In the summer of 2024, Paris will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, an event with global impact that represents not only a sporting challenge for athletes and competitors but also a logistical and organizational one. The mobility of participants, volunteers, collaborators and attendees is one of the great challenges presented by this type of massive events, which concentrate a large number of people and movements for a short period of time (two weeks) in densely populated areas. , like the great capitals that host them.
This is the case of the capital of France, which suffers from serious circulation problems throughout the year and where mobility through its congested arteries is of particular concern during next year's Olympic Games. But, beyond the fluidity and agility of traffic, today there are also other associated problems to take into account, such as the sustainability of said mobility, which must also be inclusive for everyone.
Toyota, international mobility partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (ICC), has recently presented some of its measures and proposals to contribute to the reduction of the carbon footprint of the vehicle fleet destined for members of the organization and attendees or participants.
The Japanese manufacturer has also developed specific vehicles thinking about the movements of people with mobility problems and more sustainable public transport alternatives. Thus, thanks to the electrification of these units intended for functions associated with the organizational activity of the Olympics, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 50% compared to previous events.
In this sense, the Japanese company has confirmed that in Paris 2024 there will be a passenger transport fleet of more than 2,650 electrified vehicles and 700 last-mile electric mobility solutions. They will be divided into different typologies and technologies present in the French capital: 150 Proace Verso units adapted for wheelchairs and also 500 Mirai units, which will be integrated into the Parisian taxi fleet after the event. Up to ten hydrogen applications in operation will also be added to this “lineup” of sustainable vehicles, including buses, trucks, ships and forklifts.
Among these solutions that Toyota will provide for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 250 APMs – Accessible People Movers – stand out, redesigned after the Tokyo 2020 experience and adapted to European standards. Manufactured in Portugal in collaboration with strategic partner Caetano, they have been modified to better adapt to local needs for Paris.
The APM is the latest illustration of Toyota's "Mobility for All" vision. The 250 units that will be deployed during the Games will be used to transport athletes, visitors and staff between the different venues, including places where events or competitions are held and other official spaces, such as the Olympic Village.
The uses of the APM will be varied: transporting participants, organizers, collaborators, volunteers and spectators with physical disabilities or walking difficulties, including wheelchair users. But also transporting small objects between the Games venues as well as covering certain emergency services. After the Games, the fleet of APM vehicles, with a range of 100 km and a maximum speed of 20 km/h, will be part of the sustainable legacy that Toyota will leave in Paris to be used in the future in various environments or public facilities.
Another of the solutions that Toyota will offer during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be electric wheelchair handles, to ensure that athletes and their families, as well as workers, volunteers and spectators can move freely in a sustainable and safe way. . This device converts conventional mechanical wheelchairs into a battery-powered electric mobility solution, so that its users enjoy greater freedom of movement.
The electric wheelchair handle - with an average range of about 25 km - has been developed jointly with the Austrian mobility startup Klaxon, which specializes in creating products that help people in wheelchairs move easily and independence.
During the Games there will be 50 units available in the Paralympic Village as a shared mobility solution through the KINTO Mobility application, for use in the area. Likewise, at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games there will be at least 150 units available to the National Paralympic Committee, athletes and staff.
