4, Mar 2013
Toyota Shows Off A Fully Enclosed Electric Three Wheeled Vehicle The i-ROAD

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Toyota will be dropping this bomb, at the Geneva Motor Show, which is surely to make folks at Lit Motors and Smart take notice.  The Toyota i-ROAD is a fully enclosed all-electric two-seater that has three wheels.

Think of a motorcycle that is fully enclosed, balances while stopped, that leans into the turns.  Toyota is calling this cool leaning technology "Active Lean".  It allows the i-ROAD to balance when cornering and navigating stepped surfaces.  It is hard to gauge the size in pictures but it is very thin at 850mm.  To give you an idea of scale, the Piaggio MP3 is 760mm wide,

Toyota i-Road

 

The i-ROAD can charge fully in from any standard wall outlet in about three hours.  One bit of sad news however is that the range is just 30 miles.  No helmets, two passengers, and no fear of riding in the rain, if they could kick the range up I am in.  This might just become a reality as Toyota has the ability (think money) to make this happen.

“People using this kind of vehicle want something that is more comfortable, offers better weather protection and is safer than a two-wheeler such as a scooter or motorcycle, but has similar benefits of low running costs, easy parking and around-town maneuverability.”

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