CES 2018: Toyota Showcases e-Palette Concept Car

Toyota Motor Corporation showcased the e-Palette Concept Vehicle at the CES 2018 which is designed to meet the demands of future multi-mode transportation and business applications. The e-Palette Alliance will leverage Toyota's proprietary Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) to develop a suite of connected mobility solutions and a flexible, purpose-built vehicle. It will also help in creating a broad-based ecosystem of hardware and software support designed to help a range of companies which can utilize advanced mobility technology. The company already has launch partners on board with the e-Palette an these include companies like Amazon, DiDi, Mazda, Pizza Hut and Uber, who will collaborate on vehicle planning, application concepts and vehicle verification activities.

Toyota e-Palette Concept's different applications for different business areas

"The automobile industry is clearly amidst its most dramatic period of change as technologies like electrification, connected and automated driving are making significant progress. Toyota remains committed to making ever better cars. Just as important, we are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever-better society for the next 100 years and beyond. This announcement marks a major step forward in our evolution towards sustainable mobility, demonstrating our continued expansion beyond traditional cars and trucks to the creation of new values including services for customers", said Toyota President, Akio Toyoda.

The alliance will focus on the development of the new e-Palette Concept Vehicle which reflects Toyota's visions for Automated Mobility as a Service (Autono-MaaS) applications. It is a fully-automated, next generation battery electric veicle (BEV) designed to be scalable and customizable for a range of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) businesses.

Toyota e-Palette Concept will use autonomous and electric mobility

In addition to supporting the services provided through Toyota's MSPF, the e-Palette Concept Vehicle's open vehicle control interface and a set of software tools to allow partner companies to install their own automated driving system and vehicle management technology. When a partner company's automated driving system is installed, Toyota's Guardian technology will act as a safety net to help ensure appropriate operation.

The e-Palette Concept looks pretty simple and more or less is a mini bus on wheels. Toyota will offer the body in three lengths - 13 feet to 23 feet. Toyota plans to conduct feasibility testing of the e-Palette Concept in various regions, including the United States, in the early 2020s. We might see it put to use at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.