The Power of Empathy — My first post on Toyota’s goal of producing happiness was about the power of giving. This post is about the power of empathy. Empathy is often considered to be a soft, nurturing emotion connected with compassion and love. Empathy also relates to how supervisors treat those they supervise (and…

Besides their religious significance, the holidays give us pause to reflect on the past year and think deeply about our most intrinsic values and hopes. Taking this opportunity, I’d like to end this year by beginning a series of blog posts to discuss Toyota President Akio Toyoda’s aspiration for Toyota…

Instead of Thinking “Either/Or,” We Should be Thinking “Yes, And…” Introduction and Summary Nearly 150 years ago, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse fought a battle for the supremacy of Direct Current (DC) vs. Alternating Current (AC) known as the War of the Currents. Not only was the War of the Currents full of…

Thanks so much for all your feedback on my first blog post. Today I’ll respond to that feedback, as well as some input from the press, and provide more detailed answers about Toyota’s Electric Vehicle strategy. Has Toyota dragged its feet on Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) investment because of its investment in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs)? No. Here are the facts: Toyota spends about $10 billion per year on R&D.

Why we need hybrids and plug-ins to maximize our limited battery supply and reduce carbon — I love electrified vehicles. I love them not only because I’ve worked on their development for decades, but because I’ve been deeply concerned about greenhouse gases and climate change since I first learned about them from my father, who worked for the Air Pollution Control division of the New Jersey…