The Prius That Shook.. - VFAQ Prius Site

Who is familiar with motors?
Kaoru Kubo, who designed the motor at Electric and
Hybrid Vehicle Engineering Division, had studied
mechanical engineering at Yokohama National University. He
joined Toyota in 1978, and built a career as a production
technology specialist through his experiences at 1 st
Machines Division, and the Motomachi, Kamigo and Teiho
Plants in Toyota City. He was in charge of designing internal
production facilities, and moved to the FA System Division
at the Teiho Plant in 1991 to work on electric motors for the
first time.
At that time, internal production of motors was
increasing in the facilities division. The motor was
specially designed for in-plant use, and was definitely not
intended for use in a car.
"In the beginning, nobody knew anything about motors.
When we ordered a motor from another company, it arrived
with a shaft sticking out. We had to learn quickly about the
structure of the motor itself in order to figure out how to
use it optimally." Engineers, therefore, began studying motors.
Meanwhile, in the early 90s, Higashifuji Technical
Center began conducting research on EV and hybrid
vehicles. EV development was speeding up in response to
future emissions regulations, and hybrid vehicles
were a part of the project.
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As the research for hybrid vehicles began, the