Over the last few months, Toyota has unveiled a small three-wheeled allelectric personal mobility vehicle at several car shows. Baptized “i-Road”, this concept allows us a glimpse of Toyota’s vision for urban vehicles of the future.

Similar to the BMW C1 and Renault Twizy, the i-Road has a self-leaning system designed to automatically balance the vehicle when cornering or traveling over rough surfaces, thus protecting driver and passenger in case of an accident. Unlike the i-Road’s two rivals, this three-wheeler also protects riders from bad weather with its enclosed canopy design.

The new, intuitive Active Lean system facilitates driving in traffic and during parking maneuvers. The steering is combined with front two-wheel drive, which uses a lean actuator to improve stability and compensate for the narrowness of the vehicle. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the two electric motors are mounted in each of the two front wheels and have a range of 30 miles on a single charge.

Testing the i-Road

The city of Grenoble, and the Grenoble-Alpes greater urban area in the south-east of France, will test several dozen i-Roads in 2014. These tests are intended to demonstrate how a coordinated car sharing system can help cut greenhouse gases and improve individual transportation in conjunction with public transport.

These i-Roads will be offered on a rental basis without the obligation of having to return them to original departure points. This will be possible thanks to a central IT system and a network of charge stations that have been developed by Toyota, in partnership with energy provider EDF and Cité Lib. Users will be able to check which cars are available and where, and make reservations using their smartphones. The initial project will take place over three years.