Driven: Toyota’s Smart City Trike

The car-sharing phenomenon is fast becoming a concern to the global automotive industry. Thanks to smartphones and software applications, companies like RelayRides and Zipcar are making it easy for American and European urbanites to hire cars by the hour.

Subscription is reasonable (Zipcar costs about R67 a month) and reserving a ride is simple. You use your smartphone or tablet to search for an available car closest to you, unlock it using your specially encoded key-card and go about your business. When you’re done, you park it where another subscriber will pick it up later. Many millennials are now choosing not to take the plunge into private car ownership.

It’s easy to see why — you’re getting all of the benefits of a car without any of the hassle, cost and maintenance issues. While this is good news for commuters, manufacturers are starting to feel the sting. A recent survey presented by consulting and business advisory firm, Alix Partners, every car added to a US car-sharing fleet like RelayRides or Zipcar translates to 32 new cars not being sold to the private consumer.

Manufacturers are now starting their own car-share initiatives. Daimler AG went the electric Smart Car route with Car2Go while BMW, in partnership with Sixt, offers customers a range of diesel and hybrid models with their DriveNow service.

Toyota is trying to get in on the action with their new i-ROAD. Forming part of the firm’s Harmonious Mobility project, 35 of these three-wheelers will, for three years, be a common sight in Grenoble, France. Merging with the fleet of car-sharing service, Cité Lib, residents will now be able to use these electric vehicles for short round and one-way trips through the city. To ensure users do not run out of power no less than 27 charging/drop-off depots have been built at strategic locations. All will be powered by a source of renewable hydroelectricity produced in Grenoble.

The i-ROAD, driven by a lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors, is capable of 45km/h. Although this may not sound like a lot it proved more than sufficient during a brief test drive, especially in a European city where tight streets are the order of the day. Maneuverability is exceptional. Steering via the rear wheel, the i-ROAD reacts with the nimbleness of a scooter yet provides the kind of weather protection you get with a motorcar. Thanks to something called Active Lean Technology it tilts through corners like a downhill skier. This culminates in a fun and surprisingly addictive driving experience.

My test drive left me wanting more, which is great news for Toyota as the i-ROAD has been designed to appeal to folk such as myself — tech-savvy members of Generation-Y with a taste for the alternative. The i-ROAD will, for the next three years, remain nothing more than an experiment in which Grenoblians will be able to supply Toyota with ongoing feedback and opinion.

If successful then we could, according to Toyota representatives at last week’s launch, see the i-ROAD or a similar variant put into production for urban car-sharing fleets. There might also be a version for private users seeking an entry-level electric vehicle.

-Thomas Falkiner