The latest car sharing program in Grenoble, France, is about to make all bike sharing programs around the world very jealous. As part of the “Smart City” initiative, the city officials are introducing Toyota iRoad electric three-wheeler, which is expected to transform the concept of personal transportation completely.
As of October this year, citizens and visitors of the city of Grenoble, will be able to hop on the latest super efficient and compact electric vehicle from Toyota. Just a year after the iRoad Concept was introduced, 70 Toyota iRoad and COMS three-wheelers will be added to the already existing car-sharing program. These will be made available for pick up and drop off at various locations for a period of three years.
The “Smart City” project is a result of the collaboration between the City of Grenoble, Grenoble-Alpes Métropole, EDF Group, Toyota and Citélib, and aims to show that electrified transportation can be both personal and private. The initiative is also seen as a mean to reduce traffic congestion and emissions, save time and increase travel flexibility. Because the vehicles take a lot less space on the road and at parking locations (see demo video here), the team behind the project is convinced that these will greatly improve the mobility and comfort of the commuters.
Grenoble is not the only location where Toyota is planning to introduce their latest creation. Tests are already being carried out in Japan, where lucky selected few had the chance to experience first hand what it is to drive one of these babies. The increadible feedback that was given by the testers (have a look at this video), definitely makes people even more eager to give the compact vehicles a try.
Rumor has it that the iRoad could soon be seen at some locations across the U.S., unfortunately no date has been announced yet.
Image (c) Toyota
