Toyota Technical Review

We publish "Toyota Technical Review (TTR)" with the aim of fostering partnerships through technology introductions to stakeholders and recording Toyota's technical assets. From 2023 (Vol.69), we changed the publication frequency from once a year to twice a year.

Contents

Special Feature: Continued: Toyota's Full Lineup Strategy for Carbon Neutrality

• The Toyota Prius
  Toyota is pursuing a wide range of options following multiple pathways in accordance with the future energy situation and the conditions existing in each country and region. Since its launch, the Prius has led the mass popularization of dedicated hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). For the fifth generation, Toyota focused on developing hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric models that would have an immediate effect on reducing CO2 emissions under a concept called "Hybrid Reborn." This article outlines the objectives of the fifth-generation Prius and the technologies to realize these objectives.
• Development of the O-Uchi Kyuden System Home Battery
  Toyota is promoting the introduction of a wide range of practical products and services using the battery technologies, parts, and units nurtured over its long history of electrified vehicle development. As part of this initiative, Toyota has been focusing on the massive and lengthy power outages caused by the growing number of natural disasters in recent years, as well as the energy crisis spurred by global instability. Consequently, Toyota has developed the O-Uchi Kyuden System home battery with the objective of enabling carbon neutral lifestyles with ever-greater peace of mind and safety. This article describes the development history and characteristics of the O-Uchi Kyuden System.
• Carbon-Neutral Fuels
  To achieve carbon neutrality, it will be essential to pursue a wide range of options following multiple pathways. In addition to promoting hybrid (HEVs), plug-in hybrid (PHEVs), battery (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), as well as hydrogen engines, Toyota is also working to popularize carbon-neutral fuels while partnering with the energy industry in research and development projects. This article describes Toyota's initiatives related to carbon-neutral fuels for the purpose of reducing the CO2 emissions of vehicles that are already on the road. It also discusses the types of carbon-neutral fuels, as well as the relevant government policies and trends.
• Improvement of Mixture Formation in Hydrogen DI Engine Using Fuel Jet MBD
  This research compared fuel jet forms predicted by numerical calculation with Schlieren images, and verified that the jet angle and jet tip penetration of results obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) matched values obtained by actual measurement. This jet prediction method was then used to investigate whether tumble or swirl is more suitable for a hydrogen direct injection (DI) engine. The results indicated that tumble is more effective than swirl in reducing the inhomogeneity of the mixture. This is because tumble flow, which is intensified by the hydrogen jet, decays during piston compression, creating turbulence that maximizes turbulent diffusion. Consequently, it was learned that tumble flow is suitable for application in a low-pressure DI (LPDI) hydrogen engine.

Technical Papers/Technical Articles

• The WAVEBASE Cloud-Based Material Data Analysis Service
  This article describes the WAVEBASE cloud-based material data analysis service, including the background behind its technical and system development, use cases, efforts to commercialize the service and make it available around the world, and its future prospects.

Technical Award News

• Development of Remote Control Autonomous Driving System
• Initiatives to Reduce Power Demand through Peak Shifting and Demand-Response

List of Externally Published Papers

• List of Externally Published Papers of FY2022