Toyota pauses self-driving ‘e-Palette’ service after one crashed into an Olympic athlete
Toyota has halted its autonomous shuttle service in Tokyo's Olympic village after one of its vehicles collided with a visually impaired athlete, Reuters reported. Technically, the vehicle was not driving autonomously but was under manual control at the time of the incident.
Toyota had been operating dozens of its e-Palette" shuttles during the Olympics as a demonstration of a far-out concept the company first showed off in 2018. Back then, the automaker said its e-Palettes, which are modular battery-electric vehicles without traditional controls like steering wheels or pedals, could operate either as ride-hailing shuttles or mobile retail spaces.
Toyota saw the Olympics as an opportunity to demonstrate its new technology. The boxy...