Energy News
CAR TECH
Toyota opens high-tech village in Japan to road test the future
Toyota opens high-tech village in Japan to road test the future
by AFP Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 25, 2025

Top-selling carmaker Toyota opened its new high-tech village in Japan on Thursday, an experimental project to test autonomous driving and other futuristic developments.

It is touted as a real-life setting in which to trial myriad inventions, from flying taxis to robot pets and drones that escort you home at night.

Around 360 Toyota staff and others related to the company will soon move in to smart homes in its "Woven City".

"This is a test course for the future, not just a town," Toyota's chairman Akio Toyoda told an opening event, according to national broadcaster NHK.

The number of residents in the cluster of homes built on a disused Toyota factory at the base of Mount Fuji is eventually expected to grow to 2,000, the firm says.

Toyoda has previously called it a "living laboratory where the residents are willing participants" and inventors can test ideas in a secure environment.

"Homes in the Woven City will eventually serve as test sites for future technology, such as in-home robotics, to assist with daily life," he said in January.

One example could be robots that learn how to fold shirts, Toyoda said.

The project, first announced in 2020, is led by his son, Daisuke Toyoda.

"Much like test drivers for cars... our residents will be the ones who use and experience the new products and services our inventors develop."

The company's e-Palette self-driving buses will also be tested at Woven City, among other autonomous logistics and driving technologies.

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CAR TECH
Central Park horse-drawn carriages face ride into the sunset
New York (AFP) Sept 20, 2025
The rights and wrongs of the horse-drawn carriages that carry tourists around New York's Central Park have been loudly debated for years, but the mayor has signalled they may be at the end of the track. Critics say the animals suffer, pointing to deadly collapses and dangerous escapes, while advocates point to the jobs they create and the heritage they uphold. The rides, which cost $150 for 45 minutes to several hundred dollars for a marriage proposal (no refunds), are popular with visitors to t ... read more

CAR TECH
Under promise, over deliver? China unveils new climate goals

China steps into spotlight at UN climate talks

EU states agree broad UN emissions target avoiding 'embarrassment'

Hundreds of scientists rebuke US push to overturn climate ruling

CAR TECH
Dutch lead charge on electric inland vessels

Neutrinovoltaic master formula published as pathway to scalable clean energy

Durham scientists validate superconducting wires for ITER fusion project

NTT and MHI achieve world record in optical wireless power transmission efficiency

CAR TECH
French-German duo wins mega offshore wind energy project

Wind giant Orsted to resume US project after court win

Transportation Department wind farm funding cuts to save $679M

Japan confident on wind power after Mitsubishi blow

CAR TECH
New insights into halide perovskites could transform solar cell technology

Solar fuel breakthrough may unlock cheaper green energy

Breaking Shockley-Queisser barrier with cryogenic silicon solar cells

Glimmering sea of solar as China expands desert installation

CAR TECH
Uranium enrichment: Why Iran refuses to step back

French nuclear waste project sparks protest

Artificial plant device cleans radioactive soil using only sunlight

Framatome expands nuclear footprint with new India operations base

CAR TECH
Bio-oil from agricultural and forest waste could help seal abandoned oil wells and store carbon

Pretreatment methods bring second-gen biofuels from oilcane closer to commercialization

Ash improves methane yield and fertilizer value in biogas systems

Rice researchers turn wasted data center heat into clean power

CAR TECH
Venezuela's Maduro says he wants dialogue with US

White House rejects talks offer from Venezuela's Maduro

Bank fossil fuel financing twice that for alternatives: study

China may strengthen climate role amid US fossil fuel push

CAR TECH
'A better future is possible': Youths sue Trump over climate change

EU 'positive' on striking 2040 climate target deal before COP30

Drought hit over half of Europe in mid-August: EU data

'Sleep under the stars': hotel mess in Brazil ahead of UN meet

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.