The Toyota i-Road personal mobility concept car has been confirmed for production with an early-2014 introduction planned.
First seen as an all-electric three-wheel two-seater concept at this year’s Geneva motor show, Toyota says the production i-Road will be a single seat affair.
Destined to be part of Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) expanded urban transport system dubbed Ha:mo, TMC says the i-Road is an ultra-compact proposition offering the convenience of a motorcycle and a new type of driving pleasure.
Measuring 2350mm long, 850mm wide and 1445mm tall, the sub-Smart-sized 300kg i-Road is powered by two 2kW electric motors and a lithium-ion battery.
Claiming a single-charge cruising range of 50km and a top speed of 45km/h, the techno-trike employs a computer-assisted system that relies on steering angle, vehicle speed and gyro sensors to automatically lean over when cornering.
TMC’s Ha:mo expansion also plans for the number of electric car-sharing vehicles to be boosted from the current fleet of 10 to 100 by mid October, as well as the number of vehicle rent/return stations increased from four to 21 by the same point. The car maker expects the Ha:mo system changes to result in a rise in member numbers from its current approximate total of 100 to closer to 1000.
