The "Tokyo 2020" version of the Toyota e-Palette will run a loop service in the Athletes' Villages ©Toyota

Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be able to use a fleet of up to 20 automated zero-emission vehicles, specially adapted and supplied by Toyota.

The "Tokyo 2020" version of the Toyota e-Palette will run a loop service in the Athletes' Villages, providing competitors and staff with a convenient, regular and easy means of getting around.

Toyota reworked the design of its e-Palette - a multi-purpose, fully autonomous, battery-electric vehicle - using feedback from athletes to ensure it met their needs.

"Throughout the development process, athletes, especially Paralympians, helped us understand how the e-Palette could be adapted and upgraded to better meet their needs for simple, convenient and comfortable mobility," Takahiro Muta, the project's development leader, said.

The Tokyo 2020 e-Palette has large doors and electric ramps so passengers can board easily and quickly.

The vehicle will be controlled by an automated driving system and move at a fastest speed of around 12 miles per hour.

Operation is at high automation, but a safety operator will be on board each vehicle to monitor performance and take control if required.

There will be room for up to 20 passengers, including one operator.

The vehicle will be controlled by an automated driving system ©Toyota
The vehicle will be controlled by an automated driving system ©Toyota

Alternatively, up to four wheelchairs and seven standing passengers can be allowed for.

Toyota announced e-Palette in 2018, its first vehicle developed specifically for "autonomous mobility as a service"  - Autono-MaaS - applications.

It is said to reflect the Japanese car giant's ongoing transition to a mobility company, combining electrification, connected networks and advanced driving technologies to support new shared mobility businesses and business models.

The deployment of e-Palette is a key part of Toyota's programme to provide advanced mobility solutions for Tokyo 2020, in its role as the first worldwide mobility partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Toyota also plans to use the knowledge gained from e-Palette's operation at Tokyo 2020 to further develop the vehicle.

The e-Palette will be exhibited at Toyota's booth at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, taking place from October 24 to November 4.

In November 2018, Toyota became a presenting partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay.

Presenting partner is the highest tier of the Relay's sponsorship programme and means Toyota is able to recruit Torchbearers.