The Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota has bet on hydrogen as an energy source in its ambitious initiative, Woven City. This new city, located near Mount Fuji, will be a testing ground that integrates robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous transportation with zero emissions.
Despite Tesla and Byd being leaders in the electric vehicle market, Toyota has decided to focus on hydrogen. According to Keisuke Konishi, an automotive analyst, the Japanese company aims to develop robotic vehicles to compete with companies like Waymo, Google's, which implies the construction of an entire city.
In Woven City, built on the grounds of an old Toyota Motor Corp automobile factory, various services and technologies will be experimented with. The first inhabitants of this city of the future will be a small group of 100 people who will be able to enjoy buildings connected by underground passages through which autonomous vehicles will circulate.
The project of Toyota’s founding family aims to create an innovation environment in collaboration with partner companies, such as noodle manufacturer Nissin and Daikin, known for its air conditioners. Despite comparisons with other failed futuristic cities, Toyota has initially invested 10 billion dollars in Woven City, which will eventually occupy 294 thousand square meters.
Daisuke Toyoda, the executive in charge of the project, emphasized that Woven City is not a conventional smart city, but a testing area dedicated to mobility. With the completion of the first phase of construction, this space is expected to become a meeting point for researchers and startups looking to drive technological innovation and sustainability.
