Gallery: The Funky Toyota i-Road Is Like Nothing I've Ever Driven
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The i-Road is a new kind of electric three-wheeler Toyota thinks we’ll use to zip around city centers burning nothing but rubber.
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It combines the advantages of a motorcycle—it’s nimble, and easy to maneuver and park—with those of a car—an enclosed space, a steering wheel, and pedals.
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Less than three feet wide and just seven feet long, the i-Road looks like someone cut out the middle third of a Smart car and smushed the outer bits together.
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It maxes out at 37 mph—fast enough to match speedy drivers on main thoroughfares—and has a range of 30 miles, which should be enough to handle any day’s worth of errands.
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Made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, it weighs a spritely 600 pounds.
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At slow speeds, the single back wheel of Toyota’s creation does the steering. It’s kind of like a speed boat, or drifting a car.
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The front wheels move up and down independently of one another, so the i-Road doesn’t turn so much as it leans, the way a skier carves down a mountain.
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It’s been tested by consumers in Tokyo and Grenoble, France, and now Toyota wants to bring it to the Bay Area.
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To figure out the best way to do that, Toyota’s hosting a “Smart Mobility Challenge," inviting innovators to come up with a creative, viable business plan.
