The Sinclair C5, the BMW C1 and the Renault Twizzy - we’ve been here before when it comes to trying to replace the car as the primary form of transport in cities.
So far, the only thing to have caught on in some European cities is the Smart car which, being a car (albeit a tiny one), is still a car and says it all about our slow rate of adaptation.
It is also no coincidence that the Smart offers a degree of comfort, space, practicality and the familiarity of four wheels, where things like the Renault Twizzy invoke feelings of challenge, discomfort and vulnerability. In short, the Smart doesn’t suggest to you that you are going to die at the first busy roundabout you encounter.
So, how will Toyota’s i-Road - a three-wheeled vehicle that does not advance things greatly beyond the Twizzy concept - take us further down the road of cleaner, greener and congestion-free motoring? Well perhaps, its biggest attraction is that you are not being asked to buy it. The i-Road is simply an extension of the bike rental scheme that operates here and, instead of investing in some concept that is still in the development stage, you simply rent it for as long as you need it.
It does, nevertheless, induce a feeling of dread when you first see it. It is a battery-powered, three-wheeled, covered-in contraption that is slightly wide and higher than a motorcycle. And it drives like a motorcycle too. Even more challenging is the fact that it is a front wheel drive vehicle with rear wheel drive steering. Getting your head around that before you drive it is a real challenge.
Once inside, the only familiar things are a steering wheel, an accelerator and a brake pedal. There are three buttons - drive, reverse and neutral. That´s more or less it. There´s a claustrophobic feeling as you adjust to a cockpit little bigger than an F16 fighter jet and extending your arms is not an option. After a ten-minute briefing on the active-lean system (the two front wheels counterbalance each other as you turn and the rear steering adjusts accordingly), you’re on your own.
Initially, there is no real driving experience other than a fear that that rear wheel is going to cause you to slide or that the machine will topple if you don´t get the balance of speed and handling right. But this is a clever machine and once you take time to get used to it, it will begin to think for you. As you pick up speed there is an apprehension that you are in for a ride that might only be equalled by the Honda 50 in the Christy Moore song. Then you realise your maximum speed is 44 km/h and you begin to adjust to life in the world of the i-Road. It is a head-turner and attracts a lot of attention but sometimes not enough attention from the drivers of conventional cars - and that´s a worry.
The philosophy behind the vehicle is that it is integrated into the public transport system. You rent the i-Road at, say, a train station and drive it to, say, a hospital to visit a friend or you complete the journey you began by train. Then, just like the bike rental scheme, you leave it back at a charging point.
In Grenoble in France, where the i-Road is undergoing its first major trial, you can rent the i-Road for half an hour for €5 or for €11 for two hours. The battery range is 50 kilometres and it can be re-charged to 80 per cent of its capacity at a quick-charge point.
In three years time, Toyota will make a decision on the future of the i-Road project. In the meantime, there aren't even plans to put it into production. At the moment it is rather a relatively crude and untested concept. Whatever shape it finally takes, it will only be a part of the future of personal transport. Judging from this experience, that future will be at least a bit of fun.
