Toyota was one of the primary sponsors of this year's Wired NextFest, and it wasn't afraid to show it. The company's exhibit took up a majority of the rear of the Millennium Park showroom floor.
The company was showcasing a new Prius hybrid and the ultra-lightweight 1/X. The real hits of the show, however were the three personal mobility concept vehicles, the PM, i-swing, and i-REAL. We had the opportunity to briefly sit down with the one of the company's engineers, Akihiro Yanaka--and his translator.
Check out the interview--and a video of Yanaka and the i-REAL in action--after the jump.
Can you tell me a bit about the i-REAL?
Toyota focused on person mobility, so they developed the PM first, in 2003, and then the i-Swing, and the current stage is the i-REAL.
Are any of these on the road in Japan, right now?
These are only concept models.
Do you expect to bring any out of the concept phase?
Only the i-REAL was designed to make it onto streets.
Is there a release date for the vehicle, yet?
Within a few years. Toyota doesn't decide. The car is ready, but you have to pass city standards. A lot of different elements have to be met to make this car run on the street.
What sort of regulations are you running up against, attempt to make the car street legal?
This has a two modes. One is walking mode, one is cruising mode. The walking mode you can drive on the sidewalk and the cruising mode you can drive on the streets, but this vehicle has two modes at one time, so that means it depends on the driver. That's a very difficult line to judge.
What kind of speeds is it capable of?
30 kph, which is 18 mph.
What makes the i-swing a concept and the i-REAL a true vehicle?
The first thing is the size. If you want to drive on the sidewalk, it has to be close to your body size, so it's much narrower. And also, if you drive 30 kph, it's required to have the same capabilities of a motorcycle, so you have to have the speed, the swing, the breaking. The difference between the front and rear wheel is also much smaller. To make a turn with that speed, you have to have a lower center of gravity. If one of the parts has a problem that makes it unstable or unsafe, it doesn't work. So they've created a Failsafe system as back up.
When we first heard about these, everyone was comparing them to Segways. What are the major differences between the i-REAL and the Segway?
This is a totally different concept than the Segway, so don't mix them up! The Segway is riding. This is driving. It's sitting. The Segway moves of the driver's capability. The i-REAL is more stable, like a car, when you drive.
Do you have any concept what something like this might cost consumers?
Toyota hasn't decided the price yet, but it will be lower than a car and a little higher than a scooter. I think that's the target price.
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