A lawsuit filed in California last month accuses Toyota Motor of stealing technology and plans for a humble three-wheeled electric vehicle designed to help poor African farmers transport their wares to the market.

The Lawsuit

The legal fight is not about some top-secret new automotive technology or significant sums of money. Mobility for Africa, the organization behind the lawsuit, asserts that Toyota Mobility Foundation, a nonprofit created by Toyota and managed by its executives, handed the technology and plans to a for-profit company operating in Kenya.

According to the lawsuit, Toyota Mobility Foundation cut off funding for Mobility for Africa last year. The foundation then allowed Exa Innovation Studio, a Los Angeles consulting firm that had done work for Toyota, to establish its own profit-making business in Kenya: Songa Mobility.

Impact on Mobility for Africa

The lawsuit claims that Toyota Mobility Foundation’s conduct has made it difficult for Mobility for Africa to raise money and expand its vehicles beyond Zimbabwe, where it operates. Mobility for Africa’s project in Zimbabwe has 322 vehicles, and the Kenya project it claims is using its technology has 70 vehicles.

Shantha Bloemen, the founder of Mobility for Africa, expressed frustration and disappointment over the situation. "There is already a huge deficit of transport in the rural parts of the continent," Bloemen said. "And it translates into a huge economic and social burden, especially for women."

In a statement, Toyota Mobility Foundation said it was "aware of this matter and is investigating." The foundation declined to comment further.

Original reporting: WRAL Raleigh — read the source article.