Toyota unveils self

In the future, a self-driving pod could take you to work, deliver your food, and even be your new office.

At least, that's the idea behind Toyota's latest concept vehicle: an electric, self-driving pod called e-Palette that can be used for ride sharing, deliveries, or as a mobile retail or office space.

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About the size of a food truck, the pod, which Toyota says will be completely autonomous and fully electric, is meant to be customizable to fit the needs of whichever business wants to use it.

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An easy use case is ride-sharing, but the company says it can also be used for deliveries and logistics, office space, medical clinics, and e-commerce companies. Toyota President Shoichiro Toyoda even joked that it would be an ideal vehicle to bring to Burning Man.

Credit: toyota

The concept is part of Toyota's shift from car company to "mobility company," Toyoda said.

But though the idea is labeled as a concept vehicle, Toyoda said the company has every intention of making ePalette a reality. The company is already partnering with Amazon, Pizza Hut, Uber, Mazda, and ride-sharing giant Didi on the concept. He said the pods will be used during the upcoming 2020 Olympic games.

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Still, we likely won't see ePalettes hit the roads in a meaningful way anytime soon. Toyota says they plan to start testing the vehicles in the U.S and other countries "in the early 2020s."

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