Toyota: By 2030, if the fuel cell system can reach 200,000 units, the cost will be reduced by 50%

Toyota recently held a technical briefing, "Toyota Tech Symposium," under the theme "Let's Change the Future of Cars," and announced various new technologies that will support its transformation into a mobility company.

Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president and Chief Technology Officer of Toyota, explained Toyota's future technology strategy and vehicle manufacturing direction at the conference. In addition, he spoke about specific diversification technologies, including concept models in development, that will help realize the vision and policies that Toyota has always had.

Meeting content

Toyota explained the "Toyota Mobility Concept" at a policy briefing in April, noting that electrification, intelligence and diversification are key to achieving this goal. In the area of electrification, Toyota will continue to pursue a "multi-path approach," including introducing the best powertrain for each region; In the area of intelligence, in addition to vehicles and services, initiatives to expand connections with society, such as "woven cities", will be promoted; In addition, Toyota will continue to diversify its business, expanding from "automotive" to "social," including mobility freedom and diversified energy options for all.

In order to promote these three themes technologically, since the establishment of the company system in 2016, Toyota has been shifting resources to advanced development areas and actively investing in future-oriented areas. As of March 2023, Toyota has shifted more than half of its R&D staff and about half of its R&D expenses to advanced development, while increasing the total R&D, and will further accelerate this trend in the future.

Toyota wants to drive car manufacturing based on three goals. The first is the pursuit of safety and security, Toyota will further improve the "Toyota safety", to provide customers with safe and reliable technology; The second is that the future will be built by everyone and will be created by connecting with peers around the world through initiatives such as CJPT's decarbonisation efforts in the commercial sector, its collaboration with CP Group in Thailand and Toyota's collaboration in the racing sector; Third, it will accelerate localization, as the needs of customers in different regions will be further different in the future, Toyota will accelerate "product development to meet customer needs" at research and development sites around the world.

BEV Automotive Factory details

Toyota set up a pure Electric Vehicle Factory (BEV) in May, dedicated to the research and development of battery electric vehicles, hoping to change the future with pure electric vehicles through the transformation of cars, manufacturing and working methods.

On the axle of the car, a cruising range of 1,000 kilometers will be achieved through technologies such as the integration of next-generation battery and sonic technology. To bring more stylish designs, AI supports aerodynamic performance, while designers will focus on expressing natural emotions. The Arene operating system and the full OTA will expand the possibilities of enjoying the car infinitely.

On the manufacturing axle, the body will consist of three main components in a new modular structure. The adoption of gigabit casting will enable significant component integration, which helps reduce vehicle development costs and plant investment. In addition, self-propelled production technology will reduce process and plant investment by half. Toyota plans to launch its next generation of pure electric vehicles globally, with a full lineup due in 2026. By 2030, the pure electric vehicle plant will provide 1.7 million electric vehicles.

Hydrogen fuel cell plant details

Toyota expects Europe, China and North America to be the largest hydrogen markets by 2030, and the fuel cell market to expand rapidly in that direction, reaching 5 trillion yen per year. Toyota is promoting external sales of fuel cells for the Mirai hydrogen unit and has received offers to sell 100,000 units by 2030, mostly commercial vehicles.

In response to the rapid changes in the market, Toyota plans to launch a new organization called the Hydrogen Plant in July, which will promote the business with three goals. The first is to localize R&D and production to countries within key markets, mainly in Europe and China to establish local bases; The second is to strengthen alliances with key partners through which Toyota integrates a sufficient number of fuel cells to provide affordable fuel cells to its customers; The third is competitiveness and technology, which will work on the "innovative development of competitive next generation FC technologies," such as next-generation battery technologies and FC systems.

As these initiatives move forward, Toyota will work toward full commercialization. The next generation system will achieve a 37% cost reduction through technological advances, volumetric efficiency and localization. In addition, by working with partners, if Toyota can receive an offer for 200,000 units in 2030, it can reduce costs by 50% and generate solid profits while meeting the expectations of many customers and governments.

In addition, the price of hydrogen is still high. To promote the widespread use of hydrogen, Toyota will continue to work with partners to contribute to the production, transportation and use of hydrogen.