Toyota is contributing to safe event management by providing mobility support so that athletes can give their best performance with peace of mind in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. One form of that support is the e-Palette, 16 units of which are on hand at the Olympic Village to facilitate athletes’ movement within the village.

Although each e-Pallet has an onboard safety operator, the vehicles are essentially autonomous. A team of mainly Toyota employees works around the clock in four groups in three shifts to keep the e-Pallets going.

The operation of the e-Palettes went into full swing with the arrival of athletes staying at the village. President Akio Toyoda visited the team past noon on July 23, the day of the Tokyo 2020 Games’ opening ceremony, to offer words of encouragement.