Toyota is the official car for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Japanese automobile manufacturers are flooding the event with massive deployment of electric vehicles. The company said it will provide 3,700 mobility products and vehicles for the Olympics. However, only 10% of these vehicles will not be electric.
According to them, 850 of the 3,700 vehicles will be battery-electric. The other 500 will be fuel-cell electric. Majority of the cars would be hydrogen-powered, gas-electric hybrid, or battery-electric. The vehicles will also come in all sort of shapes and sizes, from buses to shuttles, scooter, cars and bikes. Toyota is using the Tokyo Olympics as an avenue to showcase the line-up of its alternative fuel-powered machines.
In a press statement, Toyota said they were reducing carbon emissions. The company explained that it is looking to achieve the lowest emissions target level ever of any Olympic or Paralympic Games.
The statement read:
“Out of the approx. 3,700 mobility products and/or vehicles for Tokyo 2020, 2,700 vehicles will be part of the official fleet providing transportation support between venues during the Olympic Games. These will be commercially-available vehicles, such as Mirai, etc.
“Preliminary calculations suggest that the CO2 emitted by the commercially-available fleet for Tokyo 2020 will average less than 80 g/km*1, resulting in a reduction by approx. half of the typical amount when compared to a similar-sized fleet of mostly conventional gasoline and diesel models.”
Toyota at Tokyo 2020
Toyota is one of the pioneers of incorporating alternative fuels in vehicles. The company released the hybrid Prius in 1997. However, it hasn’t been a major competitor in the market since. Other brands like General Motors, Tesla, Nissan and the likes have taken over.
Although, Toyota has recently revealed that it will be releasing six new Electric Vehicles between 2020 and 2025. It is now using the Tokyo Olympics as an opportunity to launch its EVs.
At the Olympics, Toyota will be unveiling the e-Palette and the Concept-i. The automaker says the e-Palettes will “support transportation needs of staff and athletes, with a dozen or more running on a continuous loop within the Olympic and Paralympic Village.” The vehicle will also be Level 4 autonomous where it will not require a human driver. However, this will be within a confined area.
The Concept-i will be the lead operating vehicle in the torch relay marathon at the Olympics next year. It will also have Toyota’s in-vehicle AI assistant, Yui with very automated driving. These will come alongside scooters of all sizes, most of which will be electric.