Scientists call for a BEV-only fleet for the Olympic Games

As a mobility partner of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, Toyota will provide a fleet of 2,650 electrified vehicles. However, scientists and engineers have now sharply criticised the fact that a fleet includes 500 Toyota Mirai.

According to the Centre For Sustainable Road Freight, the open letter was signed by 120 academics, scientists and engineers from all over the world. It is adressed to the President of the International Olympic Committee, the President of the Olympic Games, and the Transport Director of Paris and calls on Toyota to use only battery-electric vehicles for the Olympic fleet.

“billions of people around the world who watch the Olympics will be exposed to false and misleading information,” the initiators say in a statement. Their main arguments are the lack of availability of hydrogen produced from renewable energies and the significantly lower energy efficiency of H2 vehicles compared to battery-electric vehicles.

As a mobility partner, Toyota has developed a concept for the Olympic Games. It comprises a shuttle fleet totalling more than 2,650 electrified vehicles (BEV, PHEV, HEV and FCEV) and 700 electric mobility solutions for the last mile, including 250 Accessible People Movers (APM), which will be redesigned for Paris 2024 and manufactured in Europe.

csrf.ac.uk, csrf.ac.uk (open letter as PDF), toyota-media.de