Toyota brings three-wheeled i-Road EVs in France for trials

You might remember the three-wheeled Toyota i-Road EV as a concept which had made its debut at last year’s Geneva Motor Show and stunned the automotive world with its amazing ‘active lean technology’. The fully-enclosed, two-seater, three-wheeled Toyota i-Road is the company’s take on zero emissions future urban mobility and will take on the likes of cute little Renault Twizy electric vehicle. The EV is a part of the electric ride-sharing Ha:mo program, , which is ultimately a pick-up and drop off system, that has been tested in Japan and now the automaker is ready to test it in Europe by offering the same service in Grenoble, France. Along with the Toyota i-Road, the program also includes the four-wheeled COMS vehicles and there will be 70 vehicles on the streets of Grenoble, 35 of each model. The people of the city will be able to visit one of the 27 vehicle charging stations in the Grenoble area and get their hands on one of Toyota’s new zero-emission vehicles.

According to Toyota, the i-Road and COMS electric vehicles are not much larger than a motorbike or scooter and will help build a more integrated public transport service. The city of Grenoble, the Metro Area, French electricity company EDF and its affiliate Sodetrel, Toyota and Cite lib (local car-sharing operator) have collaborated together to bring the Ha:mo service in the area. From October 1 onwards, anyone who has a valid driving license and is over the age of 18 will be able to register to gain access to Toyota’s i-Road and COMS vehicles in Grenoble. To use the cars, people can use a dedicated app to reserve and pay to rent an i-Road, pick it up to reach their destination and then leave it charging in a designated spot for the next person to use it. The pricing for the service start at €3 ($4 approx) for up to 15 minutes and go as far as €19 ($25 approx) for 4 hours. A discount is also being offered for annual subscribers to MetroVelo, TAG, Itinisere or TER.

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[Via – Autoevolution]

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Sayan Chakravarty, a Senior Writer at Luxurylaunches, brings over 10 years of automotive journalism expertise. He provides insightful coverage of the latest cars and motorcycles across American and European markets, while also highlighting luxury yachts, high-end watches, and gadgets. An authentic automobile aficionado, his commitment shines through in educating readers about the automotive world. When the keyboard rests, Sayan feeds his wanderlust, traversing the world on his motorcycle.