No. 887: Automotive industry is making a step forward for the next 100 years (2/2) (December 7, 2015)

Technology:

It is said that a vehicle loaded only with an engine cannot survive in the future. Toyota plans to decrease sales of vehicles loaded only with an engine to zero by 2050. Following Toyota, Honda will introduce fuel-cell vehicles, and preparations for mass production are under way in its plant in Tochigi Prefecture.

Future vehicles change the entire industry structure

Information technology	◆Artificial intelligence decides the destination. ◆Sensors avoid a risk
Driving	◆Automated driving spreads, and taxies and buses will be automatically operated. ◆Driver’s license will not be required for driving.
Parts and components	◆Progress of automotive parts will change part and component formation drastically.
Energy	◆From gas station to charging and hydrogen stations
Materials	◆Instead of iron, resin and carbon will increase their shares.
Engine	◆From gasoline engine vehicles to motor-driven like EV and FCV

As the above table shows, the automotive parts industry needs to prepare for the drastic change. NipponPiston Rings, one of Japan’s leading manufacturers of piston rings, is diversifying its business by producing aluminum parts for semiconductors and dental implant. According to a survey company, economic effect created by fuel cell vehicles will amount to 4.4 trillion yen in 2030.   

Toyota i-road test driving in Tokyo

Toyota i-road test driving

No. 886: Automotive industry is making a step forward for the next 100 years (1/2) (December 5, 2015)

Technology:

ZMP, a venture company developing autonomous driving, is increasing its presence in the automotive industry quite rapidly. Because the government laid down a policy to ease the regulations on autonomous driving, it is highly likely that experiments on autonomous driving will be conducted on the public road in 2017. The company has already founded Robot Tax, which operates unattended taxies, in alliance with DeNA, to connect airports and venues by taxi by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Under the initiative of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese government is supporting companies with the challenging spirit in their attempts to create innovations. Insurance companies are quick to respond to the move toward the experiment of autonomous driving. MitsuiSumitomo Insurance and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance jointly developed an insurance product that covers damage caused in the experiment of autonomous driving for the first time in Japan. 

 Toyota's intelligent driving

Nissan's intelligent driving