Toyota flags its robo-cab future

First published at ITS World Congress - October 23, 2019

Ken Koibuchi (left) and Keiji Yamamoto of Toyota

The TRI-P4 prototype robo-taxi on Toyota’s booth may be small in size – but it is big in significance for the company and potentially the industry.

Not only is it a test vehicle for autonomous driving technology, but it also embodies the company’s thoughts on an autonomous taxi (MaaS) vehicle. Toyota’s solution to the first/last mile challenge is an autonomous (Level 4) Lexus LS, but with the sleek lines traded off to minimise the cost for fleet operators by mounting most of the electronics on the roof.

This allows the use of cheaper, non-miniaturised, components, along with providing easier access for maintenance.

And because it’s designed for fairly restricted operating conditions, certain functions, such as mapping, can be minimised. Passengers entering the vehicle don’t need to programme the destination as these details would have been received via the user’s smartphone or the operator’s dispatch desk.

Currently based on a hybrid-power model, Toyota’s MaaS technology is equally applicable to fully electric vehicles.

Booth 234