Pizza Hut joins e-Palette Alliance

Pizza Hut is working with Toyota on a self-driving, battery-electric concept vehicle called the e-Palette. This could one day deliver pizzas straight to your door, sans employee. It could also potentially serve as a “mobile kitchen”.

The move follows on from last year’s Domino’s announcement that it was testing its own self-driving car in partnership with Ford. “In our ongoing and relentless pursuit to own and define the modern pizza experience for our customers, we are focused on technology-based solutions that enable our team members and drivers to deliver even better customer experiences,” says Artie Starrs, President at Pizza Hut US. “With Toyota, we are excited to be partnering with an undisputed leader in human mobility with a reputation for innovation, reliability and efficiency, as we define the pizza delivery experience of the future.”

Toyota has set up an e-Palette Alliance, leveraging its Global Mobility Services platform to develop advanced vehicle and related mobility services for business applications. In addition to Pizza Hut, launch partners include Amazon, Mazda and Uber. “The automobile industry is clearly amidst its most dramatic period of change as technologies like electrification, connected and automated driving are making significant progress. Toyota remains committed to making ever better cars. Just as important, we are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever-better society for the next 100 years and beyond. This announcement marks a major step forward in our evolution towards sustainable mobility, demonstrating our continued expansion beyond traditional cars and trucks to the creation of new values including services for customers,” says Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda.