[narrator] On "Tomorrow's World Today,"
we explore the cutting edge advances that are
shaping four different worlds.
The world of inspiration, where the wonders of
the natural world amaze and inspire us.
The world of creation, where ideas come to life
from traditional arts.
The world of innovation, where ideas and inventions
move us all forward.
The world of production, where innovations are
mass produced to improve our lives.
From Inventionland World Headquarters,
here's your host, George Davison.
Did you know that almost 200 years ago,
the car of the future was already here?
And it was electric?
Welcome to "Tomorrow's World Today."
It started in the 1830s when Scottish inventor
Robert Anderson built the first crude electric carriage.
Then, in the 1890s, William Morrison innovated it
and brought it to America, creating the world's
first six-passenger wagon.
And it hit a staggering 14 miles an hour.
At the dawn of the 1900s,
electric cars were the king of the road.
They dominated the streets of New York and London.
For decades, the electric car was the gold standard,
not the car with the dangerous hand crank to start it.
But then in 1912, Charles Kettering,
he changed everything.
He invented the electric self-starter
for gasoline engines.
And suddenly, the gas car started easily.
And the electric car got put on the shelf.
Well, it took nearly 100 years,
but then in the 1990s, the automobile industry
showed the world that the electric car never truly died.
It was just waiting for the world to catch up.
Today, the electric vehicle is at the forefront of innovation,
and we're reimagining electricity and power.
We're moving toward a future where your car doesn't just
take power, it can also put power back into your home
when your lights go out.
So I'm going to send Greg to explore the world of innovation
to discover the latest developments shaping our world.
[Greg] As we move into an increasingly electrified world,
some of the concerns that people have over the electrical grid,
which distributes that power, become more and more pressing.
Well, the folks at Toyota may have a solution
to a piece of that puzzle.
I'm in Plano, Texas at Toyota HQ to talk to the experts about
how a new breed of EVs and bi-directional charging can
help to make sure that we have the power that we need today
and in tomorrow's world.
Right now, let's check in with Norman Lu to find out a little
bit about the history of EVs and more.
So Norman, this is a beautiful spot.
I'm really glad we could have this conversation out here.
Same here.
So Norman, how long have you been with Toyota?
-This is my 21st year. -Wow!
So you've kind of been there and seen the development of EVs
over that time? -I have.
All the way from our very first RAV4 EV.
All the way to our latest EV, the Highlander, which I think
gets over 300 miles on a single charge.
Well, now there are lots of different kinds of EVs.
You have the plug-in hybrid, you have straight battery EVs.
Tell me about the differences and how they might work
for an individual? -Absolutely.
At Toyota, we call that our multi-pathway approach,
meaning we recognize every customer is unique,
and there's not a single solution that fits
every customer's needs.
So we electrify in a wide range to be able to give customers
the benefits of an EV experience, but in a powertrain
that meets their needs.
So that starts with a gasoline hybrid which adds a battery
and a motor to really give a lot of efficiency benefits to
a normal gas motor to a plug-in hybrid which has the same
benefits of go-anywhere range as a gas hybrid but when
you charge the vehicle, that battery will allow you to drive
in a full electric mode for 30 to 50 miles all the way to
a full battery EV which is quiet, smooth, powerful,
and you can get now over 300 miles
to a single charge.
That's amazing, and all of the different size options that
are available as well, so you can really find
a vehicle that works for you. -Absolutely.
Most of our product lines now have an electrified version,
whether it's a hybrid plug-in or a full battery electric.
That leads me to my next question, which is,
everybody talks about the grid, the stress on the grid by all
of the electrification of the world, basically,
that's happening right now, and EVs are a part of that.
How are EVs going to actually help mitigate those problems
rather than add to them?
Great question because I think we've all seen some of
the concerns about the grid and its ability to provide
power as more things get electrified.
One of the first ways that an EV actually helps to support
the grid is in when we charge.
EV actually draws quite a bit of power when you're charging,
but we can shift when the car charges based on the demand
on the grid so that as long as we're charging,
when the demand on the grid is low
we're not straining the grid anymore.
Moving that into the next step, which is bi-direction power.
That means in addition to charging your EV from the grid,
we can now take the energy from an EV battery and send it back.
When there's a power outage, an EV can power your entire
home just like a generator, and you can further push
the power back to the grid and fix the supply and demand
imbalances on the grid.
That makes the entire grid more resilient and also reduces
energy costs for everyone.
Wow, so this is a way that you can actually work with
your utility company to take stress off of the grid
rather than add to it. -That's right.
Norman, thank you very much. This has been great.
I'm going to head over now and talk to Cody about
the latest in electric vehicles.
[Greg] We learned from Norman
about the history and current state of EVs.
Now let's talk to Cody Emmert, vehicle marketing
and communications and senior planner
about electric vehicle misconceptions.
Hey, Cody.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you, too.
So, Cody, just talking to Norman about the history of EVs
and once again, was shocked to find out
exactly how long EVs have been around.
They've been around for a long time.
But there are still a lot of misconceptions
around these vehicles.
One of the things that Americans love most is driving
because it's fun.
How fun are these things to actually drive?
These are incredibly fun to drive.
They're almost what I would call like a sleeper vehicle in
the sense that they look very traditional, very normal,
but electric motors have the ability to produce a lot of
torque at very low RPMs and over a wide range of speed.
So, what that means is you don't have the need for
a traditional transmission with multiple gears to shift
through, and when you have that instantaneous power delivery,
they are incredibly zippy.
Not only that, they're incredibly smooth
and quiet, so it's a very fun-to-drive experience.
Well, now, you work in marketing, I guess that's one of
the misconceptions that you have to kind of get folks
over is that these things are actually a really good time to drive.
What are some of the other things that you feel folks
misunderstand about electric vehicles?
There's a lot of misconceptions.
And as you mentioned, marketing,
we have to overcome a lot of that.
People, when they think of EVs, they think of a vehicle in
which they're making compromises or sacrifices
because early-to-market EVs
come to mind for a lot of people.
And those early-to-market EVs were really limited to like
100 miles of range, and we had a very somewhat infantile
charging infrastructure as far as public charging goes.
And people think of that, it's going to be hard to charge,
I'm not going to be able to drive it very far.
But these EVs, they've really evolved.
We have larger batteries,
we have more efficient batteries,
we have more capable motors.
So a modern EV essentially equates to the same capability
as an internal combustion engine vehicle.
It's just a matter of adopting that charging mindset
and knowing where and when you will typically be charging.
It's at home for most people, and that equates to having
the capability to start every morning with what is
essentially a full tank.
One of the other things that I guess folks think about
when they compare an EV to an internal combustion engine
vehicle is the price.
There used to be a fairly big price difference between
the two, but that really has leveled out over the years.
It's essentially completely leveled out.
So if you were to look at an EV in a particular segment
and look at the other models that are in that segment that
are maybe internal combustion only or hybrid,
and the price points are right next to one another.
Now, one of the things that Norman and I touched on is
the multi-pathway strategy that Toyota has.
And that's really based around the idea of making sure that
the right EV goes with the right individual.
-Tell me more about that. -Yeah, absolutely.
At Toyota, we want to give our guests what they want,
what they're shopping for, and what fits their lifestyle.
EVs fit a lot of people. But you know what?
Maybe not everybody.
There's going to be a lot of people that are going to
continue to want to drive an internal combustion engine.
And that's going to make sense for a lot of people as well.
So we will continue to evolve our lineup as
our customers dictate, essentially, and ensure that
we're offering something for everybody.
And right here, we have our latest offering.
This is the newest Highlander, the 2027.
It's 100% electric, and will go on sale a little later
this year. -So can we get a look inside?
-Yeah, let's check it out. -All right.
♪♪
So what are your first thoughts?
Wow, well, Cody, this really just feels
like a slightly futuristic version
of a really nice luxury car.
[Cody] That's absolutely right.
I mean, when people think about EVs, sometimes they have
another one of those misconceptions
like we're talking about.
There's going to be something vastly different on the inside,
but it really isn't.
You know, it just feels like a well-appointed vehicle.
Right, and there's really nothing going on here
technology-wise that you wouldn't find
in a higher-end internal combustion vehicle.
That's right.
It should feel very familiar for most people that have
driven any vehicle from the last few years.
You know, you have your technologies like a large
touchscreen, your navigation, and in the case of
the Highlander, we have certain things, like this is actually
a wireless charging station, so you can just simply set
your devices down here and they charge.
There will be some unique cues that it's an EV,
some different styling cues,
just like we have on the exterior of the vehicle,
but overall feel very familiar. -It's so comfortable.
So, you know, a long trip, a short trip, just running
around town, it really would be fun to drive around in this
vehicle because it just really feels great.
Absolutely.
And I mean, just going back to the point that we made earlier,
they're quite peppy.
They're zippy, incredibly smooth.
And when you have something that's appointed like this,
it is like a sanctuary on the inside because the ride is
going to be so smooth. It's going to be so quiet.
Wow. Well, Cody, thank you very much.
I want to go find out more about charging
and how that works in with a family's lifestyle.
And I'm going to go talk to Maddy about that.
That sounds great. We'll see you later.
[Greg] Now that we've dispelled some myths around electric vehicles,
let's check in with Grid Services Manager
Maddy Strutner.
We will learn more about Charge Assist
and bi-directional charging. -Hi, Maddy.
-Hi, Greg. -Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
So, Maddy, one of the things that I'm finding in talking
with your cohorts is that charging seems to be a thing
that people are really concerned about when it comes
to electric vehicles. They really don't need to be.
We've actually gotten to a point where they might be
able to work with their utility company in charging
their vehicle at the most efficient times and the most
inexpensive times for them.
But explain to me how this system works
with the utility company
and an individual or a family and their home?
Yeah, so the goal of Charge Assist is to make
charging for customers simple and cost-effective while also
helping the utilities.
So what customers can do is they can sign up for
Charge Assist through the Toyota app,
and then when they come home,
they're able to plug in their vehicle and the Charge Assist
is able to charge their vehicle based on
a schedule that's best suited for the customer based on when
it's cheapest for them and also when it's best for the utility
to not put excess strain on the electricity grid.
Well, that sounds great.
It also sounds as though you have to kind of be
on a regular schedule.
What happens if you need to deviate from that?
Yeah, so the Charge Assist software is able to look at
your previous driving behavior and then build
a customizable schedule for each individual driver.
So a customer can either follow these schedules or if they need
to charge differently, they can charge however
they want and override the schedule.
And then jump right back into the app and go into the regular
schedule again just like that? -Yes.
Well, let's talk a little bit about this vehicle.
Now, this is a Japanese-spec vehicle.
Why Japanese specifications?
Yeah, so we were talking about managed charging
and Charge Assist, and that's all about how a vehicle charges
from the electricity grid.
We have this Japanese-spec vehicle that we've been able to
utilize for vehicle-to-grid.
So not only are we charging from the electricity grid,
but we're able to send electricity from the vehicle
back to the power grid when there's strain on the grid.
So this is bi-directional charging?
-Yes, absolutely. -Excellent.
-Well, can we take a spin? -Yeah, let's do it.
OK, let's go.
♪♪
[Greg] The next 10 years will be crucial
to the health of our electric grid.
Lets check in with Apoorv Bhargava,
CEO and co-founder of WeaveGrid.
And see how Toyota and WeaveGrid aspire to be a part of that.
-Hey, Apoorv. -Hey, Greg.
-How are you? -I'm great.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you, too.
Well, I just spent some time with Maddy and actually got to
take a spin in the Japanese specification vehicle,
which is, I guess, ultimately how bi-directional charging
will be introduced into the United States.
But a lot of folks are concerned about the health of
the grid and what a new influx of EVs will mean for that.
So tell me a little bit more about that?
Yeah, so the electric grid is one of the most incredible
innovations of the last century.
And yet, at the same time, it's under a lot of pressure
and change right now. More than ever before.
We've got an influx of electric cars, 280 million vehicles
in the United States.
It's a lot of cars.
At the same time as you've also got increasing amounts of
AI data centers and onshoring and manufacturing
and also more and more variable renewable energy.
So there's a real need right now to help orchestrate all
of these changes, this imbalance that's happening increasingly
between demand and supply.
And we're all feeling it, because we're all starting to
see higher and higher electric bills, because all of this
growth that's coming online is really starting to lead to
pressure and a need to build out more and more
of our infrastructure.
And that's where the magic of managing charging
and bi-directional energy comes in.
Because if you can now use your car as a way to actually add to
the grid to provide more supply or be able to actually balance
those imbalances that we're seeing on a day-to-day basis,
you can not just defer the need for building out more of
the grid, you can actually suck up all that extra solar energy
in the middle of the day or that extra wind energy in
the middle of the night.
Where do you see this technology moving ahead,
say, for the next 10 years?
Yeah, I think the next 10 years are going to be
transformational for the grid.
We're seeing unprecedented growth at the same time as
unprecedented changes in the supply of how energy is
produced and delivered.
And so as more and more people start driving plug-in hybrid
vehicles and battery electric vehicles, their ability to
participate in the grid of tomorrow and be able to both
save money on their electric bills, but also be able to
actually help really kind of bring down the cost for
their community and their state is going to be unparalleled.
And that's what excites me about grid technologies
going forward. -That's excellent.
And I know that Toyota and WeaveGrid are aiming to be
a big part of that. Thank you, Apoorv.
Thank you, Greg.
[George] I'm meeting with Norman Lu, senior program manager at
Toyota, to talk about the future of EVs.
Hi, Norman. Welcome to Inventionland.
-Thanks for having me, George. -You bet.
It's great to have you here because I'm a fan of this
technology that keeps coming out of Toyota.
I like to take things all the way back to the founder
sometimes, and I've studied who he was.
You know, his whole innovative spirit, moving from a loom to
an automated loom and then scaling
so the clothing could be made more efficiently.
-That was big back then. -Yes.
And then a jump into automobiles,
and here we are today.
This arc of innovation just keeps moving.
And so I'd like to know, you know, what's really going
to happen next over here at Toyota?
Absolutely. Innovation is in the DNA.
It's in our company culture.
And specifically for electrified vehicles,
ever since our first hybrid vehicle 25 years ago,
we've continuously improved and innovated on that
for plug-in hybrids,
and now our latest full battery electric vehicle,
the new 2027 Highlander. -It's good looking.
But I want to know more about it, because these are prototype
photos, aren't they? -They are.
So let's hear the latest.
I want to hear all the good stuff that's coming out.
Well, it is a three-row family SUV, and with a full charge,
you can drive over 300 miles. -Nice.
So very practical.
It is also using batteries that are assembled at our
new North Carolina facility.
And the entire vehicle is assembled
in our Kentucky Georgetown facility.
And this is also the first Toyota EV to have
bi-direction power capability. -Bi-direction?
OK, so let's -- this is new tech.
Let's talk a little bit about that.
What's happening with bi-directional?
You have this huge battery in your EV.
Now that you can use it to power other things,
such as tools, tailgate parties...
-[George] Ooh, I like that idea. -...campsites, and even power
your entire home when there's a power outage.
[George] Yeah, we have that challenge too.
Our power grid around here, we have some failure
from time to time.
We have one of those big generators outside of our home.
And here at Inventionland, we have a couple big ones here
too, but they don't always fire up.
And so we have some delays there.
So you're telling me that this vehicle could feed energy back
into my home or potentially back into the office?
[Norman] Just like a gas generator does today.
It will back feed and power up an entire home, but do so
completely silently and without emission, so you don't have to
worry about the safety aspects of carbon monoxide.
Great, so I don't have that problem anymore?
No.
All right, so we're at Tomorrow's World Today.
So I've got to ask you to take me to the future for a minute.
What are we gonna see in the future from Toyota?
We're really excited, and this bi-direction capability
to power your own personal stuff is just
the first step.
In the very near future, we will be integrating these
electric vehicles back into the entire grid and be able to
send power back to the grid when it needs it.
You mentioned power outages.
Our electric grid is aging and strained due to
the ever-increasing demand on electricity use.
EVs can store power and send that back to the grid when
people are needing it the most.
And when you think about thousands of EVs all
synchronized and doing that at the same time, it will help
balance the grid, reduce power outages overall,
and lower the cost of energy for everyone.
Wow, that's big, especially now with AI pulling
in so much power.
And we're solving big problems there.
-So that's great to hear. -Thank you very much.
Well, everybody,
that's another edition of "Tomorrow's World Today."
And we'll see you in the next episode.
So Norman, we have some great tech going on in the lab.
-You want to check some of it out? -Can't wait.
Yeah, we're working on some of this new engineering.
And remember, Tomorrow's World is where inspiration
and creation drive innovation and production.
See you next time.