Toyota Tests Carsharing Technology with Hawaiian Dealership

Toyota and Servco Pacific Inc. (Servco) have partnered to test a new carsharing technology in Honolulu.

The suite of software and services is part of Toyota's Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), which will offer various functions to enable a mobility experience.

When the employee-only pilot testing program concludes, Servco, the distributor of Toyota vehicles in Hawaii, will use the carsharing technology to launch a new Honolulu-based carshare business by the end of 2017.

The carsharing application will support driver identification and authentication, as well as payment and fleet management for carsharing businesses. It also includes a Smart Key Box (SKB), which lets users lock and unlock vehicles via a smartphone, according to Toyota.

"This new application demonstrates the power of combining Toyota's unrivaled global manufacturing and technology capacity with dealers' extensive local operations to provide consumers with more convenient options to move," said Shigeki Tomoyama, president of Connected Company, Toyota Motor Corp.

"This successful launch of the MSPF represents the next generation in carsharing platforms and is Toyota's global foundation for fleet management, carsharing, and the future of mobility," said Zack Hicks, CEO of Toyota Connected North America. "Its powerful and flexible API based platform allows us to quickly adapt to new market opportunities and support deployment of locally-tailored mobility services."

Since January 2017, Toyota has been working with Getaround on the carsharing pilot program in San Francisco. Eventually, Toyota will also begin working with other dealers and distributors to tailor the technology for their markets, according to the company.