According to the manufacturer, the Toyota i-Road is a Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV) that is just 2.35 meters long and 87 centimeters wide. Driver and co-driver sit one behind the other. The vehicle is equipped with two electric motors that sit in the wheel hubs and each offer 1.9 kW of power. The necessary electricity is stored in a small battery, which should offer a range of 50 km. It is charged in three hours using a household socket.
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The vehicle is being tested in Berlin by the real estate company Groth-Gruppe and the nursing service Mediavita. It is not known whether the i-Road will also be available for purchase later. So far, the vehicle has only been used in the Japanese cities of Toyota and Tokyo and in Grenoble, France.
Toyota i-Road (Image: Toyota)
In contrast to a two-wheeler, the driver does not have to independently stabilize the i-Road while stationary or at low speed. Driving stability is achieved with Active Lean tilting technology, which uses a servomotor above the front wheel suspension, which is connected to the two front wheels via a bracket and is operated via the steering wheel. The system not only compensates for uneven driving, but also keeps the i-Road upright on inclined roads.
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