May Mobility and NTT Mobility will operate Toyota e-Palettes fitted with May Mobility’s autonomous driving system (ADS) on public roads in Japan—the first autonomous public e-Palette operation in the country. Deployments at multiple sites begin in Japan’s fiscal year 2026, targeting Level 4 driverless certification.

May Mobility has operated autonomous services in nine Japanese cities since 2024, including e-Palette trials at Toyota and NTT sites. Toyota launched the e-Palette in late 2025 as a battery-electric vehicle accommodating up to seven passengers and wheelchair users.

Dr Edwin Olson, Chief Executive and founder of May Mobility, said: “We’ve spent the last few years working closely with NTT to redefine transportation in Japan. The next stretch expands the scale: more communities, bigger deployments, the first autonomous e-Palette on Japan’s public roads, and riders getting where they need to go with no one in the driver’s seat.”

The ADS processes 200-millisecond world-model updates, evaluating scenarios through an engine combining deep-learned and rules-based strategies. NTT Mobility’s Co-Creation Hub and multiple Japanese cities form the deployment network for the Level 4 certification case.

NTT Mobility’s Operation Assist platform, launched in July 2026, combines remote monitoring and communication infrastructure to support driverless operations. Expansion in fiscal year 2027 will add e-Palette models to serve regions with bus route closures and driver shortages.

https://media.maymobility.com/Videos/epalette_broll.mp4

Source: May Mobility