SANTA MONICA, CA — January 10, 2018 — Edmunds, the leading car shopping and information platform, and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, the producer of CES®, the global stage for innovation, today awarded the inaugural 2018 Edmunds CES Tech Driven Hackomotive Award to the Toyota e-Palette Concept Vehicle. The Hackomotive Award recognizes the most innovative, transformative automotive concept or technology unveiled or announced during the show.
"Buzzwords like future mobility and autonomy reverberate throughout the show floor at CES, but Toyota's innovative e-Palette concept stands out from the crowd thanks to its near-term implementation, established partnerships and visionary execution," said Alistair Weaver, Edmunds vice president of editorial and editor-in-chief. "The e-Palette Concept Vehicle embraces the transformative ideals of the Hackomotive Award and has real potential to help usher in a new era of transportation."
The Toyota e-Palette Concept will be a fully autonomous battery electric vehicle with next-generation sensors and software to safely deliver passengers, goods and services for a wide variety of applications. It will also feature an open-source control interface so that announced partners such as Amazon, Pizza Hut, Uber and DiDi can customize to their own specifications and needs. Toyota plans to have a fleet of e-Palettes operational for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo — which Edmunds editors recognized as an impressive timeline that underscores Toyota's commitment to a more autonomous future.
The 2018 Edmunds CES Tech Driven Awards program honors the new vehicles, systems and concepts from automakers represented at CES 2018. Previously announced winners include Audi in the Most Innovative Automaker and Most Innovative Infotainment System categories; Honda in the Most Innovative Car and SUV categories; Porsche in the Most Innovative Driver Assist Feature category; and Ford in the Most Innovative Truck category. The Hackomotive Award was selected onsite by a panel of Edmunds editors from the pool of automotive technologies announced at CES. Criteria factored into the decision included feasibility and potential impact on the industry; usability and practicality of the technology; and overall ingenuity.
If CES were a self-contained auto show, it would stand as the fifth-largest stand-alone auto show in the U.S. For more information from the Edmunds expert editors about each of the winners, visit www.edmunds.com/car-awards/ces-techdriven/.
About Edmunds
Edmunds is the leading car information and shopping platform, helping millions of visitors each month find their perfect car. With products such as Edmunds Your Price, Your Lease and Used+, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, upfront prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at more than 13,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Edmunds' in-house team of unbiased car-shopping experts provide industry-leading vehicle reviews and shopping tips, and the company also has a 20-year-old forums community of car shoppers and enthusiasts, where members can get shopping advice and learn what others are buying and leasing cars for. The company is regarded as one of America's best workplaces by Fortune and Great Place to Work. Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California, and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
About CES:
CES® is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights and follow CES online at CES.tech.
About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies — 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands — enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES® — the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services.
