Nov 29 2013
The brand has set its vision for a “Smart Mobility Society”, one it says will "provide convenient, comfortable and efficient transport by improving coordination among multimodal transports and realising seamless travelling".In an ideal scenario, Toyota says, the user would find out via their phone the ideal time to start their journey. They would make their way to their nearest station to park or be dropped off, then catch an ideally timed means of public transport, be it train or bus - the latter of which will be controlled by a traffic-sensing system that will ensure no slow coaches by 'pushing' more buses out as they are required.
The customer's destination is Japanese used car delars when reached there would be a collection of zero emissions shared vehicles - either three-wheeler EVs like the i-Road or electric pushbikes - for "the last one mile" to work. These would be rented at a low rate, and returned at the end of the working day.For anyone who has travelled to Japan, this isn't too big a stretch of the imagination - the trains rarely run more than a minute late in cities such as Tokyo as it is.
Three-wheeled cars that are shared rather than owned, a house built by a car company and smartphone apps that help you plan your day to avoid stressing out - these are Toyota’s goals for the future.The Japanese brand may currently be one of the biggest car makers on the planet, but it is looking to diversify from simply offering options of getting from A to B to a more wholistic approach, helping people live a life that is less stressful, more convenient and more ecological.
The system is already in operation in small scale form in Toyota City, near Nagoya, with 27 stations planned and 200 vehicles available for use.
It is also set to be rolled out in the French city of Grenoble from the end of 2014, with 70 EVs and 20 depots planned to link with the city's existing transport infrastructure. Forecasts from Toyota and its project partners suggest a potential drop in overall car traffic of 35 per cent by 2030.
