Japanese car major Toyota has set the ball rolling for its ‘i-Road’electric vehicle concept by kicking off ‘Open Road Project’ in Tokyo in July to gather feedback for improvement.
The one-year drive, which aims at finding convenient parking and customization solutions for the two-seater electric vehicle of tricycle format, will invite creative inputs and opinions from firms and people alike.
Betting big on its compact size and ability to get charged from a standard 100V electrical outlet, the car major has been working with operators and commercial property owners in central Tokyo for earmarking parking spaces with plug points.
Apart from seeking feedback on providing parking solutions, participants will also be extended the opportunity to express their creativity via 3D-printing of customized parts.
In all, 10 i-Road vehicles will be provided to 100 participants, including experts, for about a month during the period.
Eventually, Toyota will collate and analyze the feedback from the users and draft a roadmap for its modification to make it more viable for production.
Suited to an urban environment, the 'i-Road' vehicles are categorized under personal mobility vehicle (PMV).
Toyota earlier tested i-Road on public roads, but now the company is going a step further by testing how the vehicle integrates itself into the lives of consumers.
Image: Toyota's electric vehicles 'i-Road' await feedback from firms and general public in Tokyo. Photo: courtesy of Toyota.
