Have you seen this face before? Yes, you did. During the Tokyo Olympics, Toyota shuttled athletes with the futuristic, autonomously driving e-Palette, a shipment box on wheels.
But the e-Palette didn’t get stuck in its ambassador role. It has now entered the Japanese commercial market not only in its purpose for transport but also as a business platform for food truck enthousiasts and other venturers.
First unveiled as a futuristic concept at CES in 2018 and later deployed for shuttle services during the Tokyo Olympics, the e-Palette has officially entered showrooms in Toyota’s hometown.
You can buy one if you live in Japan and break the bank for a price of 29 million yen (€162,000). As design probably won’t spur a flood of buyers, Toyota is betting on a generous government subsidy of up to 15.8 million yen available (€88,500), or half of the price ticket, to boost adoption of the unconventional model.
Striking presence
It’s maybe not the most elegant of cars Toyota has ever built, but the e-Palette is nonetheless a striking presence on city streets. Measuring 4.95 meters in length, 2.08 meters in width, and 2.65 meters in height, the blocky EV resembles a small tram on wheels.
Its cabin, nearly 2.9 meters long, can carry up to 16 passengers in shuttle configuration — four seated, 12 standing. Accessibility is key to this concept: a low-floor design, sliding doors, and an electric ramp make boarding easier for individuals using wheelchairs.
Underneath the utilitarian looks, the e-Palette packs a 150-kilowatt electric motor powered by a 72.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. Range is rated at 250 kilometers with DC fast charging replenishing 80 percent of capacity in about 40 minutes. AC charging, however, requires up to 12 hours. The vehicle also offers bidirectional charging, allowing it to double as a mobile power source.
Flexibility rules
Performance is – as you would expect – modest. The e-Palette tops out at 80 km/h, reflecting its intended role in urban environments rather than highways. Flexibility governs speed in this case: the spacious cabin can be outfitted as a delivery vehicle, mobile store, food truck, or even an “entertainment lounge” for watching sports or sightseeing. Clearly, this vehicle is not only a means of mobility but also a business opportunity.
For now, the e-Palette operates at Level 2 autonomy, requiring a human driver behind the wheel. But Toyota aims to roll out autonomous driving versions, capable of Level 4 by 2027. This development is ongoing in collaboration with its automated driving partner ADK, which supplies LiDAR, cameras, and software integrated with Toyota’s control systems.
Woven City
Inside, the driver sits centrally at the front, in a setup reminiscent of a streetcar. Controls are pared back, with a yoke-style steering device, minimal physical buttons, and multiple screens for monitoring passengers and route data. Toyota also equipped the vehicle with steer-by-wire technology and digital displays both inside and out, which can be customized for fleet operations or commercial branding.
Toyota also plans to deploy the EV around its experimental smart city, Woven City, as well as in municipal pilot projects across Japan.
