It’s no secret that cars had been getting smaller and smaller over the past 40 years. The American fascination with large suburban vehicles, or SUVs, which began in the 90s, was really just a blip on the screen, historically speaking; statistics show the average size of a new car has been getting smaller every three years since the 1960s.
For those among us who think that the Toyota Prius and other hybrids are impossibly small little vehicles, a rude awakening could be in store: the age of the micro vehicle has arrived, and we will soon be seeing transport devices that make the Prius look like an aircraft carrier by comparison.
Toyota, now the most popular car manufacturer in the world, has risen to the top of the automotive game by thinking progressively, and designing smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles that are ideally suited to America’s current energy crisis, and the ridiculously high price of gasoline (which is likely to only get higher over the next few years).
But the most extreme designs coming out of the Toyota development center are not actually “cars” at all, but tiny “personal transport devices.”
The most notable among the new designs is a recently developed two-wheeled standup scooter called the Winglet. The Winglet resembles the Segway personal transporter, and Toyota refers to the vehicle as a “personal transport assistance robot.” The Winglet is available in three different sizes and has a cruising speed of just under 4 mph.
The smallest version of the Winglet stands only 18 inches high and is designed for hands-free use. Using an electric motor and an array of sensors which help keep the vehicle balanced, the Winglet is an ultra-lightweight transportation device; the smallest version tips the scale at a mere 22 pounds.
Toyota claims that battery life for the electric powered transporter is good for approximately 3 miles of uninterrupted riding for the smallest version, and up to 6 miles or more for the larger versions (which still weight only a paltry 27 pounds).
The Winglet is currently being tested at airports in Japan, as well as seaside resort destinations where tourists need a small efficient way to get around. Next year though, there are plans to begin using the micro vehicles in heavily populated urban areas in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Toyota envisions a sea of Winglets darting to and fro in the shopping malls and tourist districts of major cities around the world.
Of course, Asian cities have become accustomed to tiny fuel-efficient vehicles — the real question is whether American cities will embrace the micro vehicles. America has a reputation for going its own way, despite what the rest of the world is doing. But when it comes to the use of smaller and smaller vehicles, there is little doubt that the US will be following the trend set by much of the rest of the world. Instability in the Middle East and the rising price of oil make it very likely that Toyota’s new “personal transport assistant robots” will be as welcome in American cities as they are in Tokyo, Bangkok or Hong Kong.
