Changing Your Community One i ROAD at a Time
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In today’s age of technology, it often seems like the sky is the limit for concepts, but acting on those concepts is not always as feasible for many companies. I was recently approached by Toyota to take a look at the new i ROAD which is a mix between a bicycle and one of those smaller rental cars such as Car2Go, ZipCar, etc. While they didn’t have an i ROAD to send me to test, they sent me some information to read up on to help educate people on this new mode of transportation. I still have my hopes and dreams that Toyota sends me an i ROAD, but the information they sent me has already begun to get my engine roaring. What excites me about this new mode of transportation is not only the tech piece, but it also includes changing the way in which we think about transportation that can be significant if you live in a larger U.S. city like Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, etc.
Toyota i ROAD At A Glance
The Toyota i ROAD is a 2 person vehicle in which the seats are stacked from front to back. This means there is a passenger seat is directly behind the drivers seat vs. to the side of the drivers seat. As you might imagine, the Toyota i ROAD is an electric vehicle that currently has a charge capability of letting you drive 50 kilometers, or 31.07 miles on one charge. Given the fact that the majority of our commutes are less than 31 miles each way, this I feel is sufficient for now. The current top speed for the i ROAD is 45 KPH or 27.97 MPH. Since this vehicle is generally meant of city commuting, this top speed is reasonable since you can’t go much faster in city traffic.
Other Toyota i ROAD Specs include:
Length(mm) 2,350
Width(mm) 850
Height(mm) 1,445
Wheel base(mm) 1,700
Unloaded weight(kg) 300∗1
Tire size (Front)80/80R16
(Rear)130/70R10
Capacity(number of people) 2
Turning radius(m) 3.0
Power train Electric motor（2kw×2）
Top speed(km/h) 45
Range(km) 50∗2
Battery Lithium-ion battery
Toyota i ROAD and Your Community
In the Denver/Boulder area, traffic and congestion has taken a turn for the worst over the past 5-10 years. Cities like Denver and Boulder continue to attract companies and the head count continues to rise these great cities, but it is hard for the roads and infrastructure to keep up with the influx of people. The state of CO has been working on adding in new train lines which we call the Light Rail locally and is a great step for us living in the area. However these projects won’t be completed overnight and they will need additional help to move people throughout the city and its surroundings.
With more people taking public transportation and using electric vehicles such as the Toyota i ROAD, we will start to see those positive effects on our environment through reduction in smog and less dependence on oil. Less people on the road getting frustrated over traffic also means a happier and more productive society.
As for the amount of space a Toyota i ROAD takes up, the width of this vehicle is 2.79 ft wide and 7.79 ft long. This means that you can fit 2-3 i ROAD’s in a single parking space. Not too shabby when you think about lack of space for parking in the most cities these days.
When Will the Toyota i ROAD Be Available?
There is no specific date when the Toyota i ROAD will be available in the U.S. on a broad scale at this point. They have currently rolled out testing in a few smaller markets including Toyota City, Japan, but I hope to see them sooner than later in the U.S.
The BIG Question…
Do you think this concept will work in the U.S.? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this so please take a look at this link here and let us know your thoughts in the comment field.
http://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/smart_mobility_society/news_and_events/t_i-road/
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Toyota. The opinions and text are all mine.
