Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) has unveiled plans to construct a city of the future at the base of Mt Fuji in Japan. The sustainable city will operate on hydrogen fuel cell, and it will be a living site for AI, robotics, and self-driving cars.
Toyota building a prototype futuristic city in Mt Fuji
The carmaker indicated that the city will cover around 175 acres and will be home for full-time researchers and residents. They are calling the city “Woven City” about the company’s origins as a loom maker. The company’s president Akio Toyoda said that “Woven City” will be a living laboratory that will host thousands of residents. The prototype city will test robotics, autonomous cars, smart homes, personal mobility, and AI in the real world.
Speaking in Las Vegas during the CES technology conference this week, Toyoda said that the site will be controlled to allow engineers, researchers, and scientists to test different technologies. He added that this was an incredible opportunity to build a whole city or community from scratch. The futuristic city will cut carbon emissions from buildings and vehicles and will employ technology in virtually all aspects of daily life.
Construction of “Woven City” to begin in 2021
According to Toyota, there will be around 2000 people who will live in the city, mainly company employees. The project will commence construction next year, but they have not offered the cost or the timeframe of completing the construction.
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels designed the city whose master plan includes three sections for personal mobility and pedestrians, fast vehicles, and a park-like walkway for pedestrians. Ingels is the one who designed the 2 World Trade Centre. Toyoda said that this utopian vision was his dream, adding that it was up to corporations such as Toyota to leave a better world.
Toyota indicated that Woven City will be sustainable with its building constricted from wood to reduce carbon footprint. Similarly, in addition to hydrogen fuel cells, they will fit the rooftops with photovoltaic panels for the generation of solar power.
