Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has launched a large high pressure hydrogen tank. Delivery trucks travel long distances and make multiple deliveries each day, and so need to have a long driving range and fast refueling. Fuel cell trucks meet these needs and are expected to come into greater use. Toyoda Gosei will contribute to a hydrogen society through the development and production of hydrogen tanks that are a crucial component of fuel cell vehicles.

Large high pressure hydrogen tank

CJPT’s mass market small fuel cell truck

Toyoda Gosei’s efforts for a hydrogen society

Toyoda Gosei’s hydrogen tanks and plastic recycling technology have been adopted in LEXUS’s first recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) equipped with a hydrogen engine, started by Lexus International (LEXUS).

The hydrogen fuel is stored in Toyoda Gosei’s high-pressure hydrogen tank, which features both high airtightness that seals in hydrogen and high pressure resistance to efficiently store hydrogen. In exterior plastic parts, recycled materials from end-of-life vehicle bumpers are used to achieve “horizontal recycling” that reuses scrapped parts in new vehicles.

The application of recycled materials to automobile parts with high quality standards has been done using Toyoda Gosei’s material technology to strengthen recycled materials with the use of a biomaterial (cellulose nanofiber or CNF, which is five times stronger than steel).

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.’s high-pressure hydrogen tank and topcoat-less hot-stamped grille have been adopted for use on new Crown sedan launched from Toyota Motor.

The fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) model of the Crown sedan is equipped with high-pressure hydrogen tanks to store the hydrogen fuel. A Toyoda Gosei high-pressure hydrogen tank is used in the rear of the vehicle.

The front grille features metallic spot decoration with hot-stamping. * Toyoda Gosei’s topcoat-less, hot-stamping technology reduces CO₂ emissions during production by 20%. Hot-stamping of surfaces with large curves is also achieved with the company’s precision processing technology.

Toyoda Gosei has made lightweight product transport containers using a cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced plastic1 it developed for interior and exterior automotive products.

CNF-reinforced plastic is a beneficial material for the aims of decarbonization and a recycling society; when CNF is mixed into plastic as a reinforcing material, it makes automotive parts lighter in weight and easier to recycle.

Toyoda Gosei mixed CNF with recycled material from old polypropylene containers that were no longer in use to make containers that were 6% lighter in weight. Compared with the previous containers, CO₂ will be reduced by 6% over the entire lifecycle.^*1

• *1 The trial calculations were made assuming the containers will be used in product transport for four years.

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. and Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. have jointly developed new technology that reduces the amount of energy used in the production of rubber products.

After rubber automotive hoses are formed, they are put in an autoclave and heated with high temperature steam to give them elasticity. During this process, large amounts of steam are used to raise the temperature to a fixed level. Much gas is consumed to create this steam. To reduce the amount of steam used, Toyoda Gosei focused on the process of exchanging the air inside the autoclave with steam and leveraged Toyota Central R&D Labs’ simulation technology that can analyze with high accuracy the airflow and heat distribution within the autoclave. The new, energy-saving technology, under joint patent pending, reduces by half the amount of steam needed during discharge compared with the previous process. The company plans to roll out application of this technology to its other rubber parts plants in Japan and internationally.

Autoclave for heating with steam (back) and rubber hoses (front)

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has switched to renewable energy^*2 for the electricity used in sports games and other events at the Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (Aichi Prefecture, Japan). This will cut CO₂ emissions by about 180 tons in FY2023 compared with the previous year.

In August 2023, Toyoda Gosei set a new target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, and is saving energy through production technology innovations and continuous daily improvements, as well as switching to renewable energy. For the latter, Toyoda Gosei is increasing use of renewable energy with the best combination of on-site solar systems, green power, non-fossil certificates,^*3 and other measures.

In addition to power from existing solar panels at the Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium, the company will switch to renewable energy (400 MWh annually) using non-fossil certificates with tracking, which certify the environmental value derived from solar power generated within Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

• *2 Energy from natural sources such as sun, wind, biomass, etc.
• *3 Certification of the value of renewable energy that does not emit CO₂ (environmental value).

Roadmap for CO₂ reductions by 2030(Changes from original plan)

Current efforts to adopt renewable energy

Solar power generated in Aichi Prefecture

Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (ENTRIO)

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has developed a system that automatically calculates truck load volumes to raise transport efficiency during product delivery, and has begun operating this system at its Miyoshi Distribution Center (Aichi Prefecture, Japan). This will make it possible to eliminate about 4,400 shipments annually, which is anticipated to reduce CO₂ emissions by 140 tons.

Routes and shipments with low loading are easily identified, which has led to improved transport efficiency; on some routes where the trial was conducted, the number of shipments was reduced from 15 to 12 per day. Logistics plans with little waste not only reduce CO₂ emissions from product transport, but will also help to alleviate the truck driver shortage that has become a social issue in Japan.

Key improvements for greater transport efficiency

Group company TG Logistics Co., Ltd. participated in a field trial to demonstrate the utility of renewable diesel fuel (RD fuel), an alternative diesel fuel for trucks.

RD fuel is manufactured from used cooking oil and other sources and can cut CO₂ emissions by 90% compared with petroleum-derived fuel. The CO₂ emitted during use is equivalent to the amount of CO₂ absorbed during the growth of the plants that serve as the raw materials of these cooking oils, and so the total amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere is not increased. RD fuel can also be introduced without changes to the vehicles or refueling systems, and so is promising for greater use in the transport field.

Truck (11 tons) that uses RD fuel

Toyoda Gosei’s Energy Saving Dojo was established in the Miwa Technical Center as an educational facility where cases of energy savings on production lines and the elimination of waste are shared within the company. Suppliers and others share good examples of efforts to cut CO₂ over the entire supply chain.

Toyoda Gosei aims to achieve carbon neutrality in production activities by saving energy through reduced consumption of electric and thermal energy in plants (decrease in the total amount of energy used) and by raising the adoption rate of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy (switching energy sources).

The Energy Saving Dojo exhibits a total of 15 case examples, including an area where visitors can compare the energy-saving effect of heat pumps with heaters, examples of power loss due to leaks of air sent from air compressors and the length of piping, and the new technology of thermoelectric power generation, which can convert waste heat from equipment into electric power, that is being jointly developed with E-ThermoGenTek Co., Ltd.

Energy Saving Dojo

Suppliers learning about cases of energy savings

Toyoda Gosei’s Memorial Gymnasium (Aichi, Japan) and Group company Hoshin Gosei Co., Ltd. reduced water usage by recirculating water in production processes, installing green curtains, and using rainwater to water plants in employee rest spaces.

Use of rainwater at Toyoda Gosei’s Memorial Gymnasium

Rainwater use at Toyoda Gosei Group companies

This center was opened as a permanent place where young employees and environmental novices can raise their environmental awareness, gain basic environmental knowledge, and learn about efforts within the company.

Trends in global environmental activities and company efforts are introduced in an easily understandable manner through illustrations, videos, and experiential exhibits. Examples of production process energy savings and waste reduction and ecosystem protection are displayed so that visitors can apply them in their own workplaces. The company intranet is also used so that more employees can view these online at any time. They are also presented on a smartphone site for employees.

Tour of exhibit

Education for young employees