This would be a fun addition to any major city: 70 brand-new EV mobility machines from Toyota that can be rented with a smartphone at 27 city locations.
Similar to other hourly car-sharing services, but cheaper and quicker and more fun. This is also a great way to introduce people to the EV three-wheeled i-Road and four-wheeled COMS.
They are both fresh and clean designs of a car-person’s ideal motorbike: easy, safe and enclosed… with regular steering wheel!
They look like fun. No word on the bike’s top road speeds… but Grenoble citizens will surely be flooring it soon and finding out!
The three-wheeler is the better-looking, and also articulates around corners. With its ecnlosed design and at big angles around corners, the iRoad is certainly a futuristic and cool way to get around town.
2015 Toyota iRoad
Allez i-Road!
Toyota ultra-compact electric vehicles ready to run in French urban mobility project
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Toyota providing 70 ultra-compact electric vehicles for Cité lib by Ha:Mo, an urban mobility project to be launched in Grenoble, France on 1 October
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Three-year trial scheme will see three-wheel Toyota i-Road and COMS four-wheel electric vehicles available for public car sharing on local journeys
Toyota is ready to bring nimble, zero-emissions motoring to Europe’s crowded city centres with a fleet of its i-ROAD and COMS ultra-compact electric vehicles. The chic and colourful three and four-wheelers are set to prove how clean and easy urban motoring can be by taking part in a major pilot programme in the French city of Grenoble.
Toyota is a key partner in the three-year low-carbon car sharing scheme, which is expected to transform the way people plan and make local journeys.
It is supplying 35 of each type of vehicle and is also contributing its Ha:Mo (harmonious mobility) system to manage the scheme day-to-day, following a model that’s already been successfully trialled in Toyota City in Japan.
Known a Cité lib by Ha:Mo, the programme is also supported by the local authorities in Grenoble, the French power supplier EDF, SODETREL, an EDF subsidiary that installs, manages and maintains electric charging points, and well-established local car-share operator Cité lib.
From 1 October, anyone 18 or older who holds a valid driving licence can register with Cite Lib to gain access to the Toyota electric vehicles. Once subscribed to the service, they can download an application on their smartphone, tablet or computer to see the real-time location of vehicles that are charged and ready to use.
People will be able to pick up their car and drop it off at a different location – any of 27 charging stations in the greater Grenoble area – rather than having to make a round-trip. When the vehicle is dropped off, it is plugged into the station to be recharged and ready for the next customer.
The concept is seen as a way of building a better-integrated public transport service, where people collect an electric vehicle from a location near their home or office to drive to a local transport hub for the next stage of their journey. Likewise, people arriving by bus or train can step into a car on arrival to complete the last leg of their trip. The network of charging stations is seamlessly connected to Grenoble’s transport network IT system to make total journey planning easier.
Both Toyota vehicles have been developed as user-friendly transport around town. The i-ROAD is particularly innovative, using a clever Active Lean technology that steers in a similar way to the movements of a skier. It’s not much larger than a motorbike or scooter, but has a full canopy that protects the driver from the elements and gives the kind of secure feeling and comfort of a car.
Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “This project came to fruition because all of its partners have the same aspiration — to be a part of creating a future urban mobility.
“Urban mobility solutions will be a key growth area for Toyota in the future. We are very excited to be working alongside the people of Grenoble in solving urban traffic problems,”
During the pilot the programme partners will gather data on technical issues and user behaviour to help shape future mobility initiatives.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.