Meet the Toyota e-Palette: An adorable $200,000 autonomous EV that can do it all

• Toyota launched the e-Palette, a multifunctional autonomous EV designed for shuttle services, deliveries, and mobile retail.

• The vehicle officially opened for orders on September 15, with prices starting at ¥29 million (~$197,000).

• It currently supports Level 2 autonomy and will introduce Level 4 capabilities starting in 2027.

• The e-Palette uses a 72.82 kWh battery, offering 250 km of range and 80% recharge in 40 minutes.

• The vehicle includes a Steer-by-Wire system, bidirectional charging, and modular interior configurations.

• ADK supplies the autonomous driving kit, which integrates hardware, software, cameras, and LiDAR.

• Toyota plans to debut the e-Palette at the new Toyota Arena Tokyo on October 3.

• The EV is eligible for a ¥15.8 million (~$107,500) government subsidy in Japan.

• Bot Auto completed its first fully humanless, hub-to-hub autonomous truck run in Houston, operating without a safety driver or remote oversight.

• The test run occurred during sunset, validating both day and night operations under real-world traffic conditions.

• The milestone demonstrates the maturity of Bot Auto’s autonomy stack, built within just two years of founding.

• Prior to deployment, the company conducted rigorous safety validation for its Operational Design Domain (ODD), including closed-course testing.

• The vehicle operated with multiple redundancy layers, health monitoring, and minimum-risk fallback mechanisms for safe failover.

• CEO Dr. Xiaodi Hou emphasized that true autonomy means “no human” at any level—not in the cab, backseat, or remotely.

• Bot Auto has been running autonomous freight services with safety drivers between Houston and San Antonio for months.

• The next phase will include fully driverless commercial cargo runs on the same route.

Waymo approved to start testing autonomous vehicles at San Francisco International Airport

• Waymo received a Testing and Operations Pilot Permit to begin autonomous vehicle operations at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

• The pilot will proceed in three stages: initial AV testing with a safety driver, internal rides for employees and staff, and eventually paid rides for the public.

• Pick-ups and drop-offs will start at SFO’s “Kiss & Fly” zone, with potential expansion to other areas under review.

• This follows recent testing clearance at San Jose Airport and existing operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor since 2023.

• SFO has been a long-standing strategic target for Waymo, given its location near the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters.

• The commercial ride phase will be operated on a rolling month-to-month basis, pending a full commercial permit.

• Waymo continues to scale its autonomous ride-hailing service across airports and urban areas, with additional markets and partners expected in 2026.  

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