The e-Palette is a symbol of Toyota's transformation into a mobility company. We asked its chief developer about the latest efforts toward a public rollout.
“It's my goal to transition Toyota from an automobile company to a mobility company, and the possibilities of what we can build, in my mind, are endless.”
When then-President Akio Toyoda made this pledge at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2018, he also unveiled the first step toward providing new value by moving beyond the traditional car concept: the e-Palette.
At present, trials are underway in various locations ahead of a public rollout.
Among them is Toyota Motor Kyushu’s Miyata Plant (Miyawaka City, Fukuoka), which produces Lexus vehicles. Here, a wide range of test services have been set up, including staff and goods transport, carrying facility visitors, and mobile catering. The plant is continuing to experiment.
In April, e-Palettes were used for plant tours and interactive mobile shops at Thanks Festa 2024, an event for employees and the local community. Among the attendees was CV Company Project General Manager Takahiro Muta, who oversees the vehicle’s development.
What’s behind the charming design?
“I realized this was going to be a grand project,” reflects Muta, who began leading the e-Palette’s development in 2017 and was also present at the aforementioned CES announcement.
Muta
At that point we were still in the concept stage, looking to offer all kinds of services while moving freely around the streets with autonomous driving… My honest thought was that this would not be easy to pull off.
Yet the e-Palette also marked Toyota’s shift to becoming a mobility company. It would be part of the next-generation mobility, helping to create a new society and way of life, so as a developer, I certainly found it rewarding.
A finished vehicle was unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, yet development continued. In 2021, e-Palettes served as shuttle buses within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic/Paralympic Village.
One of the e-Palette’s standout features is its charming, pet-like design. How did the team arrive at this look?
Surprisingly, according to Muta, the initial design drafts went for a sleeker vibe.
Muta
The design concept was the work of our design development center in Europe, ED² (Nice, France). While we have essentially stuck with that design, the Japanese team created the current shape to give the front section a more endearing look.
Meanwhile, the boxy form was motivated by functionality.
Muta
Since we envisioned the e-Palette being used as a mobile multipurpose space, we needed to start by guaranteeing enough onboard headroom that even a tall person could stand up and move around freely.
For the outer dimensions, we placed the wheels at the four corners and chose a flat floor to create as much space as possible.
Toyota’s vision is to provide “Mobility for All,” allowing everyone to enjoy freedom of movement.
For the e-Palette, we’ve set the floor as low as possible to make it easier for passengers using wheelchairs or strollers to get on and off.
