Toyota Adopts Gigapress Technology to Increase Electric Car Production

Various monozukuri technologies developed at the factories Teiho, Myochi, and Motomachi. (Doc. Toyota)

JAKARTA - The automotive industry is currently undergoing a major transformation, and this change has the potential to change the fate of large companies, including Toyota.

Toyota Motor Corporation recently held the Toyota Monozukuri Workshop with the theme "Changing the Future of Car Manufacturing." In this workshop, various monozukuri technologies were presented, including at the Teiho factory, Myochi, Motomachi, Japan.

One of Toyota's goals is to reduce assembly time by 50% from the 10 hours currently required. By using the latest technology, Toyota has the ambition to increase electric vehicle production threefold by 2025.

Reporting from Nikkei Asia, September 23, this step was taken by Toyota as part of its efforts to catch up with its competitors, including Tesla and BYD, in adopting electrification technology.

One of the innovations that is in the spotlight is the use of the gigapress method in the production process. This method involves casting molten metal into a forging mold, which then rapidly cools from around 700 degrees Celsius to around 250 degrees Celsius. The result is a single component that makes up the entire rear third of the vehicle frame. This process creates a single part that would normally consist of 86 separate components, and most surprising of all, it only takes three minutes compared to hours previously.

It's no surprise that Toyota chose to adopt this innovative method. However, according to Carbuzz, September 22, Tesla is one of the pioneers in implementing this gigapress technology. Even other automotive manufacturers such as Hyundai and the German giant, Volkswagen, are also learning this trick from Tesla.

Toyota has set a target of 50% reduction in production processes, factory investment and preparation time. Gigacasting is just one important component in achieving this ambitious goal.

This efficiency breakthrough will be an integral part of Toyota's efforts to sell 3.5 million electric cars by 2030, an increase of up to 60 times from the previous year's sales.

With superior next-generation battery technology and a number of patents in solid-state battery technology, Toyota is ready to move confidently into the future of electrification.