Toyota creates accessible last-mile electric shuttle for 2020 Olympic Games

Toyota is readying for Tokyo’s Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which it’s hosting in 2020, with an all-new short range battery electric shuttle it designed to be maximally accessible for all attendees. It’s called the APM, or ‘Accessible People Mover,’ and 200 of them will be used in service of getting Games fans, athletes, and staff from venue to venue.

The APM comes in two model variants, including a ‘Basic’ edition that offers three rows of seating (including up front) for a total max capacity of six, including five passengers and the driver. The second row seat can be folded to accommodate passengers using a wheelchair (there are anchor plates in the floor, as well, for stability during travel), and you can enter and exit from either open side of the shuttle, with long low ramps for wheelchair access.

A second, ‘Relief’ configuration of the APM takes away half of the second and third-row seating to accommodate a stretcher than can be secured while the vehicle’s moving, with caretaker personal seated directly next to it. This is meant to help with any non-urgent medical transport needed during the Games, when the car’s top speed of 19 km/h (around 12 mph) isn’t an issue.

These are designed for light duty, as mentioned, but they can still go up to 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge, which is probably plenty for venue-to-venue shuttle work required throughout a day at the Olympics.

In addition to this custom EV, which is still driven the old-fashioned, human way, Toyota has also previously discussed demonstrating working versions of some of its autonomous vehicles, including concept models its shown off at the annual CES conference in Las Vegas.