National research institutes from various countries are participating in RD20, but in Japan, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has been in charge of the management of the project. On the other hand, there were strong expectations for participation not only from AIST but also from private research institutes. Based on his past participation, Mr. Takashi Shimazu, Director and Chief Research Officer of Toyota Central R&D Labs, has high expectations for RD20, as it is a valuable opportunity for representatives from research institutes representing G20 countries to discuss issues at the same table. We asked Mr. Shimazu about his company’s carbon neutral research efforts and his expectations for RD20.
Toyota Central R&D Labs was established as an independent research institute in 1960 by nine Toyota Group companies as shareholders (ten companies at the time of its establishment, including Toyota Industries Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Aichi Steel Corporation, JTEKT Corporation, Toyota Auto Body Co.,Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Aisin Corporation, Denso Corporation, and Toyota Boshoku Corporation).
As the central research institute of the Toyota Group, it has diverse research areas ranging from basic science to practical research, and in terms of social implementation, its corporate philosophy is to contribute not only to group companies but also to the global community.
In today’s manufacturing industry, there is a need to minimize environmental impact throughout the entire lifecycle of resources procurement, production activities, and products. In addition to energy conservation and efficient use of renewable energy for decarbonization, technologies and mechanisms to reduce CO2 emissions and resource consumption are needed to achieve compatibility with resource recycling. Toyota Central R&D Labs believes that it is necessary to work on such technologies from the basic science and practical research to advance them to a point where they can be implemented in society.
Despite current challenges facing Japan’s renewable energy sector, including the country’s geographical constraints, proactive measures are being taken to promote the introduction of renewable energy and strengthen wide-area grid interconnections. As a manufacturing industry that is on the demand side of energy, it is also necessary to promote the construction of a supply and demand system that is tailored to the region and demand characteristics.
To this end, we believe it is necessary to collaborate to create a scenario that is compatible with the supply and demand of renewable energy in terms of economic and environmental aspects as well as local characteristics, transcending industry-academia-government differences and industrial sectors.
We believe that one of the most effective ways to support such efforts is through social system modeling research. It is becoming increasingly important to study the optimal configuration scenarios from the perspectives of economic, environmental, and regional characteristics by coupling the energy systems that make up society, the power source configuration, and the energy demand required by each region, including mobility, its manufacturing plants, and consumer products, from the perspective of energy supply and demand. Toyota Central R&D Labs is strengthening its research and development efforts with a focus on solving social issues by using various evaluation models and establishing the necessary research agenda according to the requirements derived from future scenarios. In addition, through close collaboration with Toyota Group companies, the institute understands the problems that are inherently troubling industrial sites and promotes social implementation through manufacturing technologies and products. This is one of the characteristics of Toyota Central R&D Labs as a corporate research institute. In order to realize the research results obtained, we are promoting social implementation in cooperation with Toyota Group companies.
In the research field of social system modeling, we believe it is important to collaborate with international research institutions that are conducting research on a global scale.
The prerequisites for attaining carbon neutrality and a circular economy vary by country and by environmental context. As a result, the optimal solutions and approaches differ from region to region.
Therefore, it is necessary not only to promote the necessary research and development, but also to examine the future shape of society and the design of social systems themselves. To this end, it is necessary to understand the conditions and environmental context required in each region through dialogue with research institutions around the world, and to obtain insights into R&D trends and information to collaborate and cooperate at various levels.
Toyota Central R&D Labs has been collaborating with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the U.S., both of which are also RD20 members, on various topics such as fuel cells, hydrogen, and thermal management. Just as each country has different energy situations and social systems, each region has different research specialties. Therefore, through collaboration, we have realized the importance of establishing research themes that leverage each other’s strengths by visiting research institutions around the world and engaging in dialogue with an open mind.
In particular, for research themes such as social system modeling and life cycle assessment, international collaboration is indispensable, both in terms of regionality and comprehensiveness. To this end, we are facilitating the formation of research networks by dispatching researchers directly to overseas research institutions.
On the other hand, we consider the RD20 to be an important forum where research institutions representing G20 countries gather to discuss carbon neutrality. We have high expectations for RD20 as an opportunity for international research institutions conducting research on a global scale to collaborate within a larger framework.
In research subjects such as carbon neutrality and resource recycling, social implementation is the goal. In these areas, we believe it is important not only to accumulate elemental technologies but also to conduct research all the way through to social implementation. To date, we have been collaborating with AIST on research that targets energy systems in Japan and their social implementation.
Meanwhile, there are many other excellent technologies in Japan that can lead to social implementation. We have a desire to help society by disseminating these efforts and sharing them with research institutions around the world. We hope that RD20 will serve as a starting point for social implementation in disseminating information on excellent research results and use cases from each country to the rest of the world. We would also like to continue exchanging opinions with RD20 member research institutions.