Toyota unveils autonomous e-commerce concept vehicle, development alliance

Toyota used the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), to reveal an all-new, battery-electric commercial vehicle targeted for emerging e-commerce and mobility business applications. The pod-like e-Palette vehicle is designed to employ certain Toyota-developed foundation technologies but to also be flexible enough to allow companies purchasing or leasing the vehicle to apply their own or a preferred automated-driving system.

In addition, the e-Palette, which is intended to be built in three different sizes, also is the centerpiece of a new mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) development alliance Toyota formed with initial partners Amazon, Didi, Mazda, Pizza Hut and Uber. Toyota said the e-Palette Alliance launch partners “will collaborate on vehicle planning, application concepts and vehicle verification activities.”