Green Options » Tetsuya Yokoyama http://greenoptions.com/author/tygo/ Post archive of Tetsuya Yokoyama Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:58:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en http://greenoptions.com/author/tygo/ http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/50e21d0c59a3aaa83386782bd6905c55?s=65&d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D32 Green Options » Tetsuya Yokoyama Will Mitsubishi’s Small i MiEV Lead the EV Market? http://gas2.org/2009/04/06/will-mitsubishis-small-i-miev-lead-ev-market/ http://gas2.org/2009/04/06/will-mitsubishis-small-i-miev-lead-ev-market/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:58:55 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/04/06/will-mitsubishis-small-i-miev-lead-ev-market/ Mitsubishi i MiEV at Eco-Proudcts 2008

Beginning this summer, a small EV from Mitsubishi will be available on the market in Japan. The i MiEV will be the first mass scale EV production car available from any major auto manufacturer. Although a seemingly unlikely coup, Mitsubishi has been quietly putting great effort into EV development for many years.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/06/will-mitsubishis-small-i-miev-lead-ev-market/feed/ Exclusive Interview With Honda’s Chief Engineer - Part 3: Manual Transmission on Hybrids and the CR-Z http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:46:28 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/ Editor’s Note: This is part three of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto, at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight. Read part one here and part two here.

Honda CR-Z lightweight hybrid sports car.Honda CR-Z lightweight hybrid sports car. Photo: Honda

After talking with Mr. Yamamoto about supercapacitors, I moved on to discuss the possibility of a manual transmission on future hybrid vehicles. He said that it would not be difficult to put a manual transmission into an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) Hybrid system.

Even though the current Civic hybrids have no option for a manual transmission, a manual transmission was offered on the first generation of that car. The reason the current Civic Hybrid has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is to increase overall fuel efficiency by automatically letting the system choose the most efficient drive ratio.

While you could potentially get a much better fuel efficiency with a manual transmission if you practice “Ecodriving,” the efficiency would go down significantly if you choose lower gears more often or drove more aggressively.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/feed/ Green Tech Tour of Eco-Products 2008 in Japan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/27/eco-products-2008-english-guided-tour/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/27/eco-products-2008-english-guided-tour/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:47:53 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/27/eco-products-2008-english-guided-tour/ English tours at Japan’s largest eco-fair show international visitors the hottest green gadgets from a country renown for technological innovation.

RICOH booth at Eco-Products 2008

At RICOH booth, we saw the demonstration of a new erasable advance paper. Printed document on this advance paper can be erased by ironing and be ready for another round of printing.

I had an opportunity to take the English guided tour at Eco-Products 2008. The Eco-Products exhibition is one of the largest green fairs in Japan, showing all kinds of green products and services to the public. The event draws a large number of visitors. It’s possibly the world’s largest event of its kind. The tenth Eco-Products 2008 exhibition was successful enough to attract 173,917 visitors this year according to the event organizer.

Visitors came from all over the world to see the latest of Japanese green activities. To accommodate such foreign visitors, guided tours in English, Chinese and Korean, were offered for free by volunteer staff from Japan for Sustainability (JFS) and EcoNetworks (ENW). The English guided tours were offered twice during the three-day event, but you needed to register for the tour beforehand at JFS’s website.

Our tour was guided by Frank H. Ling Ph.D. from USA, who works as a researcher for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Japan. Our group had five visitors including me plus a lead guide, Mr. Ling, with a few more staff for additional assistance.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/27/eco-products-2008-english-guided-tour/feed/ Panasonic Expands Its Product Focus To Include Green Building Products For The Home http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:22:42 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/

Panasonic E Floor - Official Photo - Reduced Size

Panasonic is fast becoming a brand name not just for electronics but also for green building products.

Eco-Products 2008 recently held in Tokyo, showcased a series of award-winning green products and services. The E Floor, developed by Panasonic Electric Works, was given the Chairperson’s Award. The Eco Product Awards is presented by four organizations including the Global Environmental Forum, a non-profit organization under the jurisdiction of Japan’s Ministry of Environment.

The E-floor is an extremely durable product made from a 100% recycled hard chip board. According to Panasonic, using this material can be equated to saving forest areas that are 135 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, on an annual basis. Panasonic began selling the E Floor product line over a  year ago with a monthly sales target of 170 million yen.

I believe more companies will bring a wide range of their green technologies into their products and services across group companies in coming years.

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Panasonic E Floor with Award - Eco-Products 2008Panasonic E Floor with Award at Eco-Products 2008

Panasonic E Floor - Eco-Products 2008Panasonic E Floor at Eco-Products 2008

Image Credits: Panasonic/Tetsuya Yokoyama

]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/15/100-recycled-wooden-floor-e-floor-from-panasonic/feed/ Toyota Subsidiary To Make Hybrid Trucks That Save 2.5 Times as Much Gas as Conventional Trucks http://gas2.org/2009/01/12/toyota-subsidiary-to-make-hybrid-trucks-that-save-more-than-double-the-gas/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/12/toyota-subsidiary-to-make-hybrid-trucks-that-save-more-than-double-the-gas/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:29:07 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/12/toyota-subsidiary-to-make-hybrid-trucks-that-save-more-than-double-the-gas/ The Nikkei Newspaper has reported that Hino Motors, Ltd., a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation will introduce a significantly improved fuel efficient hybrid truck in Japan, the U.S. and Australia around 2010.

The new hybrid truck, using a high-capacity battery and improved motor, will be 2.5 times more fuel efficient than conventional models. In fact, the new hybrid truck even doubles the fuel economy compared to Hino’s current hybrid truck models (pictured above). Hino introduced its first light-duty hybrid trucks in 2003 and medium-duty hybrid trucks in 2004.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/12/toyota-subsidiary-to-make-hybrid-trucks-that-save-more-than-double-the-gas/feed/ Riding Shotgun In the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen Car - Part 1 http://gas2.org/2009/01/05/riding-shotgun-in-the-mazda-rx-8-hydrogen-car-part-1/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/05/riding-shotgun-in-the-mazda-rx-8-hydrogen-car-part-1/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:04:43 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/05/riding-shotgun-in-the-mazda-rx-8-hydrogen-car-part-1/ I recently had a chance to ride along in a Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE at Eco-Products 2008 in Japan — a green event held for three days in Tokyo.

Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE and Mercedes-Benz Smart at Eco-Products 2008

Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE and Mercedes-Benz Smart on road.

Several green vehicles were on hand at the event for visitors to take on approximately 10 minute rides. The cars you could pick from were: the Toyota FCHV-adv (fuel cell), the Nissan Clean Diesel X-TRAIL 20GT, the Subaru Plug-in Stella Concept (EV), the Audi Cabriolet A4 S-line 3.0 TDI (Diesel), the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, the Mitsubishi i MiEV (EV), the Mercedes-Benz Smart, and the Velotaxi.

I chose the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE because I thought sitting in that type of car must be a very rare opportunity. I also wanted an up close real-world experience with a car that uses a rotary engine and can switch back and forth between gasoline and hydrogen fuel.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/05/riding-shotgun-in-the-mazda-rx-8-hydrogen-car-part-1/feed/ Exclusive Interview With Honda’s Chief Engineer - Part 2: More on The Ultracapacitor http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:24:49 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/ Editor’s Note: This is part two of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto, at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. You can read part one here. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight.

Honda Insight Concept Left-side

As I mentioned in part one of my interview, Honda first introduced the ultracapacitor with the J-VX concept. The J-VX ultimately led to the original production Insight, without the ultracapacitor. Honda also used the ultracapacitor technology on the FCX models (pre-Clarity) for years.

Honda developed their original ultracapacitors, and improved them during the period of FCX development and explains more about it on their web site.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/feed/ Nissan and Honda will Mass-Produce Lithium Ion Batteries Soon http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:19:05 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/ The Nikkei newspaper has reported that Nissan is planning to invest a total of ¥100 billion (about $1.1 billion US) or more to manufacture lithium ion batteries.

Nissan EV01

Nissan has accelerated its plan to produce large-capacity lithium ion batteries for around 200,000 vehicles. The company is working with NEC group and plans to set up factories in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Honda is also planning on producing up to 500,000 lithium ion batteries for hybrid vehicles by mid-2010.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/feed/ Exclusive Interview With Honda’s Chief Engineer - Part 1: Ultracapacitors http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:29:03 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/ Editor’s Note: This is the part one of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight.

Honda Insight Concept FrontI’d like to thank all the readers who responded to my previous article with questions I could pose to Mr. Yamamoto. I’d also like to thank InsightCentral.net members for responding to that article too! I really appreciate your input, and apologize for taking so long to write this article.

After talking a bit about Green Options Media, Gas 2.0 and Insight Central, the very first question I asked him was about the possibility of using an ultracapacitor in a future Honda hybrid. More than ten years ago, the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) power train was first introduced with the J-VX concept and was originally developed with an ultracapacitor instead of NiMH batteries.

Mr. Yamamoto explained that Honda engineers have researched ultracapacitor technology in the past but that the technology, although promising, is still too new and has several challenges to overcome. In the end, Honda decided to go with NiMH batteries on the first generation of Insight in consideration of mass production and quality control.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/feed/ Honda’s Plans Include Electric Motorcycles and Diesel Cars http://gas2.org/2008/12/20/more-hybrids-and-electric-motorcycles-from-honda/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/20/more-hybrids-and-electric-motorcycles-from-honda/#comments Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:06:53 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/20/more-hybrids-and-electric-motorcycles-from-honda/ Honda Green Machine - SmallIn a just-announced revised product development plan, Honda says they will concentrate on hybrid and compact vehicles.

Honda will start selling the 2009 Insight in Japan this Spring with a price targeted under 2,000,000 yen ($22,325). Honda has previously announced the new Insight will go on sale in the US at a price starting under $18,500.

Additionally, a new sporty hybrid based on the CR-Z concept will be introduced in 2010, and Honda is considering mid- and large-size models in the hybrid line up.

Honda also will develop a small diesel engine and plans on introducing an electric motorcycle two years from now.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/12/20/more-hybrids-and-electric-motorcycles-from-honda/feed/ Free Eco-Bags Galore at Eco-Products Fair 2008 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/free-eco-bags-were-everywhere-at-eco-products-2008-fair/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/free-eco-bags-were-everywhere-at-eco-products-2008-fair/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:18:05 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/free-eco-bags-were-everywhere-at-eco-products-2008-fair/ Tokyo Electric Power Company Eco-bagAs Japanese society becomes more aware of environmental issues, eco-bags have recently gained popularity. A growing number of businesses, including some of the largest retailers, are promoting the use of these bags.

At the Eco-Products 2008 fair, I saw reusable bags everywhere. Many of the exhibits gave away bags to visitors, and almost everyone walking around was carrying one or two of them.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/free-eco-bags-were-everywhere-at-eco-products-2008-fair/feed/ Japan: Eco-Products 2008 - day 1 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/the-day-one-of-the-eco-products-2008/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/the-day-one-of-the-eco-products-2008/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:15:15 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/the-day-one-of-the-eco-products-2008/ I attended the first day of Japan’s Eco-Product 2008 fair. After attending a long symposium, I had just a little over hour to check the some parts of the huge Eco-Products exhibition hall. There were so many people in the big hall a full of exhibitors.

More details of some of the intresting products on display are to come later, but meantime here are some pictures from the event:

Eco-Products 2008 symposium-12-11

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/18/the-day-one-of-the-eco-products-2008/feed/ Submit Your Questions for Honda’s Chief Engineer About Hybrid Cars http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/want-to-ask-questions-to-honda-chief-engineer-about-hybrid-car/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/want-to-ask-questions-to-honda-chief-engineer-about-hybrid-car/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:29:31 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/want-to-ask-questions-to-honda-chief-engineer-about-hybrid-car/ Honda Insight Concept

I will have the opportunity to interview Honda Chief Engineer Mr. Yoshio Yamamoto this Saturday. If you have any questions about Honda’s hybrid cars, post them below!

I met Mr. Yamamoto today while visiting the Honda booth at the Eco-Products 2008 Exhibition. Displayed was the new Honda Insight concept, which is close to the production model. I loved driving my 2000 Honda Insight and am excited about the next generation. Mr. Yamamoto and Assistant Product Manager Mr. Hatano were happy to hear from a former first generation Insight owner.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/12/11/want-to-ask-questions-to-honda-chief-engineer-about-hybrid-car/feed/ Eco-Products 2008, One of Japan’s Biggest Environmental Fairs to Open This Week http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/09/eco-products-2008-one-of-the-japans-biggest-environmental-fair-in-tokyo/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/09/eco-products-2008-one-of-the-japans-biggest-environmental-fair-in-tokyo/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:09:39 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/09/eco-products-2008-one-of-the-japans-biggest-environmental-fair-in-tokyo/ Eco-Products 2008 Tokyo JapanThe Eco-Products 2008 exhibition will be held this week at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. Eco-Products is one of the largest green events in Japan to show all kinds of green products and services to the public, and expects to have 750 exhibitors and 170 thousands visitors. Even though the event name is Eco-Products, you will see the green services, green business and lifestyle ideas as well as latest eco products by variety of exhibitors, including businesses, NGOs, NPOs, government organizations, student organizations etc. The theme of this 10th annual event is “We Can Do it! Eco-Lifestyle with a 50% CO2 Reduction.” The event is organized by Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) and Nikkei Inc.

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