Lengthy accused of being a latecomer to the electrical car recreation, Toyota has been busy these days telling the world how it is going to reinvent the way in which it produces automobiles with a purpose to develop into an EV powerhouse. And at this time we all know extra about how the world’s largest automaker plans to get there.
Beneath new CEO Koji Sato, Toyota goals to launch 10 new EVs by 2026 and targets annual gross sales of 1.5 million EVs in 2026 and three.5 million in 2030. (Moreover, Lexus goals to go totally electrical in North America by 2030 after which globally by 2035.) It is a very formidable plan, as Toyota offered solely 24,400 battery-electric autos worldwide final 12 months, however let’s not overlook we’re speaking about an industrial large that offered 10.5 million autos in 2022.
A lot of this depends on Toyota’s next-generation manufacturing processes, which the corporate previewed final month in Japan at three of its vegetation. Now, the automaker has launched extra particulars about how the brand new EV manufacturing breakthroughs will assist it churn out electrical autos and batteries extra rapidly at a lot decrease prices.
Final month’s Monozokuri (Manufacturing) Workshop showcased manufacturing developments together with giga casting, automated automobiles that drive themselves down the road, splitting automobiles into three components vertically to hurry up meeting, and the next-generation battery meeting line.
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On the occasion, Toyota promised to chop the processes that decelerate innovation in half, which is a large ambition. Toyota’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, Kazuaki Shingo, mentioned the automaker would “halve processes utilizing Toyota’s abilities and digital and progressive know-how, get rid of the obstacles between improvement and manufacturing to offer new mobility rapidly and work to resolve points on the basis of Monozukuri, comparable to manufacturing unit carbon neutrality and logistics.”
This could assist scale back manufacturing prices, one thing that is at present crushing for many of the legacy automakers and an space the place Tesla and the Chinese language newcomers are method forward. Let’s dive into how Toyota needs to catch up.
Subsequent-Technology Battery Meeting Line
The Japanese automaker’s Teiho plant is preparing for mass manufacturing of solid-state batteries, that are anticipated to develop into commercially out there in its next-generation BEVs in 2027-2028. The brand new batteries are anticipated to extend the vary to round 621 miles initially and scale back charging to the place automobiles can go from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes.
The plant will deal with every little thing from “tools design to meeting and set up,” Toyota says. One of many key applied sciences for mass manufacturing throughout the battery meeting course of is high-speed, high-precision stacking that does not injury the battery supplies.
Prototype all-solid-state battery manufacturing line inside a temperature- and humidity-controlled room at Teiho plant
To deal with that, Toyota made it so the pallets that carry and obtain batteries all transfer on the identical pace. As well as, all pallets and equipment are geared up with mechanisms to stop misalignment because the batteries are handed by.
On the identical time, Toyota plans to chop materials prices by utilizing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) for the cathode of the so-called popularization model of its next-generation battery, which can function a supersized bipolar construction; usually, the cathode could be coated with uncommon metals comparable to nickel and cobalt.
To compensate for decrease vitality density and keep battery capability, the present collectors could have a thicker coating of LFP, utilizing the area gained by using a bipolar construction with fewer elements.
Thoughts you, to make these batteries a actuality, Toyota should overcome a number of challenges: making use of the fabric evenly, doing so at excessive speeds, concurrently sealing all of the cells, and doing this on massive floor areas – i.e. on batteries sufficiently big to energy an car.
The automaker plans to sort out these challenges by tapping into its 26-year expertise in battery manufacturing applied sciences for its hybrids, its bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery know-how and experience, the precision coating used for FCEVs, and numerous digital applied sciences. That is been a sticking level for a lot of critics: the place is the corporate that gave the world hybrids at scale on totally electrical automobiles?
As previewed final month, Toyota has additionally taken a wholly new strategy as to how autos are assembled. As a substitute of mixing the chassis and physique in conventional trend, the automaker will now break up the automotive into three components vertically: a entrance part, a center part, and a rear part.
The Motomachi plant, which is the place the pilot for this new meeting line is situated, will divide future Toyota architectures – together with the underbody, the entrance body, and the cabin and trunk ground – into three sections, every fitted with its personal components.
It will current a number of benefits for employees, who will now not have to climb inside a car throughout meeting, dashing up the method. Moreover, seats and different elements will likely be mounted earlier than the roof and aspect panels are connected, which can simplify the designs and operations of robots and different tools.
Why is it known as a self-propelled meeting line, although? It is as a result of the automobiles being assembled will transfer beneath their very own energy at very low pace. The sensors and car management know-how developed for autonomous driving will likely be used to control how briskly the meeting line strikes and operates. Cameras all through the plant monitor the automobiles, maintaining them transferring alongside the set route at 0.22 mph (0.36 kph).
This resolution has two most important benefits: it eliminates the necessity for conveyor belts, saving billions of yen in capital funding within the course of, and it drastically shortens the years-long lead instances for switching to new fashions. Toyota has already trialed a simplified line idea utilizing unmanned transport robots as a part of the welding course of for the Noah and Voxy fashions.
Main the cost on Toyota’s future giga casting operation is the corporate’s Myochi plant. Dropped at the mainstream by Tesla, giga casting, which is the usage of massive, single-piece castings for main structural elements of a car, will make an enormous distinction within the manufacturing strategy of Toyota’s future EVs.
As a really evocative instance, the rear part of the Toyota bZ4X is at present constructed from 86 particular person castings, however sooner or later, the complete again finish of the automotive will likely be constructed from one large solid.
The method consists of injecting molten aluminum alloy right into a mildew at excessive pace and stress. In a matter of seconds, the fabric is cooled from 700°C to 250°C (1292-482°F) and solidified. Then, the mildew is opened to take away the built-in solid half.
Tools for giga solid prototyping at Toyota’s Myochi plant
Giga casting molds weigh as much as 100 tons, requiring massive cranes to maneuver them and taking greater than a day for changeovers. To cut back downtime, Toyota is dividing its molds into two varieties: general-purpose molds and specialty molds.
The previous will stay mounted on the equipment whereas the latter, whose shapes differ by automotive mannequin, will detach themselves mechanically from the general-purpose molds. Consequently, downtime will likely be reduce from 24 hours to simply 20 minutes.
Moreover, Toyota says it has digitized “artisan abilities” to restrict waste because of the enlargement and contraction of the fabric, in addition to scale back the chance of defects and the necessity for remodeling.
Different manufacturing developments that Toyota is engaged on implementing into mass manufacturing embody increasing the usage of digital know-how and implementing car handing robots to help with transporting automobiles (see video beneath.)
Nonetheless, Toyota has so much to show on the EV entrance, and it could actually’t afford to waste time as Tesla eats into a few of its gross sales in key markets and China’s electrical automakers rise in energy. However Toyota’s prospects have been ready for this information for a very long time. Do you suppose Toyota can develop into an electrical powerhouse too?