Toyota to develop solar powered and flying vehicles?
Solar-powered cars are the kind of cars that usually run on power from the sun, although some models will supplement that power using a battery, or use solar panels to recharge batteries or run auxiliary systems for a car that mainly uses battery power. And this is not something new, but so far the world hasn’t seen a single reliable solar-powered car for the masses. So is Toyota about to change that?
Toyota believes that electric cars are not a viable option for underdeveloped countries. EV’s have to be charged, and that needs a widely spread infrastructure of charging stations. Although, you can charge them with a wall plug if what is there isn’t any electricity or the driver finds them lost in the middle of nowhere. So charging times without a station are slow, which translates to hours of waiting time just to take your car out on the road.
With Toyota’s massive workforce and technology, they are producing the best in class batteries for modern-day vehicles. Whereas unlike the 90s, solar technology has also seen a major performance boost. Now the companies goal is to invest in the technology to eventually make a car that runs for years and gives you no problems at all. Since solar energy is converted into electricity, which will then power the electric motors making these cars a true zero-emission vehicle, additionally, unlike any other type of cars, solar-powered cars can also recharge while they are in motion given that the sunlight is ample. This latest move isn’t so surprising at all as the company already sells Prius PHV featuring solar panels builtin into its roof.
This panel acts as an assistant to the batteries when they need some juicing. So taking Toyota’s excellent track record, it going to be a few years the company will bring another revolution to this world following the footsteps of the original Prius.
To bring this goal to reality, Toyota is partnering with Sharp and NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan). The total investment has not yet been disclosed. But what has been made public is the fact that the giant is also investing a total of $400 million into the electric flying car business. To be precise, a company by the name Joby Aviation came into existence back in 2009. Their primary goal is to eventually roll out cars having the ability to take off like a helicopter but having small propeller instead of the main rotor. In order to do that along with the investment, Toyota is willing to offer its “expertise in manufacturing, quality, and cost controls for the development and production” of Joby’s aircraft.
Joby isn’t an ordinary company by any means as well; they have to build a good reputation after showcasing properly flying prototypes of flying vehicles. They recently signed a deal with Uber to develop an “urban air taxi service.” Having Toyota on its side makes things a lot easier now. But don’t expect just to go out and buy one of these flying cars just yet. As the company likes to state, they see their upcoming products as a “mode of commercial transport,” rather than for sale to individuals. Because in the end, anything that flies become much more vulnerable and so the safety of the public is a major issue. Even then, this will allow regular consumers to fly short distances for cheap and much more rapidly as opposed to other commercial transport, including buses, trains, and taxies. We believe this a true visionary move, one that will really change the world as we see it today.
(Joby Aviation Evtol)
“Air transportation has been a long-term goal for Toyota, and while we continue our work in the automobile business, this agreement sets our sights to the sky,” Mr.Toyoda