Toyota plans to carry the Olympic torch in an autonomous car

Toyota plans to carry the Olympic torch in an autonomous car, specifically the Concept-i, which features Level 4 autonomous driving.

Toyota will deploy around 3,700 vehicles and mobility products at next year’s 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, almost all of them electrified, along with a futuristic auto pod that will carry the Olympic torch and lead the marathon race. The so-called Concept-i will be a functional version of a concept first presented in 2017.

The Japanese brand has assured that the vehicle will demonstrate Level 4 autonomous driving capability and “agent conversation” technology, which uses artificial intelligence to “understand” and interact with humans. It is not clear whether the Concept-i will drive itself during the opening ceremony and the marathon.

Despite its wild exterior, filled with side windows cut from top to bottom, a wedge-shaped silhouette and hidden rear tires, the Concept-i still has a conventional steering wheel.

Toyota and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Toyota’s Olympic plan also includes a small fleet of “autonomous people movers” that will transport people in carriages with a capacity for 20 passengers. At least a dozen of these Toyota e-Palette will be tasked with carrying staff and athletes to the Olympic and Paralympic Village.

Toyota, one of the main sponsors of next summer’s Olympic Games, outlined its plans in a press release under the motto “mobility for all“. Japan’s largest automaker said its Olympic vehicle fleet will have the lowest emissions footprint of any to date, thanks to its reliance on electrification.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4WqsKSKpGk&t=2s

Toyota also offered the clearest image yet of the e-Palette, a concept shown at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show. The vehicle is presented as a cornerstone of mobility as a service. However, at the Summer Games, Toyota promises that at least a dozen e-Palettes will run on a continuous loop around the Olympic and Paralympic Village as a self-driving shuttle.

The Toyota e-Palette will have Level 4 self-driving capability, but an operator will remain on board as a human backup. The low floor leaves little space between the sidewalk and the bus, making access easier for everyone. To complete Toyota’s mobility vision, a variety of personal mobility devices will be deployed in walking areas around venues such as the Olympic Stadium and the Tennis Park.