Toyota’s i-Road spreads to Tokyo
The first country to be hit by the innovative i-Road was France, where the i-Road transport system got tested out in the city of Grenoble. And now, it’s spreading over to Tokyo as the Toyota i-Road is entering service in a new car-sharing programme.
Wondering what an i-Road is? It’s an ultra-compact, electric three-wheeled vehicle that combines the handling of a motorcycle or a scooter with the comfort and stability of a car. This is also a much more “eco-friendly” option than a normal car as four i-Roads occupy the footprint of a single car.
The new trial will now see i-Road paired with Park 24’s Times Car Plus service, which allows members to make use of a fleet of share-cars at any time of day. The scheme will also incorporate elements from Toyota’s urban transport template, which has also been adopted for the Grenoble project.
The Tokyo trial is planned to run until the end of September 2015. Usage data and user feedback will be gathered to assess ease of use, changes in user activity patterns and public receptiveness to new mobility systems of this type.
The focus is on i-Road being used for one-way trips to businesses, shops and sightseeing locations. Users will pick up their vehicle from the Times Station and later return it to any of five central locations.