Tokyo — After six years of being grounded in my motherland for reasons within and beyond my control, I had now finally found myself up in the air, bound for the Land of The Rising Sun, to cover yet again a major Asian motoring event that has been both familiar and evolving. But after getting off the plane in Tokyo this Monday afternoon, I couldn’t help but wonder, I’d just flown 3,000 km in four hours, burning my own large share of greenhouse gas-emitting aviation fuel in the process. Did I just become part of the problem that progressive motor shows like the one I’m about to witness, are attempting to solve?
Alice Larkin, University of Manchester vice dean and head of the School of Engineering and professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy at the university’s Tyndell Center, cited in her discussion titled “The Challenge of Transport” (which can be read in detail in “The Climate Book”), that overall, the transport sector (on land, air and water) represents around a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels.
“Knowing the benefits brought to people by transport, policy makers are often reluctant in their efforts to mitigate the environmental damage it causes. This cannot continue. Today we are witnessing the climate emergency unfolding around the world. Transport has a key role to play in slowing temperature rises and protecting lives, but this can only happen if we recognize and tackle its environmental impacts.”
The Japan Mobility Show, one of Asia’s most-anticipated motor shows, will be attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world in the next few days. How much of an impact will this mass movement of humans to and from this event have on the overall global emissions level? Perhaps someone’s counting, or making an accounting of such, and I have yet to find out and crunch the numbers. I just hope that the Japan Mobility Show, the former Tokyo Motor Show, has evolved enough to offer ways to cancel the humongous carbon footprint visitors like me have made, just to go to and from its site. It’s hard to subdue the party pooper in me, and I have to tell myself that many times, to vanquish an enemy (and the enemy here is carbon emissions, just to be clear), one must use the enemy’s own weapons. And yes, try to have fun in the process, and appreciate the opportunity to be part of that process.
Japan flexes new-energy vehicles
No doubt, new-energy vehicles (NEVs, of which electric vehicles, and to some extent, hybrids belong) are making major inroads in global auto markets, thanks to decreasing costs of design, engineering, and production, and the increasing public awareness of the adverse impacts of burning fossil fuels in the planet’s climate and human health.
This early, some nations are noticeably getting ahead as far as NEV development, production, and sales are concerned. China and the United States are making their presence felt. But what of Japan, the origins of many legendary auto badges such as Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, to name a few?
That’s what the “new look” Japan Mobility Show is about to showcase from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5. For that matter, this is what Toyota Motor Corp (TMC) hopes to communicate. Being the world’s best-selling car brand, Toyota has a lot of “show-and-tells” to do in this pivotal period.
More than a week before this trip, Toyota Motor Asia Pacific held an Oct. 12 online briefing for the contingent of Asian motoring media it would be hosting for the show. There, it was clear that the auto giant would be sticking to its belief that a “multi-faceted approach” to NEVs would be most advantageous for both the company and its customers. That means Toyota wouldn’t be directing all its efforts toward EVs, but spread its wealth of expertise, technology, and skills among all other viable alternatives (such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, biofuels, and hydrogen power) that are appropriate for each country’s auto markets.
Pras Ganesh, executive vice president of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing, told the group that “there are no one-size-fits-all” approaches to a complex problem such as that which the world’s transport sector presents.
To arrive at the most carbon-reducing solution, Ganesh explained that Toyota approaches the problem from the energy production side.
“As consumers, we always talk about fossil fuels and renewable energy. We also need to consider other sources of energy,” he stressed, citing agricultural products such as biodiesel or blended fuels as viable sources of low-carbon energy.
“Maybe we can utilize bio-waste more effectively now to develop a fuel source like hydrogen.”
Then the next task, Ganesh pointed out, would be to integrate these energy sources into the appropriate vehicles.
“Toyota strongly believes that when it comes to electrification, and especially with the focus on the concepts of carbon neutrality, it’s not a single-size fits all. There are different customers, and each customer needs to be provided with the electrified alternative fuel solution that supports them. That’s the reason why we will be showcasing BEVs, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell EVs, and hybrid EVs during the Japan Mobility Show. And each of these will also have a different flavor, which is to try and show, as a car company, how we can provide the experience of fun-to-drive or practicality or realistic lifestyle for every single person under the concept of ‘Mobility For All.’”
Members of the media contingent brought to Tokyo for the Japan Mobility Show with Toyota Motor Philippines executives at last night’s welcome dinner at Keio Plaza Hotel.
Lexus to be 100% BEV
For its part, Lexus (Toyota’s luxury car brand) has announced that it would be aiming for an all-battery electric vehicle (BEV) lineup by 2035. Thus, for the Japan Mobility Show, its booth will showcase the theme “Pushing the Boundaries of the Electrified Experience” and debut its next-generation BEV concept models. In addition, Lexus will let visitors experience how it would look like driving in the future with the “Lexus Electrified VR Experience” using virtual reality simulators.
Lexus says its booth will prominently feature the use of traditional Japanese aesthetics and environment-friendly sustainable bamboo material, expressing the brand’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality.
Putting all these carbon issues aside, I’m quite interested in finding out what Toyota’s NEO Steer is actually about. I’ve been reading up on news that Toyota has been developing technologies that enable drivers to control vehicles without gas or brake pedals. This could be truly a game-changer for those who have limited physical movements. These new driving experiences will be available to visitors at the Toyota booth via the driving simulator “Gran Turismo 7” (software for PlayStation 5/PlayStation 4).
Other interesting highlights I’d like to see more of at the Toyota booth would be the customization options for mobility vehicles, and races using vehicles operated solely by hand. It would also be a delight to see the new iterations of the Century and Crown series, as well. And I won’t miss the chance to get a snapshot beside Toyota’s lunar buggy.
These exhibits are said to embody Toyota’s “Mobility for All” vibe for the show, which I hope will embrace not only carbon neutrality and sustainability, but also compassion and cruelty-free practices in the vehicle production and materials sourcing processes. This means sparing the lives of innocent animals, and instead using advanced yet readily available technology to use eco-friendly materials in all vehicles.
