Six years ago, one of the worst natural disasters hit one of the most progressive countries in the world—Japan. Known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, the March 11, 2011 tremor struck the Tohoku region.
While the area was left in ruins for quite some time, true Japanese ingenuity prevailed and it slowly got back on its feet. More importantly, it took steps to ensure that the impact of such calamities will not be as severe. With Japan located on four tectonic plates within the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is but natural that its residents be prepared to face future disasters such as this.
Toyota Motor Corporation is one such company that is helping to ensure that Japanese residents, as well as all other citizens in various parts of the world, are truly prepared to cope with emergencies such as these. It is doing so by introducing new vehicle technologies that can help a large group of people deal with disasters.
One of the initiatives under the Kokoro Hokabu Project was the provisioning of hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius. Some 40 units of the vehicle were on hand during the said earthquake, helping to provide electricity for calamity-stricken Tohoku. With a maximum output of 1.5KW, this system can power various household appliances for up to two days.
Impressive, right? Toyota doesn’t seem to think so, as the Japanese carmaker later developed the Fuel Cell System. Seen in the Mirai, which was fielded in 2014, the Fuel Cell System is an even more powerful alternative that can likewise provide zero-emissions mobility. It can generate up to 9KW of power, useful for lighting up a gymnasium or school building at a more stable pace.
In true Toyota innovation, the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which was just unveiled recently, can do pretty much the same thing—generate uninterrupted power when needed. What makes this cutting-edge is that it can do so for up to 4 days. This is the perfect backup source when emergencies strike.
Should electricity run dry and owners unable to charge the Plug-in Hybrid, the new Prius has a neat feature up its roof: solar recharging. This allows the new-generation Toyota Prius PHV to be driven for up to 6.1kms per day, thanks to the light of the sun. It’s the first mass-produced car to do so.
And that is the beauty of what Toyota is hoping to achieve. It is continuously looking for ways to provide safe and innovative solutions that can help customers cope with every situation they encounter—in good and not-so-good times.
