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First debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the Toyota I-Road certainly caught the eye with its Ridley Scott sci-fi looks.
The i-Road not only impresses with its innovative styling but also with its zero-emission environmental credentials. Weighing only 300 Kg and being only 90cm wide, the little Toyota can quickly weave in and out of traffic.
With a top speed of 37mph, the i-Road boasts a very short charging time of only three hours and can be charged from regular household mains. The short 37-mile range will worry range-anxious drivers; however, they may be missing the point of this vehicle. The Toyota is designed for the Urban Environment, not for cross country journeys. For example, data from the department for transport in the British Isles, the average trip length in 2019 was just 8.4 miles, and well within the I-Road range. Research from traffic analysts found that British commuters spent on average 115 hours stuck in traffic, costing the country £6.9bn and the typical driver £894. This is the gap in the market the I-Road snugly fits, neatly bridging the gap between scooters, motorbikes and cars.
The I-Road is so much more than just a fancy scooter, and it packs some serious engineering. One of the most innovative design features of the Toyota i-ROAD is the Active Lean technology. Two front wheels, each powered by an electric motor, and one rear wheel, which pivots to steer from the rear at lower speeds (a bit like a shopping trolly wheel). Go a bit quicker, and The Toyota starts to lean into corners, which is not surprising when you consider the lead designer is an alpine skiing enthusiast. A lean actuator motor and gearing mounted above the front suspension automatically move the front wheels up and down in opposing directions. So the driver quite literally slaloms around corners.
i-Road’s tandem two-seat cabin is entirely weatherproof. You even get standard-issue car equipment like mirrors, a windscreen wiper, a seatbelt and simple buttons for drive and reverse; two pedals take care of going faster and slowing down, and no gears.
Does the Toyota i-Road work?
Yes, really well. Check out these
The steering and lean system is superb and feels completely natural – within moments, you’re carving your way through traffic and around corners as well as any accomplished skier. While the i-Road isn’t exactly luxurious, it feels like a Lexus compared to a conventional scooter. With a likely price tag of around £10,000 we hope to soon see the Toyota i-Road slalom its way around city centres.
While the i-Road certainly looks like an exciting prospect, with no concrete release date, urban commuters need effective solutions here and now to the many problems incurred when negotiating our crowded inner cities. See our blog “My other car is an e-Bike.”
Many of our customers are replacing their much-loved cars with electric bikes and seeing some huge benefits, including:
- Cheaper running costs
- Charge the electric bicycle at work for free!!
- Quickly pays for itself in money saved
- No need for a driving licence
- Practicality
- Choose your routes, explore your city and never get stuck in traffic again
- Easily keep pace with traffic, accelerate away from lights faster than a regular bike
- No sweaty commutes, unlike cycling a standard bike
- Build fitness into your daily routine
- A lot more fun than driving
Some great electric bikes you will love
2021 Haibike HardSeven 5 500Wh Electric Mountain Bike
Tour or trail? Uphill or downhill? With the new HardSeven 5, there is no need for tradeoffs because this is a versatile and agile eMTB.
With 120mm travel, responsive disc brakes, nimble 27.5″ wheels and a potent Bosch Performance Line motor with a sleek, integrated 500Wh battery, you will have a huge amount of fun on and off the trail. Adventures – here we come!
Features:
- Frame material – Aluminium
- Drive unit – Bosch Performance Line, 65Nm, 25km/h
- Battery – Bosch PowerTube 500Wh
- Fork – SR Suntour XCM32 Boost DS, Travel: 120mm
Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro 625 Hybrid Electric Bike
The Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro – Comfortable, versatile and with the power to expand your horizons, its fourth-generation Bosch Drive System puts the world at your feet and the Bosch PowerTube 625 gives you the power to explore it. The Suntour Mobie45 air suspension fork smoothes your journey through the city streets, and powerful Magura hydraulic disc brakes ensure you’re always in full control what ever the British weather throws at you.