Toyota’s Take On Personal Transport Hits The Streets

JAPANESE car maker Toyota has launched the first public trials of its ultra-compact i-Road electric three-wheeled ‘personal mobility vehicle’ to find out how it shapes up in the cut-and-thrust of real-world urban driving.

Consumer testing in Tokyo is set to run through to early June, with 10 of the single-seater vehicles taking to the city streets. The 20 people involved in the programme range from industry experts through to members of the general public, so that Toyota can gain a wide range of feedback on what the i-Road is like to drive, how easy it is to use around town, how it affects people’s decisions about what journeys to make.

The vehicles are based on the concept version shown at last year’s Tokyo motor show. Its compact, slim shape and 300kg kerb weight are said to make the i-Road as nimble to handle in traffic as a scooter, but with car-like stability thanks to its two-at-the-front-one-at-the-rear wheel configuration.

As research continues into the i-Road’s potential, it will also be coming to Europe later this year to take part in a vehicle sharing programme that will operate in the French city of Grenoble over the next four years.

By Press Association reporters