Toyota to showcase future mobility
Nov 5, 2013 By Toyota Australia.
** Five world premieres at Tokyo Motor Show **
Toyota Motor Corporation will present its latest hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle (FCV) and four other world-premiere concepts at this months Tokyo Motor Show.
The FCV Concept with a driving range and refuelling time equivalent to a conventional car points to a production vehicle Toyota plans to launch around 2015.
It will share the Tokyo limelight with Toyotas FV2 (Fun Vehicle 2), a vehicle that connects physically and emotionally with the driver even to the extent of being able to determine the drivers mood and driving skill.
Toyota will also unveil three cars targeted at the Japanese market a next-generation taxi concept and two next-generation seven-seat minivans one petrol and one hybrid.
Among Toyotas hero cars at the motor show which begins on November 22 is the first right-hand-drive FT86 Open concept based on the 86 sports car, featuring a new Flash Red body colour.
Toyota said the world premiere concept vehicles convey Toyotas vision of a future mobility society that values the joy of driving.
It said the vehicles embody Toyotas efforts to contribute positively to society while creating ever-better cars that exceed expectations.
Toyota FCV concept
The fuel-cell concept vehicle, which can accommodate up to four occupants, has a driving range of at least 500km and can be refuelled in as little as three minutes.
It uses Toyotas proprietary small, lightweight fuel-cell stack and two 70MPa (MegaPascal) high-pressure hydrogen tanks.
The fuel-cell stack has a power density of 3kW per litre, more than twice that of Toyotas previous development vehicle which was based on a Kluger, and offers output of at least 100kW.
In addition, the system is equipped with Toyotas high-efficiency boost converter. Increasing the voltage has made it possible to reduce the size of the motor and the number of fuel cells, leading to a smaller system offering enhanced performance at reduced cost.
Fully fuelled, the vehicle can provide enough electricity to meet the daily needs of an average Japanese house (10kWh) for more than a week.
The vehicles exterior design was intended to convey the key characteristics of a fuel-cell vehicle: converting air into water as the system produces electricity, and the powerful acceleration enabled by the electric drive motor.
The bold front view features pronounced air intakes while the sleek side view has a flowing liquid door profile and wave-motif fuel cap. The rear was inspired by the stern of a catamaran.
Toyota FV2
Toyota has released a smartphone application that enables users to experience the mobility of the future envisioned by the FV2.
Aimed at a future world in which vehicle technology has greatly progressed, the FV2 expresses Toyotas fun to drive philosophy.
It is designed to create a more intimate relationship between vehicle and driver similar to the trust and understanding that might exist between a rider and their horse.
Rather than using a steering wheel, the driver shifts their body weight to operate the vehicle while intelligent transport system technology provides a wide variety of safety information, including advanced warnings about vehicles in blind spots at intersections.
At an emotional level, the vehicle uses voice and image recognition to determine the drivers mood, accumulated driving history to suggest destinations, and driving skill information to assist the driver.
It adopts an augmented reality display on the windscreen technology that supplements sensory information from the users environment with computer-generated data.
In addition, the body colour and exterior display can be changed at will.