Toyota Brings ‘Mobility for All’ to 2024 Paris Olympics
The automaker is providing a fleet of electric and hydrogen vehicles, as well as accessible scooters to transport athletes to and from venues
Japanese automaker Toyota will provide mobility solutions at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including a fleet of electric vehicles to transport athletes to various venues.
As the Olympic Games’ mobility partner, Toyota wants to provide “mobility for all,” ensuring athletes, fans and officials get fair and equitable transport across the city.
“When everyone is free to move, we are one step closer to the inclusive and sustainable society that Toyota is committed to building. That is what ‘Mobility for All’ means to us at Toyota,” said Yoshihiro Nakata, Toyota Motor Europe’s president and CEO. “We share this vision with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. We want to support the athletes who devote their lives to sports and remove barriers to exercise their freedom to move.”
An official handover ceremony took place in March, with Nakata handing the keys to the first cars in the Olympic fleet to Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet.
“We are proud to see how our partner Toyota is committed to delivering support to our sustainability efforts at the Olympic Games,” Estanguet said. “Together, we are driving innovation and promoting excellence both on and off the field of play, leaving a positive legacy for generations to come.”
Here’s a look at the mobility solutions Toyota is bringing to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Accessible People Movers
Toyota will bring 250 Accessible People Movers (APMs) to the Olympics that have been specially designed for use in Paris.
Credit: Toyota
The low-speed, short-distance battery electric vehicles are designed to offer last-mile services and transport people with accessibility needs between venues.
Available for athletes, visitors and staff, the APMS will also be used to ferry small goods across the Olympic Games and help in the case of potential emergency relief.
The APMs run on a battery electric battery and have a 62-mile range. They can reach speeds of up to 12.4 mph.
The vehicles were designed in Belgium by Toyota Motor Europe and were built at Toyota’s site in Caetano, Portugal.
Electric Wheelchair Solutions
The automaker will also unveil a new wheelchair e-puller for the Olympic Games. Toyota has converted traditional wheelchairs into battery-powered mobility solutions that provide greater freedom of movement for wheelchair users.
The wheelchair e-puller was developed with Austrian mobility startup Klaxon.
Credit: Toyota
Some 50 units will be available within the Paralympic Village while at least 150 units will be used during the Paralympic Opening Ceremony.
The e-puller can traverse an average range of 15.5 miles. Its speed will be reduced when in operation during the Paralympic opening ceremony and in the Paralympic Village.
Toyota will also provide access to its C+Walk S mobility scooter to event employees with disabilities. The mobility scooters run on a lithium-ion battery and can traverse sidewalks and roads.
Credit: Toyota
Users can operate the scooters at typical human walking speeds. It also comes equipped with obstacle detection features, helping users to avoid collisions with obstacles or pedestrians.
Around 250 will be available, along with the standing version, C+walkT. Both have a maximum speed of around 4 mph.
Hydrogen Vehicles
In line with the Olympic pledge to reduce emissions at the 2024 Games, Toyota will provide 500 Mirai vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The mid-sizes emit zero emissions, with water as the only byproduct. The vehicles generate power by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the outside air.
Credit: Toyota
The vehicles also feature connected interfaces, including Toyota’s Human Machine Interface (HMI) providing in-vehicle infotainment experiences.
At the end of the 2024 Games, all 500 vehicles will be added to Paris’ hydrogen taxi fleet.
In addition to the 500 Mirai vehicles, Toyota plans to bring hydrogen mobility applications that “go beyond the traditional automotive offering.”
Among the wider hydrogen applications at the 2024 Paris Games are specially designed boats, buses and a prototype of its Hilux pickup trucks. These hydrogen-powered solutions will support operations at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Credit: Toyota
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