When it was first shown as a concept at CES way back in 2018, the Toyota E-Palette promised all-electric, autonomous mobility in all kinds of scenarios, and its boxy mini-bus looks seemed like something out of the sci-fi future. Toyota even envisioned it filling several different roles throughout a given day. (One role it did fill was shuttling athletes at the Olympic Village in 2021 during the Tokyo games.) Flash forward seven years and Toyota is finally putting this multipurpose vehicle on sale with most promises kept—save for one.
The Toyota E-Palette is no longer fully autonomous out of the, er, box, instead requiring a driver due to its Level 2 driver assistance technology (similar to what most new cars offer today). For full autonomy, you’ll need to spec an upgrade kit containing the control hardware, software, cameras, lidar, and other sensors needed to roam the streets without a human supervising. Toyota says this Level-4-capable kit should arrive on the market by 2027.
The production E-Palette is powered by a 72.8-kWh battery pack feeding a single 201-hp, 196-lb-ft electric motor. The curb weight is reported as 6,500 pounds, while capacity inside this box is a staggering 17 people. The E-Palette’s top speed is roughly 50 mph, and it achieves a range of 155 miles or so on the somewhat optimistic WLTC range standard. The battery is capable of being DC fast-charged at speeds up to 90 kW, with 80 percent full being reached in about 40 minutes. Home charging will take about 12 hours due to the E-Palette’s 6-kW AC power limit.
On the chassis front, the E-Palette features steer-by-wire, with variable ratios and no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and front tires, as on the Tesla Cybertruck. Adjusting the ratios means no need to go hand over hand on the steering yoke. It’s not small by any means, measuring 194.9 inches long, 81.9 inches wide, and 104.3 inches tall. That puts it in the realm of a high-roof full-size cargo van.
One of the use cases for the E-Palette is as an actual mini-bus, and like buses you might see on the street today, this Toyota is equipped with digital signage to display ads, business logos, or whatever an owner might want. It also features safe-exit assistance with a cabin monitoring system the checks the door surroundings for safe operation, as well as a built-in extending ramp to ease ingress and egress for cargo, strollers, riders in wheelchairs, and more. The ramp isn’t particularly steep, either, as the E-Palette’s floor sits just 14.6 inches from the ground as standard or as low as 10.6 when equipped with the optional adjustable height suspension.
In terms of mutiuse function, Toyota envisions an owner might use it as a shuttle bus in the morning, transform it into a food truck for the lunch rush, and later cater to crowds looking for mobile nighttime entertainment. And, heck, why not go camping, too? Toyota says that would be no problem, thanks to the E-Palette’s onboard external power hookup.
Of course, there’s a huge catch: While the Toyota E-Palette is finally, on sale, it’s only available if the “You*” in the headline lives in Japan. It’s also not cheap: At current exchange rates, the E-Palette costs roughly $200,000, although it is eligible for a Commercial Vehicle Electrification subsidy of approximately $108,000. The E-Palette is built to order directly via Toyota itself, although it will eventually be made available via traditional dealerships.