Suit Says Toyota Charity Took Plans for EV to Aid Farmers

A nonprofit is taking Toyota to federal court over an electric vehicle that tops out around 15 mph. A lawsuit filed in California by Mobility for Africa accuses the Toyota Mobility Foundation—a Toyota-backed charity—of taking its three-wheeled EV concept, business model, and know-how and passing them to a for-profit startup in Kenya, Songa Mobility. The Zimbabwe-based group says it developed the Hamba, a simple cargo hauler designed for rural farmers, along with a solar charging and battery-swap system and a lease model that lets users pay about $45 a week, the New York Times reports.

Under a 2019 partnership, Toyota Mobility Foundation provided funding and was barred from sharing Mobility for Africa's intellectual property, according to the suit. Instead, the nonprofit says, the foundation later backed Songa, whose vehicles and program it claims are "virtually identical," while references to Mobility for Africa vanished from Toyota materials and its funding was cut. The dispute is unfolding as Toyota faces pressure from environmental groups over its broader climate record and pace on electric vehicles. The foundation said it is aware of the matter and is investigating; Toyota and Exa Innovation Studio, linked to Songa, have not yet formally responded in court.