Toyota Motor Corporation and Woven Planet Holdings, Inc., the Toyota Group company responsible for a wide range of mobility development projects, recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for Woven City. The event took place at the old vehicle yard adjacent to the former Higashi-Fuji Plant site of Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. (TMEJ).
“I would like to express my appreciation to the people of Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and other local communities, as well as our construction partners, who have given us tremendous support for the Woven City project,” said Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation.
“Taking action as one has decided is never an easy task under the Covid-19 pandemic. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all those involved in the project for their hard efforts to make this happen.”
Mr Toyoda highlighted the three unwavering principles of Woven City: a human-centred city, a living laboratory, and an ever-evolving city. “Together with the support of our project partners, we will take on the challenge of creating a future where people of diverse backgrounds are able to live happily.”
Kazuhiro Miyauchi, president of TMEJ added, "I am deeply grateful for having had our Higashi-Fuji Plant operate here for 53 years with the support of the local community. The knowledge and expertise we acquired from all of the people who worked at the plant must be carried on into the next chapter.
“With the conviction that Woven City will stand not on mere empty land but where the history of the Higashi-Fuji Plant lies, I will offer the greatest possible collaboration in the future.”
To prepare for an era in which all ecosystems that support everyday life are connected with data, Toyota announced the development of Woven City at the CES exhibition in Las Vegas, the US, in January 2020. The project aims to continuously create advancements that will help better society by accelerating the cycle of technology and development of services.
In Toyota's shift from an automobile manufacturer to a mobility company, Woven City will bring new technology to life in a real-world environment across a wide range of areas, such as automated driving, personal mobility, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). The project is expected to provide a number of opportunities for businesses and researchers around the world.
Woven City will feature three types of streets interwoven with each other on the ground level: one dedicated to automated driving, one to pedestrians, and one to pedestrians with personal mobility vehicles. There will also be an underground road used to transport goods.
The community will start with roughly 360 residents, mainly senior citizens, families with young children, and inventors and will eventually have a population of more than 2,000 individuals including Toyota employees. The infrastructure of Woven City intends to create an environment where inventions with the potential to solve social issues are created on a timely basis.
Photos and video: Toyota Motor Corporation
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