Toyota plans to build a 175-acre tech city at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan.
According to plans for the scheme unveiled by Toyota, the city will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and will be home to residents and researchers testing and developing robotics, mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence technologies.
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, whose firm has designed 2 World Trade Center and Google’s London HQ, will design the city.
The city will be fully sustainable, with buildings made mostly of wood to minimise its carbon footprint. Roofs of buildings will be fitted with panels to generate solar power.
Only autonomous zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on main roads, and streets will be split into three areas: a section for faster vehicles, one for lower speed vehicles, and one for pedestrians only.
Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “Building a complete city from the ground up, even on a small scale like this, is a unique opportunity to develop future technologies, including a digital operating system for the infrastructure.
“With people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology, in both the virtual and physical realms, maximising its potential.”
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