Case 01 — IMV Origin × Toyota

A mobility ecosystem for Africa, made in Africa

RIFT supported Toyota Motor Corporation and design studio ED² to take a new African vehicle ecosystem from a blank sheet to a field-tested prototype and service blueprint — in under two years.

0months · idea → MVP
0km field-tested
~10km / kWh efficiency
2025Japan Mobility Show
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The brief

From a blank sheet to a drivable MVP

Toyota's question evolved from "what vehicle should we build?" to "what ecosystem does this vehicle need to succeed?" RIFT led on-the-ground, human-centred design with ED² and delivered a working answer — fast, locally, collaboratively.

EV platform prototyped and field-tested in Kenya
Mobility-as-a-Service: vehicle + services + hub + operations
Concept to field-tested prototype & service blueprint in under 2 years
IMV Origin prototype in rural Kenya// IMV Origin · field prototype
01 · Human-centred design

Designed with African users, not for them

User and ecosystem research across rural and peri-urban Kenya shaped every decision — from real farmers, traders and mechanics to transport operators and fleet owners.

Agri tradersFood businessesMarket operatorsSACCOsMatatu ownersK-Truck usersMechanicsRural fleets
Mobility benchmarking — Roam, Arc Ride, Spiro; local assemblers Mobius & KVM
Value-chain mapping across agriculture, logistics, construction, courier
Service-hub concept: assembly, charging, operator training, rural grid
Integration with existing networks — matatus, SACCOs, local logistics
Chassis development in the RIFT workshop// Chassis development · 2024
02 · Chassis development

Hands-on vehicle experiments

RIFT began with reference vehicles found on Kenyan roads — ProBox, Hiace and K-Trucks — and built up from there.

Modified a Suzuki Carry / Daihatsu Hijet — lifted suspension, reinforced structure — as a field-test platform
ProBox-derived chassis build (first prototype) and a Hiace prototype
Stripped-down K-Truck chassis with a tubular IMV Origin mock-up
03 · Electric powertrain

A complete electric drive, built from scratch

Building on RIFT's SONGA 3-wheeler EV experience, the team engineered a full electric drivetrain for the truck platform.

Tested e-Axle (selected) vs hub-motors; integrated controllers, power electronics & custom wiring harness
New control systems (throttle, regen braking), fabricated battery bay, re-engineered rear suspension for rough terrain
Custom power & GPS-logging IoT for performance monitoring
~10 km/kWh — validated on a 120 km Naivasha → Nairobi run and off-road. A frugal, reliable EV powertrain, fully engineered in Kenya.
Fabrication in the RIFT workshop// Locally fabricated · Nairobi
04 · Show-car prototype · mid-2025

A fully drivable, bespoke prototype

A

Made in Kenya

Fully fabricated with locally CNC-machined metal parts, hand-in-hand with ED².

B

Custom powertrain

Bespoke e-Axle integration; battery bay & suspension engineered on the fly from local K-Truck components.

C

Drive-by-wire

No compatible steering column — so a full drive-by-wire system was developed from scratch.

D

Regen braking

Braking improvised using motor regenerative control in place of mechanical brakes.

A fully functional, drivable IMV Origin — enabling field tests, stakeholder demos and film shoots for the Japan Mobility Show 2025.
05 · Ecosystem & service

Not just a vehicle — an ecosystem

Hub architecture

ED² × Shigeru Ban Architects × RIFT

A modular, low-cost, expandable hub for rural deployment — integrating charging, maintenance, training and community services. Developed 2024–2025 as a functional prototype.

Service & platform

RIFT × ARK Africa × Antarctica Global

Prototyped digital platforms — operator tools, service workflows, data flows — with an ecosystem narrative aligned to the IMV Origin vision.

Outcome: a fully defined service concept and platform architecture, ready for field testing, iteration and scale.
Outcome

From concept to reality in 24 months

01

Designed with users

Real farmers, traders, mechanics and transporters shaped IMV Origin's design.

02

A complete ecosystem

Hub model, service architecture, workflows and integration strategy — co-developed with Toyota.

03

Field & media ready

K-Truck rough prototypes to validate; a bespoke electrified prototype for shooting.

04

Global recognition

Presented publicly by Toyota's CEO, with Akio Toyoda visiting the booth — both crediting the Kenya insights.

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