GiGadgets | GiGadgets | Mobility Gets A New Name With Toyota I-Road

Getting places on time is becoming difficult day by day as more and more vehicles hit the road, giving rise to traffic jams and road congestion. The rising pollution levels owing to harmful emissions from vehicles are just adding to the problem. The Toyota I-Road can be a solution to all of the above problems.

The Toyota I-Road is a brand new concept in urban mobility combining the potential of both a car and a motorbike to bring to you a vehicle which is high on performance. The left and right front wheels of the Toyota I-Road responds to the drivers steering and moves up and down independently synchronized, and the vehicle automatically selects the optimal lean angle when cornering. This gives the invigorating sense of freedom and the feeling of being one with the machine, similar to that in a motorbike. But unlike a motorbike it’s high on the safety quotient, because ultimately it’s the car which maintains balance and not the rider. 

It’s perfectly stable on curved roads, slopes and uneven surfaces, and you won’t need a helmet. The ultra compact I-Road is just 870 mm wide which means that you can easily navigate through confined spaces. It does not require the entire lane to run on busy urban roads and needs only half the parking area of that of a normal car. Moreover the Toyota I-Road gives out absolutely zero CO2 emissions making it a boon to the environment. The Toyota I-Road is powered on lithium ion batteries and can travel approximately 50 kms on a charge provided that you maintain a speed of 30km/hr. 

Toyota launched an ‘Open Road Project’ in 2015 to promote Toyota I-Road as a part of an initiative to encourage practical, convenient and fun use of the car. As a part of the initiative 10 Toyota I-Road vehicles were given to both ordinary members of the public and experts and their feedback was recorded as a means to further develop the product and create new innovations in the field of mobility. The project was a success. The Toyota I-Road is priced at approximately 60000$, which albeit a bit expensive, is a good investment considering the amount of money that you will save on fuel for the rest of your life all the while doing your bit for the betterment of the environment.