One of Japan's largest sake manufacturers, Gekkeikan, has announced the development of a new "super yeast" able to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-edible parts of plants, such as paddy straw and chaff. The super yeast that produces alcohol was created with genetic engineering, by integrating koji mold genes that produce cellulolytic enzymes into sake yeast. These enzymes become densely displayed on the surfaces of the yeast cells. Since this super yeast has the functions of the standard koji mold, it achieves one-step production of ethanol from pretreated cellulose. The company claims the whole process is completed with a new easier pre-treatment at high temperature and pressure, which saves energy and uses insignificant chemical components.

[Source: Japan for Sustainability]

Next time you're in Japan, feel free to step into a velotaxi - those rickshaw-like vehicles which have become popular in some city centers - and calculate how much CO₂ you saved by reading your receipt. The new receipts, which are being already provided on 17 vehicles in Tokyo and three in Kyoto, show the amount of carbon a regular car would have produced along the route just taken, if the user had chosen an ICE engine vehicle that produces 230 grams of CO₂ per km instead of a human-powered vehicle. As a side benefit, velotaxis are allowed in pedestrian areas where regular cars (or some weird hybrids) would never be allowed and produce no pollution and no noise. Using the 230 number seems a bit steep for the comparison, doesn't it?

[Source: Japan for Sustainability]

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the largest energy firm in Japan, plans to begin installing quick-charge stations for electric vehicles. The initial roll-out calls for some 200 stations to be up and running by March of 2010. TEPCO doesn't plan to stop there, with 1,000 more stations planned within three years. This planned project coincides nicely with the expected launch of the Mitsubishi iMiev, which TEPCO has been extensively testing these last few years, and EVs from Subaru and Nissan as well. These stations will use technology already developed by the energy company which allows an EV to travel 40 kilometers on a five-minute charge and 60 kilometers on a 10-minute charge. Of course, the total available battery capacity and the ability to accept that much power is dependent on the vehicle's on-bard power pack. Each station is said to cost upwards of 4 million yen (that's about $36,570).

[Source: Nikkei via Forbes]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsuibshi i MiEV

Once again showing how important automakers see the lithium ion battery is an announcement from Yuasa and Mitsubishi that their joint venture battery plant needs to be much larger than originally planned. In fact, the two companies have quintupled planned output before a single battery has even been manufactured. Mitsubishi is expecting high demand for its upcoming i-MiEV electric car, which should go on sale in Japan sometime in 2009. We wonder how much impact Japan Post's plan to use an all electric fleet had in this decision.

At the outset, the plant will cost about 4 billion yen ($36.94 million) and be able to produce enough packs for 10,000 EV's. By 2012, an additional 10 billion yen ($92 million or so) will have been spent to double that capacity. In order to make room for a plant this large, Yuasa is said to be searching for a new site in Japan.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Japanese company Miyama Inc. has announced that they have reached 21.2 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions from its truck fleet. This is very close to the company's target of 23 percent reduction by 2010 compared to its 2001 levels. The company says that the annual reduction of 1,869 metric tons was the result of improved environmental awareness among its 163 distribution drivers, as well as its unique eco-driving navigation system. Although Miyama started with a simple "stop at idle" campaign back in 1997, it has developed a system, called Ecodrive MHS-01 "which analyzes the traffic environment and vehicle performance while driving, and provides real-time advice to drivers on energy-efficient driving."

[Source: Japan for Sustainablity]

One of France's most prestigious newspapers, Le Monde, has published a very interesting article about the real impact and the future of green cars regarding Japanese automakers. Basically, the idea is that automakers are asking (and getting) help to develop green technologies. It quotes Carlos Ghosn's concerns about hybrid cars really catching on, where he states that hybrids might only be a niche market, while remaining "skeptical about the commercial potential of these technologies." The truth is that they justify this in the not-so-big impact of hybrid cars sold in the U. S.: 350,289 cars in 2007 (out of 16 million car sales), although I do believe it's significant enough.

Regarding the Japanese market, the article explains that the impact of hybrid cars is even smaller. And this is because of the price difference between hybrids and its non-hybrid siblings: a Honda Civic Hybrid costs ¥400,000 or $3,700 more than the conventional model. Bearing this in mind and that Japan's target is to reduce emissions by 23.5 percent in 2015, Japanese automakers are asking for help to make these technologies available for more people. And the Japanese government has heard their plea: ¥209 billion ($1,9 billion) between now and 2012 have been allocated to the auto industry to find green technologies (not only hybrids but also biofuels). ¥32 billion are directly invested in hydrogen fuel cell technology, ¥25 billion for EVs and ¥24 billion for Liquified Petroleum Gas.

[Source: Le Monde]

Yamaha certainly has plenty of experience making sporty two-wheeled vehicles, as riders of the firm's R6 and R1 sportbikes can certainly attest. Now, though, it seems that the Tuning Fork company has decided to branch out into human power, specifically with a new hybrid bicycle. What makes this particular machine, knows as the PAS Brace, particularly interesting is how it manages the electrical assistance. First, an eight speed rear hub is used and allows shifting at any time, even from a dead stop. Depending on what gear the bike is in, a computer controls how much electrical power to send to the motor for assistance. Once top speed is reached, the system completely shuts down.

We've seen similar machines from other manufactures on these pages before, but what makes this Yamaha stand out is the low pricing. When equipped with the standard 4.0 Ah 25.9 volt lithium ion battery, the PAS Brace will sell for just $1,150, though it will only be available in Japan to start. There's always eBay...

[Sources: Nikkei, Engadget]

In a move that's sure to knock the Segway world off balance, Toyota has introduced its new "personal transport assistance robot" called the Winglet. Actually, there's three of them. One with a tall handle that could be seen as more practical and two other sportier models featuring supports gripped by the legs. They offer the same ease of use as the Dean Kaman-invented precursor but with a lot less bulk and a smaller footprint. They can reach speeds over 6 mph but they won't be cruising American sidewalks anytime soon. The devices are to undergo more consumer testing this Fall at a Japanese airport as well as a seaside resort. Early 2010 is the target date given for their earth-wide unleashing. Look them over in the gallery below in detail before hitting the jump for 3 videos worth of Winglet gone wild action as well as the official press release.


[Source: Toyota / YouTube / Engadget]

Most people are under the impression that trains are a reasonably green sort of transportation. When used in a city to move people about, the environmental benefits seem pretty obvious. Fewer cars are needed on the roads, decreasing congestion and electric trains are more efficient and create less air pollution than their automotive brethren. But apparently that's not good enough for some folks in Kagoshima, Japan. They realized if they placed some midori (green) around and under the train tracks, not only could they improve the appearance of their town but also reduce the heat island effect caused by acres of concrete and pavement. In the newscast discussing this development a reporter takes a temperature reading while standing on the asphalt street of 62.6 degrees Celsius (143.96 Fahrenheit). Moving over to the grass, the temperature drops to a much more reasonable 35 degrees C (95 F). So far they've done just under 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) but hope to green about 9 Km (5.5 miles) by 2012. The effect on the people of the city seemed positive. The one comment the reporter received from a woman about the improvement that we could understand without an interpreter said it looked beautiful. We agree. Thanks to B.T. for the tip!

[Source: Japan Probe]

The Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., better known to us in the west under the Panasonic brand, has "informally decided" to spend about $951 million (100 billion yen) constructing what would be one of the world's biggest li-ion battery factories. This would triple the company's current capacity with its three existing plants, place it ahead of Sony and very close to the worlds number one, Sanyo. The three companies together currently control about 70 percent of the consumer electronics li-ion market.

The additional 50 million units a month capacity would help the company meet surging demand and be used in laptops, cell phones, and, of course, automobiles. They have been studying what it would take to make li-ion for automotive applications via their joint venture with Toyota that goes by the catchy moniker of Panasonic EV Energy. They expect the new plant to be able to ship product as soon as two years from now.

[Source: Yomiuri Online / Reuters]

There's more than one way to paint a car. We've featured models with cans and brushes, the option of going sans paint entirely and we've even seen electricity generated from leftover paint fumes. Of course, automakers strive for the highest paint quality possible. The processes they come up with are often very time-consuming and cover many different steps, so it's not all that surprising that Toyota would find a way to both streamline and green up the process a bit. At its Tsutsumi plant in Japan, which is already equipped with solar panels and a rooftop garden, the automaker is currently testing its new "3-Wet" system, which cuts down one entire drying oven. According to Toyota, a 15-percent reduction in energy can be realized using this new process, which is substantial, considering that it estimates as much as 24 percent of the total energy necessary to create one of its cars comes from the painting process.

[Source: The Detroit News]

What, an eco label not given to Toyota? Yes, the Japanese Ministry of Environment has awarded Nissan Motor Corp with the "Eco First" environmental label. This distinction is given to the Japanese marque for its commitment towards a better environment, specifically, Nissan's "Green Program 2010." Nissan's program not only aims for reducing its vehicles' emissions, but reducing other pollutants that affect waters, soil and air, a 100 percent rate of recycling in Japan, and raising environmental awareness. Nissan can now use it in advertising and promotions and it undoubtedly will. The "Eco First" program was launched to promote the recognition and encouragement of ecological actions for all types of businesses, according to the Kyoto Protocol.

[Source: Nissan via Autoplus]

Mitsubishi had been planning to start leasing its i MiEV electric car to commercial and government fleets in 2009, with a Japanese retail launch following in 2010. It now looks like that plan might be accelerated by a year. The Nikkei business daily is reporting that Japanese drivers may be able to get their hands on the electric kei car by next summer. The combination of record oil prices and good test results so far has evidently given Mitsubishi the confidence to get the ball rolling sooner than planned. The company could produce as many as 2,000 i MiEVs in the first year, and ramp that up to 10,000 within two years. And what of U.S. availability? Sorry, no word so far.

[Source: Nikkei via Green Car Congress]

Since the Japanese Health Ministry first recognized Karoshi (literally death from too much work) in 1987, the number of claims has steadily increased. In fact, in the year between March of 2006 and 2007, there were 303 claims of Karoshi made, with 147 of those cases acknowledged as accurate by the government. Those are some sobering statistics, and the auto industry in Japan is certainly not immune to the problem. An unnamed man who was a lead engineer on the Camry hybrid project from Toyota died from overwork in January of 2006, according to a recent ruling by the Health Ministry. The forty-five year old man is said to have worked eighty hours of overtime per month, including nights and weekends. He died from heart disease the day before he was scheduled to leave for the U.S. as part of the team preparing for the Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota, for its part, has acknowledged the ruling and says it will work on improving the monitoring of its employees. This latest case will certainly lend some credence for some regarding the recent allegations of workers rights abuses by Toyota, though it is impossible for us to accurately say whether or not the auto giant is directly responsible for the man's death.

[Source: AP via Yahoo]

Honda has taken the wraps off of the Japanese version of the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity and announced that the sleek burgundy sedan will be available for lease in Honda's home country come November.

The Japanese FCX Clarity's specifications (available after the jump) are mostly the same as the American version, with two noticeable differences. First, and high on the list of items everyone is talking about, the Japanese model has climate-controlled seats up front and in back. That's huge. The other item is that Honda is now claiming a range of 620km (385 miles). That's a lot more than the 270 miles that the American version is rated at, but the numbers for the Japanese model were done in 10-15 mode using Honda calculations and the American numbers were calculated with "Honda in-house data calculated using previously approved EPA methodology." Since the American FCX holds its 4.1 kg of hydrogen at 5000psi while the Japanese version stores 171 liters at 35MPa (these are two different ways to say the same thing), I think the difference comes in the testing and calculating rather than any updated technology. The 10-15 cycle is a predominantly urban cycle which benefits from the regen capability provided by the lithium ion battery. The lower U.S. range is based on combined urban/highway cycles with 2008 test procedure.


[Source: Honda]