Toyota i-ROAD
Toyota i-ROAD hits the streets in first public trials
Toyota has launched the first public trials of its ultra-compact i-Road electric three-wheeled "personal mobility vehicle" to find out how it shapes up in the cut-and-thrust of real-world urban driving.
Consumer testing in Tokyo is set to run from today (24 March) through to early June, with 10 of the single-seat vehicles taking to the city streets. The 20 people involved in the program range from industry experts through to members of the general public, so that Toyota can gain a wide range of feedback on what i-Road is like to drive, how easy it is to use around town, how it affects people's decisions about what journeys to make and driver satisfaction. The vehicles are based on the concept versions shown at last year's Tokyo motor show, but with adjustments to improve visibility, ease of use and manoeuvrability. Its compact, slim shape and 300kg kerb weight make i-Road as nimble to handle in traffic as a scooter, but with car-like stability thanks to its two-at-the-front-one-at-the-rear wheel configuration and a clever, Toyota-engineered leaning attitude when cornering. More research into i-Road's potential as a valuable addition to community-based transport networks is under way in Toyota City, where it has recently been introduced into the experimental Ha:mo low carbon urban transport project. It is also coming to Europe this year with two-seater models set to take part in a vehicle sharing program that will operate in the French city of Grenoble over the next four years. 24 March 2014 |
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Toyota i-ROAD Tokyo and Toyota City test model gallery.
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Testing Toyota's i-Road trike in Japan; video 2.
Since 2003, Toyota has been rolling out new personal mobility concept vehicles at the Tokyo Motor Show. The first was simply called the PM - for Personal Mobility - in 2003. After that came the i-Unit in 2005, the i-Swing in 2005 and again in 2007, along with two takes on the i-Real in 2007 and 2009. Even though the PM had a canopy and was conceived for urban use, it was little more than a chair on wheels, and the concepts that followed shed the canopy and actually were chairs on wheels. For a full report see the AutoBlogGreen website
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Toyota engineers said they gathered feedback on those four visions of single-person transport in order to come up with its latest concept, the i-ROAD. It takes elements from the previous concepts and puts them together in a package that is much more road ready. And unlike those other efforts, the i-Road is going into production.
Not only is it for the here-and-now (if you live in Japan), but it actually couldn't be easier to use. You get into it as if it were a car – it has doors on both sides – sit down and press the button to start. It's self-balancing, so there's no need any driver input nor dropdown wheels when it comes to a stop. To get going, press the D button to the left of the steering wheel, and voilà, you're on the move. |
Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2013 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL