Electric Cars Gaining Popularity in China [Videos]
iRoad Toyota Rides on Ultra New Highs with New Luxury Vehicle
While the world is busy providing luxury and performance vehicles, Toyota is thinking of a totally new concept. The vehicle is neither a car nor a bike, but something between of both. It can accommodate two persons at a time and powered by a pair of 2kW electric motors attached to the front wheels.
iRoad is a car with new active lean technology which allows the ride to maneuver it like a motorcycle. It also have smooth auto-balancing capability to maintain its track, three wheeled machine, and can travel up to 30 miles on a single charge. According to Toyota, the ultra-thin design of iRoad allows four of these to be parked in a single car parking slot.
Car-motorcycle hybrid is one of the focused ideas from automobile manufacturers to solve the problem for vehicles fitting in small spaces in crowded urban areas and best replacement for four-wheeled cars due to rising fuel prices. iRoad fits well in tight urban environments, uses only electricity and provides enough protection against weather or crash.
Toyota hasn't confirmed the price range of the iRoad yet.
Other manufacturers are also contributing to eliminate the wasted space and expenses by transforming more classic vehicles into a unique and thin one-person vessel.
- Granger Motor Sports: CV1 is their totally unique vehicle that is designed for one person which is economical and environmental-friendly. It reduces traffic congestion, damaging emissions, and overall cost of commuting.
- Aptera Electric Cars defines the Efficient Vehicle Design Formula to bring out the practical notion of low energy consumption and freedom of movement with their ultra-efficient vehicles.
- Green Vehicles, Inc: Triac features two-seat three-wheeled card with top speed of 80mph and range of 100 miles. Triac's 160 amp-hour batteries takes up to 5 hours of charging. Unfortunately, the company stopped all of its production back in 2011.
In Asia, electric cars are gaining popularity in China and the hooded AV can easily be charged on any electric outlet. AV retailers reported that sales have significantly rose with 50 to 80 vehicles each month. Customers in China are satisfied with their electric cars which save more money compared to gas-fueled AV. Three-wheeled electric-powered vehicles costs from $600 up to $1,500 which are cheaper and can travel up to 30 miles per hour.