Cité Lib by Ha:mo was a partnership between Toyota, the City of Grenoble, the Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole metropolitan area, energy provider EDF, EDF’s affiliate Sodetrel and car sharing operator Cité Lib. As well as contributing a fleet of i-ROAD and COMS battery electric vehicles for the programme, Toyota also provided its Ha:mo (harmonious mobility) IT system to help people plan their journeys using different transport options, such as buses, trams, bicycles and walking.

At the conclusion of the project in 2017, the scheme had attracted more than 1,500 subscribers, more than 90% of whom were satisfied with the service and the way in which Toyota’s battery electric vehicles and Ha:mo system made for easier co-ordination with the city’s public transport. Around 70% of journeys were for city-centre shopping and leisure, with an average journey time and distance of 40 minutes and 5km. These findings are now being studied and interpreted to help with on-going research and development and the design of further car-sharing projects.

Like i-ROAD, COMS is a compact electric vehicle designed for driving around town. It is more conventional in design, with a single seat and four wheels, and more like a regular car to drive. It was available to customers in the Cité Lib by Ha:mo project as an alternative to i-ROAD and comes with a small trunk that can carry shopping or overnight bags.

The COMS is manufactured by Toyota Auto Body and uses a traditional lead-acid type of battery.

The Toyota i-ROAD is designed with urban driving in mind. It is only slightly wider than a motor scooter, but it has a roof and two doors and is more stable, with two wheels at the front and one at the rear. It uses our new Active Lean technology, leaning as you turn into a bend, much like a downhill skier makes turns.

All you have to do is turn the steering wheel as in a normal car. It is powered by a rechargeable compact lithium-ion battery, which produces no emissions. There is an extra seat behind the driver, adding to the convenience of a vehicle that is easy, quiet and fun to drive.

The challenge for i-ROAD Chief Engineer Akihiro Yanaka was to create a vehicle that is slim, compact and highly manoeuvrable. He found inspiration in one of his favourite hobbies, skiing.

He said: “The driver and the vehicle need to move in synchronisation, so I thought about the most natural way of doing this and came up with skiing. I actually found a lot of inspiration from skiing in the way the i-ROAD driver feels in control, while having an enjoyable sensation of being at one with the vehicle. I believe it creates a new feeling in everyday movement.”

We are developing the potential and appeal of i-ROAD in the Open Road project, a year-long research and development exercise in Tokyo.

One hundred people are being given access to an i-ROAD for one month each to explore ideas and potential two specific areas: finding space-saving places where the i-ROAD can be parked and re-charged; and looking at how the vehicle can be customised with colourful 3D-printed parts to make each one personal to the owner. We are using feedback from the project to create new value for the future of i-ROAD, building on its core strengths to increase its user appeal and its practicality in urban areas.