobility and support communities,
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Toyota Financial Services
(TFS) have partnered with Indianapolis-based real-estate development
firm Black and White Investments (BWI) to provide fully integrated,
eco-friendly personal carsharing services to the residents of the
newly opened Posterity Scholar House (PSH) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Residents can reserve
Toyota plug-in hybrid electric vehicles online via Toyota's
personal carshare mobile app, SI Share, offering access to
transportation without the costs of owning and maintaining a
personal vehicle. Additionally, Toyota is working with project
partners to explore electrification concepts to further benefit the
property's residents and neighboring community.
![Toyota to provide eco-friendly carsharing services to Posterity Scholar House in Fort Wayne Toyota to provide eco-friendly carsharing services to Posterity Scholar House in Fort Wayne](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1602316/Toyota_Posterity_House.jpg)
First of its kind in the state of Indiana, PSH is a sustainable urban
revitalization initiative and net-zero energy housing solution. The
44-unit apartment community provides affordable housing that
increases quality of life while decreasing the total cost of living
for low- to middle-income individuals (specifically, single parents
enrolled in school) and families by focusing on utility,
transportation and rental costs. The energy-efficient property
features state-of-the-art technology, as well as an ecological and
comprehensive education center of community-based programs and
services, including the Toyota carshare program.
The carshare pool currently consists of four Prius Prime plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles and is managed by Toyota's Strategic
Innovation Lab, which also handles vehicle insurance and
maintenance. Toyota is working with PSH developer and property
manager, BWI, and project collaborator Energy Systems Network (ESN)
to install electric charging stations for those vehicles (each
powered by the property's 287KW solar array). The company will
continue to assess the priorities of the PSH project, as well as
the needs of its residents, as it considers the addition of other
vehicle types in the future.
"Toyota's carsharing program is ideally suited for a community
like this, where some residents may not have their own cars," said
Stacey Miller, national manager, TFS
Strategic Innovation. "We are pleased to not only help provide
access to transportation, but to contribute in an eco-friendly way.
These plug-in hybrid vehicles will enable Posterity Scholar House
residents to easily travel anywhere within the Fort Wayne city limits and return home with
plenty of charge remaining."
To make the vehicle charging experience as easy and
streamlined as possible, Toyota is simplifying the process for
carshare users renting a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for a
short period of time and is hoping to soon provide open access to
all public charging networks through an "electric charging pass"
that consolidates public charging costs into a single bill.
Toyota is also contributing to PSH's energy efficiency by
managing the charging times of each plug-in hybrid vehicle
individually, in order to minimize the electricity demand at PSH
while ensuring each vehicle is fully charged when needed to fulfill
the transportation needs of the residents.
"The Posterity Scholar House is improving the quality of life
for so many residents through a commitment to providing affordable
and sustainable housing and transportation options," said
Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of
Energy Systems Network. "The technology innovations are serving as
a model for future developments throughout Indiana that will positively impact many more
lives."
For more information, please visit
www.strategicinnovationshare.com/scholarhouse.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a
part of the cultural fabric in North
America for more than 60 years, and is committed to
advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs
more than 47,000 in North America.
The company has contributed world-class design, engineering,
and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama that begins production in
2021.
Through its 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.
About Toyota Financial Services
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is the finance and insurance brand
for Toyota in the United States,
offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor
Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers
vehicle and payment protection products through Toyota Motor
Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and
customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand. As of
March 31, 2021, TFS employed
approximately 3,600 team members nationwide, and had assets
totaling over $133 billion. It is
part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services
offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. We announce material
financial information using the investor relations section of our
website (www.toyotafinancial.com) and SEC filings. We use these
channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our
company, our services and other issues. While not all information
we post on social media is of a material nature, some information
could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our
company to review our posts on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial.
Media Contact:
Derrick Brown
469-486-9065
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-drives-mobility-sustainability-for-indiana-affordable-housing-community-301363424.html
SOURCE Toyota Motor North America