Toyota has unveiled a new three-wheeled electric vehicle at the Geneva motor show. The Toyota i-Road is just 850mm wide and is designed for easy maneuverability on city streets.
The three-wheel i-Road seats two people in tandem under a weatherproof cover and body. It can be driven without a crash helmet, and Toyota says the cabin has a ‘car-like environment’.
The i-Road is 2350mm long, 1445mm high and has a 1700mm wheelbase. The narrow width means that up to four i-Roads could be parked in a single car parking bay.
The zero-emissions, all-electric powertrain uses a lithium-ion battery to power two 2kW motors mounted in the front wheels.
The driving range is around 30 miles, after which the battery can be fully recharged from a conventional domestic power supply in three hours.
The i-Road uses a lean actuator and gearing mounted above the front suspension member, linked via a yoke to the left and right front tyres, to balance the vehicle during cornering.
Toyota refers to the system as ‘Active Lean’ technology. An ECU calculates the required degree of lean based on steering angle, vehicle speed and information provided by a gyro-sensor.
The system automatically moves the tyres up and down in opposite directions, applying lean angle to counteract the centrifugal force of cornering.
Toyota hasn’t yet said when the i-Road would be likely to reach production or how much it could cost.
Join the debate
Add your comment
You Might Not Want One Now
For all those comments about not liking the Toyota i-road you might change your mind when fuel is £10 a gallon (>£2 per litre). For city driving only it makes a lot of sense and I would prefer this to a Renault Twizy or public transport.
Yawn, Toyota lost in their own confusion
It's a Renault Twizzy, rebadged...probably, or a design rip off. I'm not defending Renault over this either. What is wrong with car makers these days? I want an efficient car, but not a disabled looking two seater, reminiscent of the pale blue electric disabled car from the 70's. I appreciate to set themselves apart Toyota have removed one of the rear wheels and added an old fashioned way to help it corner better...how many times has this been tried? And none have been sucessful! I also want boot space for practicality and a lot more safety. And if it is purely to off set their carbon footprint then again it is still pointless. If anyone is stupid enough to buy one; good luck with your resell value as I hear Renault does not want to take Twizzy's back in px!
Answer if you want a small, easy to park, fuel efficient mode of transport with two seats...buy a scooter!
So many companies came up
So many companies came up with tilting vehicle concepts: VandenBrink, Nissan, KTM, Naro Car Co. Actually, they are all flawed. They are either unappealing geriatric-looking 'creatures' from a product design point of view and/or unsafe for the passengers if you compare them to small cars. About time someone came up with a true successor to that almost forgotten transportation mode from the Fifties the Germans brought us in the form of the Isetta, Heinkel and Messerschmitt. Well, actually someone already did. Check out newisetta.com