TOKYO - In what promises to be a fascinating contest between industry leaders in relatively unfamiliar territory, two of Japan's manufacturing giants, Toyota Motor Corp. and Panasonic Corp., are attempting strong advances in the housing sector.
Both firms believe that there are huge opportunities ahead for energy-saving technologies, with the introduction of the smart grid - a next-generation power network that will optimize supply to residential and other properties - likely to accelerate demand for such products.
Toyota and Panasonic have been pushing their subsidiaries to do more to exploit the growing preference for environmentally friendly homes.
Toyota has integrated certain operations with subsidiary Toyota Home with a view to adapting automobile-manufacturing techniques to the housing sector.
In October, Toyota announced a new design concept for homes, including recharging facilities for plug-in hybrid vehicles. "At long last, the integration of automobiles and homes has arrived," Senta Morioka, president of Toyota Home, said at a news conference.
The design makes use of Toyota's electric battery technology to maximize the power efficiency of both the building and the vehicle, the company said.
And Panasonic has combined its most advanced technologies in an experimental "eco home" built by its PanaHome Corp. subsidiary in July.
Hoping to put the eco home on the market in fiscal 2011, PanaHome said its employees have been researching the eco home's performance by actually living in the experimental structure.
PanaHome's goal is for the home to produce zero carbon dioxide emissions. It will feature a roof covered with solar cells, an interior lighting system based on organic electroluminescent devices and walls equipped with vacuum insulation, as used in refrigerators.
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