Hybrid between car and motorcycle, Toyota launches i-Road
New concept of personal urban mobility, the vehicle has already been tested in Japan and France
Featured on Tokyo Motor Show of 2013, the first test units for the i-Road, new PMV (Personal Mobility Vehicle, in English, or Personal Mobility Vehicle, in free translation) by Toyota. Small as a motorcycle, the three-wheeled vehicle brings a new driving experience, combining the convenience and efficiency of a motorcycle with the comfort and safety of an automobile.
It is electric, fully sustainable, with a capacity to cover 50 km on a recharge (the battery takes three hours to charge) and capable of reaching speeds between 45km/h and 60 km/h. O i-Road it is narrow and holds a maximum of two people. This helps when parking and handling traffic in large cities. The two front side wheels, and the centered rear, help the vehicle's stability and provide a much more vivid driving experience, according to its creators.
In addition to not emitting carbon, one of the ideas to maintain the i-Road how a more sustainable vehicle is to connect it to the public transport system, as it has been used in the city of Grenoble, France. The car-sharing project works the same as the bicycle rental system found in many parts of the world. Billing is done by minutes and the goal is to integrate the i-Road to the entire public transport network in the city.
The production of the vehicle continues now, but at least there is still no projection of when it will start to be sold on a large scale.
The video below shows the i-Road on the streets of Tokyo:
